Cite Scolaire Internationale Europole

What Cite Scolaire Internationale Europole does

Cite Scolaire Internationale Europole (CSI Europole) is a public French middle and high school (collège et lycée) established in 2001 at 4 place de Sfax in Grenoble, France, operating under the authority of the Rectorat de l'Académie de Grenoble and ultimately the French Ministry of National Education. The institution serves as the sole public provider in the Grenoble Academy of the Baccalauréat Français International (BFI, formerly OIB) and the Diplôme National du Brevet International (DNBI) across six language sections — German, English, Arabic, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese — plus two binational sections, ABIBAC (Franco-German, leading to dual French Baccalauréat and German Abitur) and ESABAC (Franco-Italian, leading to dual French Baccalauréat and Italian Esame di Stato). Its location in the Europole district places it adjacent to MINATEC, CEA, and the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, a positioning that anchors demand from international researcher and expatriate families.

The school's product portfolio is curriculum-based rather than technology-based. Core academic offerings consist of the DNBI middle school diploma program and BFI high school diploma program, with History-Geography taught in the section language and 5-6 hours per week of Literature and Language courses. Binational sections (ABIBAC, ESABAC) admit students based on application dossier review without written or oral tests, while standard international sections admit via competitive written and oral language proficiency tests (B1 level for middle school entry, B1-B2 for high school entry). The underlying technology stack is entirely off-the-shelf: PRONOTE (student information system), ENT digital workspace, and EduConnect national SSO (mandatory since 2024), with Google Forms and Google Apps Script used for the admissions questionnaire and online September session application processing. No proprietary technology, API, or AI capability is developed or deployed.

The business model is a public utility structure with no commercial revenue generation. There are no tuition fees; all operating funding flows from the French government education budget through the Rectorat de l'Académie de Grenoble (parent entity). The only transactional revenue stream is cafeteria meal payments, which are outsourced to catering partner ELIOR and processed through the TurboSelf application. Admissions are managed through the national AFFELNET platform combined with school-level language proficiency testing. Go-to-market is admissions-led via competitive testing, annual open days (Journées Portes Ouvertes), virtual campus tours, downloadable brochures, and coordination with primary schools and the Maison de l'International. The current Proviseur (principal) is M. Laurent Pajot, appointed in 2024.

Name

Cite Scolaire Internationale Europole

Legal name

Cite Scolaire Internationale Europole

Website

https://cite-scolaire-internationale-europole.web.ac-grenoble.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cite Scolaire Internationale Europole is a public French middle and high school in Grenoble under the Ministry of Education, offering six international language sections and two binational programs (ABIBAC, ESABAC) preparing students for internationally recognized diplomas alongside the French baccalaureate.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Secondary Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (61111), Language Schools (611630)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Exam Preparation Language Programs (IELTS/TOEFL/DELE/DALF/HSK, etc.) (EDAIAEAD)

Keywords

• International secondary education
• Language immersion school
• Binational diploma program
• Foreign language instruction
• Public international school

Headquarters

HQ city

Grenoble

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Public Government Funding: As a public school under the Rectorat de Grenoble, the establishment is primarily funded by the French Ministry of Education. No tuition fees are charged to students.
2. Catering Services: Outsourced catering service provided by ELIOR. Parents pay for school meals through the TurboSelf application. School lunch registration is done through official forms.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cite Scolaire Internationale Europole is a public French middle and high school that delivers international and binational secondary education through six language sections (German, English, Arabic, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese) plus two binational streams (ABIBAC Franco-German and ESABAC Franco-Italian). Students prepare for the DNBI middle school diploma and the BFI high school diploma, with language, literature, and history-geography taught in the section language, alongside internationally recognized language certifications (DSD II, DELE, WiDaF). Admission is competitive, based on language proficiency tests and the national AFFELNET procedure.

Product overview

Cite Scolaire Internationale Europole is a public middle and high school offering a portfolio of international and binational diploma programs. The core offerings are the DNBI (middle school) and BFI (high school) international programs in six languages (German, English, Arabic, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese), supplemented by two binational programs: ABIBAC (Franco-German) and ESABAC (Franco-Italian). All students are enrolled in either an international or binational section. The school provides access to the PRONOTE student information system and ENT digital workspace for academic management, with authentication through the national EduConnect platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sections Internationales BFI (Bac Francais International): International sections offering French curriculum with language and literature taught in German, English, Arabic, Spanish, Italian, or Portuguese, plus history-geography in the section language. Prepares students for DNBI (college) and BFI (high school).
• Section Binationale ABIBAC
• Section Binationale ESABAC

Products and services

• DNBI (Diplôme National du Brevet International) Middle school diploma program (DNBI) combining the French national curriculum with reinforced language and literature courses and history-geography taught in the section language (German, English, Arabic, Spanish, Italian, or Portuguese). Designed for French and international students seeking bilingual middle school certification.
• BFI (Baccalauréat Français International) High school diploma program (BFI) offering six language sections plus two binational options, with specialized language, literature, and history-geography instruction in the section language. Replaces the former OIB and prepares students for internationally recognized language certifications and prestigious post-baccalaureate pathways (Sciences-Po, CPGE, European universities).
• ABIBAC (Section binationale franco-allemande) Binational Franco-German program leading to both the French Baccalauréat and the German Abitur. Admission is based on application dossier review without written or oral tests, and includes language, literature, and history-geography taught in German, with cooperation from the Goethe Institut and DAAD.
• ESABAC (Section binationale franco-italienne) Binational Franco-Italian program leading to both the French Baccalauréat and the Italian Esame di Stato. Includes language, literature, and history-geography taught in Italian, with detached teachers provided by the Italian Ministry of Education to guarantee integration of Italian history and culture within the French program.

Quantifiable outcome

• Language certification DSD II (B2-C1 level) available for German section students
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• ELIORminorOthersExternal catering service provider managing school cafeteria. Contact: [email protected]. Uses TurboSelf application for meal payments.
• Maison de l'International GrenobleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on international projects including Erasmus+ exchanges. Connects the school with broader international community in Grenoble.
• Goethe InstitutminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation on 'Unternehmen Deutsch' project for German section students, providing additional cultural and linguistic resources.
• DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman Academic Exchange Service provides university orientation support for students pursuing higher education in Germany.
• Rectorat de GrenoblecoreOthersParent institution providing administrative oversight, hosting, and IT infrastructure (DSI Rectorat). Website hosted by DSI at 7 Place Bir Hakeim, 38000 Grenoble.
• Instituto CervantesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides official DELE (Diploma of Spanish as a Foreign Language) certification exams for Spanish section students.
• Italian Ministry of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides detached teachers for the Italian section, guaranteeing integration of Italian history and culture within the French program.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• AEFE (Agence pour l'Enseignement Français à l'Étranger): French governmental agency that operates and accredits French schools abroad. While not a direct competitor, AEFE network schools (e.g., Lycée Français de New York) provide a parallel channel of internationally portable French credentials for expat families and partly define the standards CSI Europole aligns with.
• CIEP (Centre International d'Études Pédagogiques): French government agency under the Ministry of Education that manages international education programs, certifications (DSD, DELE), and partner-country academic agreements. Provides the certification infrastructure and teacher-exchange framework upon which CSI Europole's international sections depend.

Broad incumbents

• International School of Paris: Private English-language international school in central Paris serving the same expatriate/multinational family segment that feeds CSI Europole from the Grenoble tech ecosystem. Comparable international curriculum offering but private-pay model.
• Marymount International School Paris: Catholic, private, English-language international school in the Paris region with IB programs. Same target families (international/mobile upper-middle class) seeking a globally portable credential, but operates on private school economics rather than public funding.

Direct peers

• Lycée International de Saint-Germain-en-Laye: France's flagship public international school with multiple language sections (AEFE-affiliated model). The closest structural analogue to CSI Europole: same French public-school model, multiple international sections, admission by language test, internationally recognized diplomas.
• International School of Grenoble: Direct local competitor in the Grenoble basin, offering English-language instruction for international families. Competes with CSI's British and other English-language sections for the same expatriate population anchored at CEA, MINATEC, and ESRF.
• Ecole Active Bilingue Jeannine Manuel: Highly regarded private bilingual school network in Paris (and Lille) that competes for the same ambitious bilingual families seeking international credentials. Comparable mission of bilingual/bicultural education, contrasting only on the public-vs-private axis.
• British School of Grenoble: Local English-curriculum private school in the Grenoble area targeting expatriate children. Directly competes with CSI Europole's British section for the same English-speaking families in the research/tech catchment.
• Lycée International de Ferney-Voltaire: Public French international school near Geneva serving an expatriate-rich catchment (CERN, multinationals). Operates the same French curriculum with international sections in English, German, Spanish, Italian — directly comparable in mission, structure, and admissions logic to CSI Europole.
• Lycée International de Lyon: Major French public international school offering multiple language sections and binational programs in a regional tech hub. Functions as the Lyon's structural counterpart to CSI Europole — both serve tech-region expat families through similar French public-school international sections.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/lafinestradigrenoble
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/csi-europole

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cite Scolaire Internationale Europole