Updated November 2026 The French school is now run directly by France’s agency for schools abroad, and Iranian and dual-national pupils can no longer enrol, so we have rewritten this guide to reflect who can attend today.
The French school in Tehran, the École Française de Téhéran (EFT), is the only school in the city teaching the French national curriculum. It takes children from nursery (maternelle) through to the final year of the lycée, and is based in a leafy compound in Gholhak, in the north of the city. Since 2023, however, it can admit only children who hold foreign passports, which has made it a much smaller school than it once was.
Location
The EFT occupies part of Gholhak Garden, the large walled residential compound belonging to the British Embassy, on Shariati Street in the Gholhak district. The setting is one of its great attractions: pupils have green space and mature trees around them, a rarity in a city as built-up as Tehran. The school was founded in 1995.
Curriculum and qualifications
The EFT follows the programmes of the French Ministry of Education, so children can move between it and any French school worldwide without disruption. It is co-educational and covers the full span from maternelle through primary and collège to lycée, with older pupils preparing for the French brevet and baccalauréat. Teaching is in French, so the school best suits French-speaking families and children already in the French system.
Who can attend
Before the 2023 school year, Iranian authorities withdrew permission for Iranian and dual-national children to study at foreign international schools. According to the Alliance Solidaire des Français de l’Étranger, enrolment at the EFT fell from 359 pupils to about 60 as a result. Families in which a child holds Iranian nationality, even alongside a French or other passport, should therefore expect not to be able to enrol.
The fall in numbers also changed how the school is run. For many years it was managed by a parents’ association under an agreement with the AEFE, the French government agency for French education abroad. From 1 September 2024 the AEFE took over its management directly, according to the agency’s board decision.
What parents say
Families whose children have studied at the EFT have long been enthusiastic about it, with one parent going so far as to call it the best school in the world. The small size of today’s school means classes are far smaller than they were before 2023.
Checking current arrangements
The school’s own website has not been updated for several years, so the most reliable way to check places, fees and term dates is to contact the school through the French Embassy in Tehran. In September 2026 the Iranian authorities closed the separate French Language Centre in Tehran, according to the French foreign ministry, so confirm that the school is operating normally before you make plans.
Contact details
- Address: Gholhak Garden, 1553 Shariati Street, Gholhak, Tehran
- Website: efteheran.com (not recently updated)
For other schooling options and family life in the city, see our parents and kids section, including our guide to the Indian school in Tehran.
