Collège Saint Joseph – Antoura

The Collège Saint Joseph in Antoura, Lebanon, is the oldest French school in the Middle East.

[citation needed] Since 1651, local Cheikh Abou Nawfal Khazen had been requesting Jesuit fathers to establish a mission on his lands in Antoura.

Antoura's beginnings were quite modest, in October 1834 seven students were enrolled, thus forming the first secondary Francophone school in the Middle East.

[citation needed] During World War I and the Armenian genocide, the Lazarists were expelled by the Ottomans and the college was transformed into an orphanage where, under the direction of Djemal Pasha and Halide Edib Adıvar, about 1,000 Armenian and 200 Kurdish children were forcefully Turkified.

The Centre Lamartine, named after the French poet who visited the college, is a documentation center which is used by students and teachers to further their research.

Students in grade 9 are required to pass the Brevet examination before joining the Secondary cycle ("high school").

The school also offers students the possibility of studying both the French and Lebanese Baccalaureates, in a double intensive program.

[citation needed] The average size of the graduating class in Antoura varies typically between 200 and 250 students.