Living School

What Living School does

Living School is a private bilingual (French-English) eco-citizen school and Qualiopi-certified training center founded in 2007 by Caroline Sost in the 19th arrondissement of Paris. It serves approximately 100 students from preschool (maternelle) through middle school (collège) across two sites — 93 bis Rue Manin and 2 Allée Darius Milhaud — and operates an integrated ecosystem of school tuition, parent workshops, professional training (the SEED program for educators), and after-school clubs plus a Holiday Club open to non-enrolled children aged 4–11. The school's pedagogical stack combines a proprietary 'Savoir-être' social-emotional curriculum, a structured eco-citizenship curriculum (minimum 2 hours weekly, designed by Mauve Doyen), daily English immersion with Spanish from 6th grade, weekly outdoor forest classes, and student-voted 'Projects for the Planet' that pair learning with measurable environmental and social impact (over 1,700 trees planted since 2007). The team of approximately 20 receives 5–19 days of proprietary training per year, reflecting the brand's defensibility through practitioner expertise.

The business model is multi-stream: tuition fees form the recurring core (subscription_recurring), while SEED training (€250–€880 per seat depending on individual, liberal-profession, or corporate tier), parent workshops (sold via Eventbrite), and after-school clubs (€68/month over 10 months plus €50 annual registration) generate supplementary professional-services and subscription revenue. Distribution is sales-led and high-touch, relying on direct pre-registration, motivation letters, interviews, open days, and personalized consultations; broader reach is supported by a blog, Instagram, monthly newsletters, French press coverage (Le Parisien, Elle, Psychologie Magazine), Caroline Sost's TEDx talk, and podcast appearances. Living School's moat rests on brand recognition (named one of the world's 10 most innovative schools by We Demain in 2016), community retention (parents cite 8+ years of engagement), and an integrated curriculum that is difficult to replicate without years of practitioner training.

Name

Living School

Legal name

Living School

Website

https://livingschool.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Living School is a private bilingual (French-English) eco-citizen school in Paris, founded in 2007, serving ~100 students from maternelle through collège and offering SEED professional training, parent workshops, and after-school clubs to external families and educators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private K-12 Bilingual Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Services (611), Language Schools (611630)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Charter Montessori/Waldorf/Classical/Expeditionary (Pedagogical Models) (EDAJACAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public Middle Schools (EDAJAAAC)

Keywords

• Bilingual private education
• Alternative pedagogy
• Social-emotional learning
• Eco-citizenship education
• Teacher professional development

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. School tuition: Private school fees for children from preschool (maternelle) through middle school (collège), covering educational programs, materials, and activities
2. Professional training: Training programs for education professionals covering savoir-être, eco-citizenship, cooperation, and classroom management. SEED (Savoir-être & Écocitoyenneté) discovery and advanced levels
3. Parent workshops and conferences: Workshops for parents on parenting topics including authority, sibling cooperation, inner security, self-confidence, and current topics like gender equality
4. After-school programs: After-school clubs including Cook & Sing, Arts & Crafts, Coding, Music in the Air, Choir, and Holiday Club for children aged 4-11

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Living School is a private bilingual (French-English) school in Paris offering alternative education from preschool (maternelle) through middle school (collège), with a pedagogy centered on savoir-être (social-emotional learning) and eco-citizenship. Beyond the core school, the institution operates as a Qualiopi-certified training center providing parent workshops and professional development programs for educators.

Product overview

Living School is an innovative bilingual (French-English) private school in Paris offering preschool through middle school education since 2007, with approximately 100 students. The institution operates as a unified educational ecosystem comprising: (1) the core bilingual school with its distinctive pedagogy centered on savoir-être, eco-citizenship, and student potential; (2) parent workshops providing over 10 programs on parenting skills and family well-being; (3) professional training for educators including the SEED (Savoir-être & Écocitoyenneté) program; and (4) afterschool activities including language clubs, coding, arts, and holiday programs. All offerings are unified by Living School's founding mission to develop fulfilled and responsible citizens through education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• École Bilingue Living School (Maternelle, Élémentaire, Collège) Core bilingual school program serving approximately 100 students from preschool through middle school, delivering French-English instruction with an alternative pedagogy centered on savoir-être (social-emotional learning) and eco-citizenship. Targeted at families seeking alternative, holistic bilingual education.
• Ateliers Parents (Parent Workshops)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2,500 education professionals trained through SEED program
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• KinomécoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Founded by Nicolas Métro, Kinomé has partnered with Living School since 2007 for annual forest outings and tree planting activities. Kinomé's mission is to improve human lives through trees and forests. Together they implement the Forest&Life program where for every tree planted in France, two are planted in Global South countries.
• Forest&LifecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Co-founded by Kinomé and the Ministry of Education's Atelier Canopé 40, Forest&Life is a pedagogical program enabling students to discover local forests and participate in restoration by planting trees. Principle: 1 tree for me, 2 trees for you = 3 trees for the planet.
• Action contre la faimminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational solidarity organization that Living School partnered with in 2007, where 23 students saved 7 children from hunger for a year through their first 'Project for the Planet'
• Les Marmites VolantesminorOthersOrganic canteen supplier delivering biological, local, seasonal food via cargo bike, supporting Living School's eco-friendly and sustainable operations
• EnercoopminorOthersRenewable energy provider supplying Living School's electricity from 100% renewable sources, supporting the school's environmental values
• Maud Fontenoy FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation whose first prize was won by Living School students (maternelle class) for their whale conservation project, subsequently donated to Sea Shepherd and Bloom
• Sea Shepherd and BloomminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarine conservation organizations that received donations from Living School students' prize winnings from their whale protection project
• SchoolMouvminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEducational podcast platform where Caroline Sost appeared as guest to discuss alternative pedagogies, reaching parents and educators seeking information on innovative education
• Innovation en Education magazineminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFirst 100% eco-responsible, ad-free education magazine featuring Caroline Sost's article on positive societal change

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• École Jeannine Manuel: Established bilingual (French-English) private school in Paris with a strong international and values-based educational approach. Highly comparable as a fee-paying bilingual school targeting Paris families seeking innovative pedagogy and global readiness.
• École Active Bilingue (EAB): Bilingual private school network in Paris founded on active pedagogy principles, serving preschool through high school. Directly comparable as a Parisian bilingual alternative-pedagogy private school.
• École La Roche: French private alternative school with emphasis on outdoor learning and ecological pedagogy. Directly comparable as a fee-paying French school built around eco-citizenship and nature immersion similar to Living School's Forest&Life program.
• Montessori schools in France (e.g., École Montessori de Paris): Network of French Montessori schools using Montessori materials and child-led pedagogy — the closest direct comparator given Living School's integration of Montessori methods alongside its savoir-être framework.
• L'École à l'Envers: French alternative primary school applying innovative, child-centered pedagogy. Comparable as a small, Paris-based alternative private school serving families seeking non-traditional education.
• Waldorf Schools (e.g., École Steiner-Waldorf de Paris): Waldorf/Steiner schools apply an alternative developmental pedagogy with strong emphasis on social-emotional learning — a closely comparable alternative-pedagogy private school model operating in Paris and across France.

Others

• Scolana: School management software platform powering Living School's Parent Portal (Portail Famille). Adjacent ecosystem partner providing the administrative backbone comparable to other SaaS vendors serving private schools.
• Kinomé: French NGO that Living School has partnered with since 2007 for the Forest&Life tree-planting program. Ecosystem partner rather than competitor, but relevant as a comparable operator in the eco-education and reforestation space.

Broad incumbents

• Green School Bali: International eco-focused K-12 school with sustainability-embedded curriculum and project-based learning. Comparable as a globally recognized alternative school whose eco-citizenship framework mirrors Living School's positioning, though operating at much larger scale.

Emerging players

• École Oasis: Alternative French school network integrating nature-based and eco-citizen learning. Comparable as a values-driven private school positioning around sustainability and student well-being, though younger and less established than Living School.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@LivingSchoolParis
• Facebookfacebook.com/livingschoolparis
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/living-school
• Instagraminstagram.com/living_school

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Living School