Life does not always follow a schedule. That's the reason why we accept applications and enroll students in our two dual diploma programs, featuring a thorough four-year college counseling program, service and learning trips..., at any time of the year! If you are interested in joining our school but wonder whether it's the best fit for you and your family, inquire today!
At our international school in San Francisco, the International Track program equips students in Middle and High School with transferable, future-ready skills and internationally recognized qualifications.
The program is anchored in the International Baccalaureate (IB) approach, known for its rigorous, student-centered curriculum. The IB program emphasizes inquiry-based learning, critical thinking, and interdisciplinary studies, encouraging students to engage deeply with complex global issues. At the Lycée, students in the International Track benefit from a bilingual and multicultural setting that further enriches their learning, fostering both academic and personal growth. Through the IB framework, students develop essential skills like research, communication, and problem-solving that will prepare them for higher education and beyond.
The International Track at the Lycée offers a unique educational experience, perfect for students from diverse backgrounds who may not speak French. Unlike the traditional French Track, there is no French language requirement for admission into the International Track. This allows students of all linguistic backgrounds to benefit from a bilingual and multicultural environment while learning French along the way. The program is designed to promote a global perspective, preparing students to thrive in international settings.
The French Track delivers the well regarded French immersion curriculum, composed of the French National curriculum and a solid US program.
FRENCH TRACK:
The International Track proposes a rigorous English-focused program with an outstanding French language acquisition curriculum. It is delivered using the International Baccalaureate (IB)* platform.
INTERNATIONAL TRACK:
The International Track is a continuous program that, from Kindergarten/Gr1 to Gr12, focuses on international-mindedness through multilingualism. Students study in English and are introduced to French, as we believe that communicating in more than one language helps students to appreciate that his or her own language, culture and world view are just one of many.
The International track in Middle School
Building a solid academic foundation, the program develops students’ confidence in managing their own learning and making connections between learning in the classroom and the real world. It is developed under the MYP (Middle Years Program) of the International Baccalaureate program.
The International track in High School
Through Middle and High School, these themes are extended into six global contexts
At the end of High School, in Gr11 and 12, the iTrack encourages students to become more aware of their own perspectives and assumptions through an exploration of the fundamental question of how we know what we know.
Culminating projects:
Culminating projects provide an opportunity for students to both deepen and showcase their knowledge, understandings and skills, and to celebrate their learning journeys.
The iTrack program further enhances the development of international-mindedness through multilingualism. Through the international baccalaureate program, students are required to study in English and in French, and study additional languages. This is because we believe that communicating in more than one language helps students to appreciate that his or her own language, culture and world view are just one of many. In this way, it provides excellent opportunities to develop intercultural understanding and respect.
International-mindedness is a multifaceted concept that captures a way of thinking, being and acting characterized by an openness to the world and a recognition of our deep interconnectedness to others. To be open to the world, we need to understand it. The International Track bilingual program at our IB candidate school provides students with opportunities for sustained inquiry into a range of local and global issues and ideas.
International-mindedness is also encouraged through a focus on global engagement and meaningful service with the community, therefore challenging students to critically consider power and privilege, and to recognize that they hold this planet and its resources in trust for future generations. They are encouraged to move beyond awareness and understanding to engagement, action and bringing about meaningful change to make a more peaceful and sustainable world for everyone.
Students are encouraged to reflect on their own perspective, culture and identities, as well as those of others. By engaging with diverse beliefs, values and experiences, and by learning to think and collaborate across cultures and disciplines, LFSF iTrack students gain the understanding necessary to make progress towards a more peaceful world.
Specific approaches to teaching and learning play a crucial role in ensuring that the aspirations of the IB powered LFSF International Track become a reality in the classroom. The approaches are centered on a cycle of inquiry, action and reflection—an interplay of asking, doing and thinking—that informs the daily activities of teachers and learners. They also place a great deal of emphasis on relationships, reflecting the belief that educational outcomes are profoundly shaped by the relationships between teachers and students.
The iTrack places the student at the center of the education in a representation referred to as the Learner Profile .
The Learner Profile identifies 10 attributes that highlight the importance of curiosity and compassion, as well as developing knowledge and skills. Cognitive development is just the beginning. Social, emotional and physical well-being, ensuring that students learn to respect themselves, others and the world around them are also fundamental to developing internationally minded students who can help to build a better world.
Teachers help students to develop these attributes over the course of their education. Students are encouraged to demonstrate these traits in increasingly robust and sophisticated ways as they mature.
Assessment is ongoing, varied and integral to the curriculum, using a range of strategies and tools to assess student learning. Emphasis is placed on the importance of analyzing assessment data to inform teaching and learning, and on recognizing that students benefit by learning how to assess their own work and the work of others.
To measure what students have learned and to monitor their progress, teachers of the International Track use a range of assessment strategies including formative assessments that provide ongoing feedback that can be used by instructors to develop their teaching and by students to identify their strengths and weaknesses, and target areas that need improvement. Teachers use summative assessments which are internationally benchmarked for older students, and are criterion-referenced. This means students are measured against a set of agreed upon learning outcomes rather than graded on a “bell curve” as in norm-referenced assessments.
Similarly to the international AEFE network, the IB is globally renowned for its excellence. There are IB World Schools in over 150 countries/territories and over 5,000 IB World Schools worldwide. Universities across the globe recognize the strength of our Diploma Program (DP).
“It’s the most secure foundation available for successful college graduation.” Jonathan Burdick, Dean of College Admission, University of Rochester, USA
“This is an invaluable experience for a liberal arts education that emphasizes critical thinking.” Madhavi Menon, Director, Center for Studies in Gender and Sexuality and Professor of English, Ashoka University, Harayana, India
“When I entered my new college environment, my experience in IB gave me the foresight to understand the power of hard work and pushing through difficulty.” Alumnus Rachon Sweiss received his IB diploma from Granada Hills Charter High School in 2015.
“Learning in an IB environment involves critical thinking and depth of understanding, skills that are invaluable to making informed decisions in higher education and the workplace.”–Alumnus Byron Dolon received his IB diploma from the Shanghai American School, China.
