FAIDHERBE

What FAIDHERBE does

Lycée Faidherbe, legally 'LF – Lycée Faidherbe', is a French public secondary and pre-university educational institution (établissement public) located at 9 rue Armand Carrel, 59034 Lille, operating since its inauguration on November 15, 1852 and renamed in 1893 in honor of General Louis Faidherbe. The institution serves secondary students from seconde to terminale preparing for the French Baccalauréat, plus five Classes Préparatoires aux Grandes Écoles (CPGE) tracks: the scientific MPSI/PCSI/MPII track targeting elite engineering schools (Polytechnique, ENS, CentraleSupélec, Mines Paris), the ECG commercial track targeting top French business schools, the BCPST track for veterinary/agronomy/life sciences, and the literary A/L and B/L tracks preparing for ENS, journalism, IEP, and translation schools. Selection through the national Parcoursup platform is highly selective, with approximately 800 students accepted from over 3,000 dossiers per scientific track; reported outcomes include 98% placement of ECG students into the top 20 French business schools and 50% into the top 10.

The institution is publicly funded by the French Ministry of National Education and the Académie de Lille, with regional support from Région Hauts-de-France; it charges no tuition and derives marginal revenue from administrative and ancillary fees (€178 university registration, €105 CVEC contribution, €2,406.43 full-year boarding, €4.05 individual meals, €40 reprography). As a non-commercial entity it has no commercial revenue, no funding rounds, no M&A history, and no parent ownership; the underlying 'technology' is the CPGE pedagogy itself (intensive oral examination prep known as khôlles, supervised evening study, university dual enrollment yielding 60 ECTS/year, personalized teacher attention).

Faidherbe operates an integrated campus offering a 500-bed boarding facility across four buildings, a school restaurant serving up to 1,300 people per day, a 15,000-document Documentation and Information Centre (CDI), a specialized Bibliothèque Maïna Fauconnier holding over 8,000 volumes dedicated to literary preparatory students, and a cultural/ extracurricular ecosystem including orchestra, choir, theater, and academic conferences. It sustains a multi-university partnership network anchored by dual-enrollment agreements with Université de Lille, IEP Rennes, IEP Aix-en-Provence, ISIT, and ESJ Lille, plus CROUS housing conventions for the Bas Liévin residence.

Name

FAIDHERBE

Legal name

LF – Lycée Faidherbe

Website

https://faidherbe.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1852

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lycée Faidherbe is a French public secondary and CPGE institution in Lille, founded 1852, offering five competitive preparatory tracks (scientific, commercial, literary, life-sciences) plus secondary education, funded by the French Ministry of Education with no tuition.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

PARIS

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Lycée Faidherbe is a French public secondary and post-secondary institution founded in 1852 and located in Lille, offering second-cycle general education and Classes Préparatoires aux Grandes Écoles (CPGE) tracks including ECG, BCPST, A/L, B/L, MPSI/PCSI/MPII, along with boarding (internat), a school restaurant, the Bibliothèque Maïna Fauconnier library, and CDI study spaces. It prepares students for entry to elite French Grandes Écoles through intensive two-year programs.

Product overview

Lycée Faidherbe is a public secondary and higher education institution offering Classes Préparatoires aux Grandes Écoles (CPGE), which are intensive two-year preparatory programs for elite French engineering, business, and literary schools. The institution offers five distinct CPGE programs: Filière ECG (business/commercial track), Filière BCPST (life/earth sciences), Filière Littéraire A/L (literary arts), Filière Littéraire B/L (multidisciplinary literary), and Filière Scientifique MPSI/PCSI/MPII (scientific). Beyond academics, Faidherbe provides student housing for 500 students, a cafeteria serving up to 1,300 people daily, a specialized library (Bibliothèque Maïna Fauconnier) with 8,000+ volumes for literary students, a documentation center (CDI) with extensive resources, and a rich cultural program including conferences, orchestra, choir, theater, and other extracurricular activities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Second cycle general education (Lycée) Two- to three-year upper secondary schooling (second cycle) for students typically aged 15–18, leading to the French baccalauréat; delivered by the public teaching staff of Lycée Faidherbe to enrolled secondary students.
• CPGE Filière ECG
• CPGE Filière BCPST
• CPGE Filière Littéraire A/L
• CPGE Filière Littéraire B/L
• CPGE Filière Scientifique MPSI/PCSI/MPII
• Internat (boarding)
• Restaurant scolaire
• Bibliothèque Maïna Fauconnier
• CDI (Centre de Documentation et d'Information)

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% of ECG students admitted to top 20 business schools
• +4 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Université de LillecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDual enrollment partnership allowing CPGE students to be simultaneously registered at Lycée Faidherbe and Université de Lille, providing access to university libraries, restaurants, and sports facilities. Students receive 60 ECTS credits per year upon validation.
• Institut d'Etudes Politiques de RennescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership allowing CPGE students to pursue political science studies and preparation for IEP entrance exams through dual enrollment.
• Institut d'Etudes Politiques d'Aix-en-ProvencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for political science preparation and IEP entrance exam coaching through dual enrollment.
• ISIT (Institut de management et de communication interculturels)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for intercultural management and communication studies, particularly relevant for A/L students specializing in translation and languages.
• ESJ Lille (École Supérieure de Journalisme de Lille)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the prestigious Lille School of Journalism, with regular conferences hosted at Lycée Faidherbe and joint orientation events for journalism-bound students.
• Université Paris 1 Panthéon-SorbonneminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for humanities and social sciences studies, particularly for A/L and B/L students pursuing further university studies in Paris.
• Université Paris NanterreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for humanities and social sciences studies, particularly for A/L and B/L students pursuing further university studies.
• Université de ParisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for general university studies allowing CPGE students to validate credits toward various degree programs.
• CROUS de LillecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConvention with CROUS de Lille for 14m2 rehabilitated rooms at the CROUS Bas Liévin residence, located 750m from Lycée Faidherbe. Priority given to foreign students and those from regions outside Hauts-de-France. Rooms include private sanitation, internet, and kitchenette. Eligible for ALS housing assistance from CAF.
• Académie de LillecoreOthersRegional educational authority overseeing Lycée Faidherbe. The school operates under the jurisdiction of the French Ministry of National Education, Youth, and Sports.
• Région Hauts-de-FranceminorOthersRegional council providing financial support including Carte Génération #HDF for student aid and various student financial assistance programs.
• CitéphilominorOthersCitéphilo 2025-2026 'Les Semaines européennes de la philosophie' - partnership for hosting philosophy conferences, including 'Philosopher avec Paul Ricœur' event.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Lycée Louis-le-Grand: Paris-based public CPGE lycée widely regarded as France's most prestigious preparatory school, with the deepest placement track record into Polytechnique, ENS and top business schools. Direct functional peer offering all five CPGE tracks comparable to Faidherbe's portfolio.
• Lycée Condorcet: Paris public lycée offering a full CPGE portfolio (scientific, commercial, literary) with strong placement outcomes. Direct national-level peer to Faidherbe, particularly in the ECG track where it is among the most cited écoles préparatoires.
• Lycée Henri IV: Paris public CPGE lycée with elite literary (khâgne) and scientific prep programs and consistently top-tier placement outcomes. Direct peer of Faidherbe, particularly in A/L and scientific tracks, competing for national applicants.
• Lycée Pierre-de-Fermat: Toulouse-based public CPGE lycée with strong scientific and commercial tracks, often cited among France's top prep schools outside Paris. Comparable scale and program portfolio to Faidherbe.
• Lycée Hoche: Versailles-based public CPGE lycée with top-ranked scientific and commercial tracks. Comparable to Faidherbe in track breadth (ECG, scientific, literary) and selective Parcoursup intake.
• Lycée du Parc: Lyon-based public CPGE lycée considered one of France's strongest outside Paris, with elite scientific prep and active alumni networks. Regional peer of similar scale and positioning to Faidherbe in the Hauts-de-France-Rhône-Alpes geography.
• Lycée Saint-Louis: Paris public lycée historically renowned for scientific CPGE (MPSI/MP/PC) and a parallel khâgne program. Closely comparable to Faidherbe in scientific track intensity and admission competitiveness.
• Lycée Champollion: Grenoble-based public CPGE lycée with leading scientific and literary prep programs and a national reputation for grandes écoles placement. Closely comparable to Faidherbe in track mix and selective intake profile.
• Lycée Lakanal: Sceaux-based public CPGE lycée in the Paris suburbs with strong scientific and literary tracks, including a notable khâgne. Comparable in scale, program breadth and selective intake to Faidherbe.
• Lycée Janson de Sailly: Large Paris public lycée offering one of the widest CPGE portfolios in France across scientific, commercial and literary tracks. Comparable program breadth and selective Parcoursup dynamics to Faidherbe, though at materially larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/Faidherbe_Lille
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC8kK5CPUuip7VgexrRpRKAQ
• Facebookfr-fr.facebook.com/lyceefaidherbe
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/faidherbe
• Instagraminstagram.com/faidherbelille
• TikToktiktok.com/@faidherbelille

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 FAIDHERBE