Primary and secondary education

French-speaking kindergartens give your child the opportunity to learn French through play and activities. If you would like more information about how these daycares and schools operate, please contact them directly.

• École française Jules Verne, located in central Helsinki, accepts children from the age of 2. Proficiency in French is not required before the age of 6.
• Founded in 2003, Les Galopins Kindergarten is located in Kannelmäki and is easily accessible by public transport (train, bus) and major roads. The facility features a spacious outdoor playground and is specially designed to accommodate 47 children aged 1.5 to 6, divided into three small groups.
• Arc en ciel daycares are located in Länsi-Pasila, Helsinki and in Matinkylä, Espoo. Originally opened in 2012 by a parents’ association, the L’Ile aux Trésors daycare became a privately owned daycare centre in 2015. Both daycares have excellent access to public transportation: Arc-en-ciel Matinkylä is about a five‑minute walk from the Matinkylä metro station, while Arc-en-ciel Länsi-Pasila is less than a five‑minute walk from the Pasila railway station. The daycare centres accept children aged approximately 1 o 6 years. Arc-en-ciel Länsi-Pasila has 50 places, and Arc-en-ciel Matinkylä has 60 places.
• The kindergarten of the Lycée franco-finlandais d’Helsinki (LFF) welcomes up to 40 children. In February–March, group assessments (conducted in Finnish by psychologists) are organized to evaluate children’s maturity. These are not language tests, and there are no linguistic prerequisites for admission. The program is a full French-language immersion (100% in French).

The school offers preschool and primary education following the French national curriculum, delivered by teachers certified by the French Ministry of Education.

The French-language education network in Finland also includes three Franco-Finnish bilingual streams. They benefit from the support of Finnish educational authorities, as well as from the French State, the French Embassy, and the French Institute of Finland:

• Lycée franco-finlandais d’Helsinki (LFF): A public secondary school established under the 1977 intergovernmental agreement between France and Finland. The LFF covers education from preschool to upper secondary level. Among its staff are around twenty French-speaking teachers, including the Head of French Studies. The LFF had 820 students at the start of the 2025–2026 school year. The school was awarded the FrancEducation label in 2013. In 2025, it was ranked number one nationally.
  ⇒ Destination Francophonie Helsinki
• Franco-Finnish bilingual programme of Tampere: Established in 1986 under an agreement between the City of Tampere and the French Embassy, this programme spans from kindergarten to lower secondary school and had 199 students at the start of the 2025–2026 school year. Its teaching staff includes five French-speaking teachers. Instruction is 50% in French at primary level and 40% at lower secondary level. The school has held the FrancEducation label since 2012.
  ⇒ Destination francophonie Tampere
• Franco-Finnish bilingual programme of Turku: Created in 1993 under an agreement between the City of Turku and the French Embassy, this bilingual section includes primary education (Vähä-Heikkilä School) and lower secondary education (Topelius School). It had 190 students at the start of the 2025–2026 school year. The teaching team includes two French teachers. Instruction is 30% in French at the beginning of primary school and 50% at the end of the cycle; it is 40% in French at lower secondary level. Vähä-Heikkilä School received the FrancEducation label in September 2015 and again in 2018.
  ⇒Destination francophonie Turku