November 28, 2024 Westimmo

Which international school to choose in Mauritius, depending on your child’s age

Nursery, primary, lower or upper secondary: at each age, the French, IB and British schools that take your child in Mauritius, what should decide, and the 2026-2027 budget.

In Mauritius, the right school depends first on your child’s age. A British school that takes toddlers sometimes stops at 11; a French school often stops after troisième, the last year of collège; the IB is taught in only four schools, at different ages. This article answers a single question: at your child’s age, which schools really take them, and what should decide?

School-by-school fees, term dates, enrolment and the areas to live in are covered in our guide to schools in Mauritius. To compare the curricula themselves, see IB, Cambridge or the French curriculum.

Under 6: nursery school, first a question of language

In French. Four accredited schools take young children: École du Nord in Mapou, École du Centre in Helvetia and École Paul et Virginie in Tamarin from petite section, the youngest nursery class, and Lycée La Bourdonnais in Curepipe from nursery. Saint Exupéry International School, in Grand Baie, runs its own French-English bilingual programme: it is not accredited by France.

In English. Telfair International Academy, in Tamarin, takes children from 3 months; Alexandra House School, in Floréal, from age 4; Northfields International School, in Mapou, from Pre-Nursery.

What should decide. The language spoken at home, and availability. For 2026-2027, École du Nord announced a waiting list in grande section, the last nursery year; a “long-term” reservation fee of Rs 40,000, an advance on fees that is lost if you withdraw, holds a place in petite or moyenne section, where there is no entry fee. On budget, nursery at Lycée La Bourdonnais costs Rs 156,000 a year, or €2,900 to €3,000, and Pre-Nursery at Northfields Rs 174,900, or €3,300 to €3,400.

From 6 to 11: primary school, the age of widest choice

This is the age at which the choice is widest.

Accredited French curriculum: École Paul et Virginie in Tamarin up to CM2, the last year of primary, École du Nord, École du Centre, Lycée La Bourdonnais.
IB Primary Years Programme: Clavis International Primary School, in Moka and Beau Champ, and Northfields.
British curriculum: Alexandra House School up to age 11, Telfair International Academy, Northfields.
Other approaches: Dukesbridge, on several campuses including Trianon, Moka, Curepipe, Vacoas and the north, follows a framework adapted from British and Australian standards.

What should decide. A return to France, first. After an accredited school, the pupil enters a state or state-contracted school in France without an exam, according to the French Ministry of Education; after an international school, entry to collège goes through an exam that sets the class. Entry tests, next: École Paul et Virginie tests French and maths from CE1 for a pupil coming from another system, Clavis sets a language and maths exam, and École du Nord charges for placement tests for pupils who come neither from an AEFE school nor from the French state system.

Budget. In primary, École du Nord charges Rs 224,600 a year to a family that is neither French nor Mauritian, or €4,200 to €4,300; Northfields Rs 311,300 in Year 1 at the expatriate rate, or €5,800 to €6,000. The first year costs more, with registration fees and deposits: the full calculation is in our guide to schools in Mauritius.

From 11 to 15: collège, the age when the choice commits you

In French. Three schools go up to troisième: École du Nord, with an international section in collège, École du Centre – Collège Pierre-Poivre in Helvetia, and Lycée La Bourdonnais, which continues to terminale, the final year. For 2026-2027, École du Nord also announced a waiting list in CM2 and sixième.

In English. Le Bocage International School, in Mount Ory (Moka), takes pupils aged 11 to 18 and teaches the IB Middle Years Programme; Westcoast International Secondary School, in Cascavelle, starts in Form 1; Northfields teaches up to IGCSE in Years 7 to 11; Telfair International Academy stops at 15, in lower secondary.

What should decide. What comes next. A school that stops at 15 forces a second change for upper secondary. A change of system can be prepared: for a pupil in Grade 7 or at an equivalent level, Lycée La Bourdonnais offers a one-semester bridging class from January, then entry into cinquième the following school year, charged Rs 8,000 a month in 2026-2027. In the English-speaking schools, Northfields uses the Cognitive Abilities Test (CAT4), and Westcoast sets tests after reviewing the last two years’ reports.

Budget. International section in collège at École du Nord, family neither French nor Mauritian: Rs 262,450 a year, or €4,900 to €5,100. Westcoast, Forms 1 to 3, non-citizen rate: Rs 318,000, or €5,900 to €6,100. Northfields, Years 7 to 11: Rs 605,000, or €11,300 to €11,700.

From 15 to 18: upper secondary, the diploma decides what comes next

French baccalauréat: Lycée La Bourdonnais in Curepipe; Lycée des Mascareignes in Helvetia, from seconde to terminale, which also prepares for the French international baccalauréat (BFI) in its international section and offers a Sport Études track.
IB Diploma: Northfields in Years 12 and 13, Westcoast in Forms 6 and 7, Le Bocage, which also offers the Career-related Programme.
A-Levels: Northfields, as an alternative to the IB Diploma after IGCSE.
Mauritian system: the Cambridge Higher School Certificate in Grade 13, after the School Certificate in Grade 11.

What should decide. The study plan. The French track leads into a lycée in France without an exam; the IB Diploma and A-Levels prepare for English-speaking universities. A word of caution on the IB: the official IBO directory lists only four schools in Mauritius, Clavis, Le Bocage, Northfields and Westcoast, and only the last three go up to the Diploma.

Budget. Lycée des Mascareignes: from Rs 234,410 for a French or Mauritian family in the standard track to Rs 390,610 for other nationalities in the international section, or €4,400 to €7,500, plus Rs 100,000 in first-registration fees, except for pupils coming directly from École du Centre or École du Nord. Westcoast, IB Diploma: Rs 385,200, or €7,200 to €7,400. Northfields, Years 12 and 13: Rs 656,700, or €12,200 to €12,700.

Three questions that decide, at any age

Will you return to France? Then the five schools accredited by France keep continuity, and open the AEFE bursary to a French child, subject to means.
When are you arriving? French schools start the year on 28 August 2026 and Northfields on 20 August; Mauritian state schools and Westcoast in January, according to the ministry’s 2026 calendar. Mid-year, a child gets in if a place is left.
Is your child’s permit ready? Lycée des Mascareignes and École du Centre do not enrol a child who entered on a tourist visa, and École Paul et Virginie warns that the paperwork takes one to three months: see the dependent permit in Mauritius.

Checking a school before committing

Lists of “international schools in Mauritius” circulate online with schools that do not exist on the island, or curricula they do not teach. Two checks are enough: the IBO directory for the IB, the AEFE list for French accreditation. A bilingual school, however good, is not accredited for all that: the difference matters the day you return to France. Finally, visit: Northfields and Clavis welcome families by appointment before any application.

The choice of school also decides the area you live in. Over eight years, we have helped more than 1,500 people settle in Mauritius, many of them families: we start from your children’s school to choose the area, then the long-term rental, and the signed lease serves as proof of address for enrolment. Contact us.

Sources

Official IB World Schools directory and AEFE-accredited schools in Mauritius, checked on 28 October 2026.
2026-2027 fee schedules of École du Nord, Lycée des Mascareignes, Lycée La Bourdonnais, Northfields International School and Westcoast International Secondary School, checked on 28 October 2026.
Mauritius Ministry of Education, 2026 school calendar; Éduscol, accreditation.
Bank of Mauritius, indicative rates of 26 October 2026, between 51.84 and 53.67 rupees to the euro: schools invoice in rupees, so the amount in euros depends on the day’s rate.

Updated on 28 October 2026.

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Which international school to choose in Mauritius, depending on your child’s age

Under 6: nursery school, first a question of language

From 6 to 11: primary school, the age of widest choice

From 11 to 15: collège, the age when the choice commits you

From 15 to 18: upper secondary, the diploma decides what comes next

Three questions that decide, at any age

Checking a school before committing

Further reading

Sources

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