Lycée Notre-Dame de la Merci

What Lycée Notre-Dame de la Merci does

Lycée Notre-Dame de la Merci is a private Catholic secondary school operating under a French State 'contrat d'association' since 1967 (Debré law framework), serving more than 1,800 students and students across two campuses in Montpellier (62 cours Gambetta) and La Grande Motte (La Merci Littoral, opened 2004). The institution traces its origins to charitable schools founded by Father Barré in 1669 and was formally established at its current Plan Cabanes location in 1844 under the direction of the Dames de Saint-Maur congregation. It is governed locally by a coordination committee (CSE LA MERCI) and led by Chef d'établissement coordonnateur Annick Depoues, with no parent company or external investment backing.

The school offers a comprehensive secondary and post-secondary portfolio: general and technological baccalaureate tracks (Bac général, ST2S, STMG), professional pathways (Bac Pro Commerce euro anglais, Bac Pro ASSP, BTS, CAP, BIA, Alternance work-study), and elite preparatory classes (CPGE ECG for business schools and MPSI/MP for engineering schools) operated from a dedicated annex on Rue Guillaume de Nogaret. International programs include the Dual Diploma/Bac US (a French Baccalauréat plus American high school diploma), Erasmus+ exchanges coordinated by Marianne Lemercier, and English+ workshops. Supporting technology is standard educational SaaS — Moodle (moodle-lamerci.com), Ecole Directe for grade tracking, Microsoft OWA webmail, Pop & Pay for cafeteria payments, and e-sidoc for the library — with no proprietary platform or AI capabilities.

The revenue model is annual tuition fees ('scolarité'), supplemented by cafeteria ('restauration'), boarding ('internat'), and fees for work-study programs. Teacher salaries are partially funded by the French State under the association contract, while the school retains educational autonomy and charges families tuition on an annual subscription cadence, with need-based scholarships ('bourses et aides') available. Marketing is predominantly organic — open days (Portes ouvertes), school website, Facebook/Instagram/YouTube channels, and education fair participation — with a direct-enrollment model serving regional families in Hérault and Occitanie.

Name

Lycée Notre-Dame de la Merci

Legal name

Lycée Notre-Dame de la Merci

Website

https://lamerci.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1844

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Private Catholic secondary school in Montpellier, France, operating two campuses serving over 1,800 students. Offers general and technological baccalaureate, CPGE preparatory classes, BTS/CAP vocational programs, and international credentials under French State contract.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Secondary Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Junior Colleges (6112), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Private/Independent Community & Junior Colleges (EDAHADAB)

Keywords

• Private secondary education
• Catholic school education
• Preparatory classes grandes ecoles
• Vocational BTS programs
• International baccalaureate programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Montpellier

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition and fees: Private Catholic school under contrat d'association avec l'État, receiving partial state funding for teacher salaries while charging tuition fees to families. Revenue comes from school fees (scolarité), cafeteria/restaurant services (restauration), and boarding (internat).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Lycée Notre-Dame de la Merci operates two physical campuses providing private Catholic secondary and post-secondary education to over 1,800 students. The Montpellier campus offers general and technological baccalaureate programs (Bac général, Bac ST2S) and Classes Préparatoires aux Grandes Écoles (CPGE ECG, MPSI/MP). The La Grande Motte (Littoral) campus delivers general, technological, and professional tracks including Bac STMG, Bac Pro Commerce, Bac Pro ASSP, BTS, CAP, and alternance programs. Both campuses share international offerings (Dual Diploma/Bac US, Erasmus+, English+ workshops), pastoral care, and boarding services.

Product overview

Lycée Notre-Dame de la Merci operates as a dual-campus private Catholic educational institution offering comprehensive secondary and post-secondary education. La Merci Montpellier focuses on general and technological baccalaureate programs (Bac général, ST2S) alongside elite preparatory classes (CPGE ECG, MPSI/MP) for grandes écoles admission. La Merci Littoral in La Grande Motte provides general, technological, and professional pathways including Bac Pro Commerce, Bac Pro ASSP, and BTS/CAP work-study programs. Both campuses share the Notre-Dame de la Merci identity and offer international programs (Dual Diploma/Bac US, Erasmus+, English+ workshops).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• La Merci Montpellier
• La Merci Littoral
• Classes Préparatoires (CPGE)
• Boarding (Internat)

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• French State (Éducation Nationale)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1959Private school under 'contrat d'association avec l'État' - an association contract with the French State dating from 1959 (loi Debré). The state partially funds teacher salaries while the school maintains educational autonomy. This is the core operating model that defines the institution's relationship with public education authorities.
• Université de MontpellierminorOthersUniversity of Montpellier listed as partner on footer of website, suggesting collaboration on academic matters, possibly for student orientation or progression to higher education.
• APEL (Association des Parents d'Élèves de l'Enseignement Libre)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorParent association representing families of students in Catholic private schools. APEL supports school activities and represents parents. La Merci Montpellier and La Merci Littoral each have an APEL chapter with a president listed in contacts.
• Erasmus+ ProgrammeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean Union Erasmus+ programme partner allowing student exchanges and international mobility. The school has a dedicated Erasmus+ coordinator (Marianne LEMERCI).

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lycée Lacordaire: Catholic secondary school in Bordeaux region with CPGE programs and diverse baccalaureate offerings under contrat d'association. Comparable business model and customer base, with similar scale and southern French regional positioning.
• Lycée Bossuet: Private Catholic lycée in Meaux offering general and technological baccalaureate programs under contrat d'association. Comparable operating model serving similar Catholic, fee-paying family demographic in a regional setting.
• Institution Sainte-Croix de Neuilly: Elite Catholic secondary school in Neuilly-sur-Seine with CPGE programs and broad academic offerings. Operates under the same state contract model and serves a comparable fee-paying family demographic focused on grandes écoles preparation.
• Institution Sainte-Marie d'Antony: Catholic secondary school in Antony (Île-de-France) offering general, technological, and professional tracks under state contract. Comparable Catholic identity, multi-track offering, and customer base to La Merci.
• Lycée Sainte-Marie de Neuilly: Catholic secondary school in Neuilly-sur-Seine offering general and technological baccalaureate programs under state contract. Closely comparable Catholic identity, premium fee-paying customer base, and program mix to La Merci.
• Lycée Saint-Joseph (Paris): Private Catholic lycée in Paris offering general, technological, and professional tracks under contrat d'association. Comparable operating model, Catholic identity, and tuition-based revenue model serving fee-paying families.
• Lycée Stanislas: Largest private Catholic lycée in Paris, offering general, technological, and CPGE programs under contrat d'association with the French State. Highly comparable business model, customer base, and program mix to La Merci.
• Lycée Sainte-Geneviève (Ginette): Major private Catholic lycée in Versailles region with elite CPGE programs (ECG, MPSI/MP) and broad baccalaureate tracks. Operates under similar French state contract framework and serves the same customer segment (fee-paying families seeking elite preparation for grandes écoles).
• Lycée Notre-Dame de Grandchamp: Catholic secondary school in Versailles region offering general and technological baccalaureates plus CPGE preparation. Operates under similar state contract model with comparable Catholic educational philosophy and customer demographic.
• Lycée Saint-Louis de Gonzague (Franklin): Elite private Catholic lycée in Paris offering CPGE (ECG, MPSI/MP), international programs (including OIB), and full baccalaureate tracks. Closely comparable operating model, Catholic identity, and premium positioning to La Merci.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCPbHQ9XNH-xtSbABOZl-IKQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/LaMerciMontpellier
• Instagraminstagram.com/lamercimontpellier
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/lyc%C3%A9e-notre-dame-de-la-merci

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

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 Lycée Notre-Dame de la Merci