French International School of Philadelphia

[5] At the time the school was established, the French expatriate population of Philadelphia was increasing.

The Philadelphia honorary consul for France, Stanhope S. Browne, and the general consul of France, Jean-Yves Defay, stated that they estimated that between 5,000 and 6,000 French people lived in the Philadelphia area.

Because younger children can more easily learn languages, the school initially opened with only the maternelle grades.

As of 2014[update] the school has 320 students, with about 33% being French, 33% being American, and 33% from international and/or bilingual families.

[9] In 1992 Josette Smith stated that many students were children of French business executives assigned to work in the Philadelphia area.