An Interview with Jean-François Gueguen, Co-founder of The French American Academy, Jersey City, NJ
The French American Academy in Jersey City, NJ, is located in both downtown Jersey City and Jersey City Heights. Both of their charming three-story buildings feature spacious classrooms filled with natural light, warm colors, and a welcoming atmosphere. We were warmly greeted by the faculty and students. A special thank you to co-founder Jean-François for taking the time to meet with us.
When did The French American Academy of Jersey City open its doors?
The French American Academy of Jersey City is part of the French American Academy group, founded in 2007. The downtown Jersey City campus opened in September 2012. Today, the group has three campuses: two in Jersey City and one in Englewood, New Jersey. The downtown campus serves preschool and elementary students. The Heights campus, which opened in September 2025, welcomes middle and high school students. The Englewood campus serves preschool and elementary students.
The French American Academy now provides bilingual education from preschool through high school in Jersey City.
What kind of curriculum do you follow & how is it different from other schools in the area?
Our curriculum emphasizes French in the early years (Pre-K through Kindergarten) to lay a strong foundation. From 1st grade until 5th grade, English instruction gradually increases, with students spending about 55% of their time in French and 45% in English by 5th grade. In middle school and beyond, instruction is evenly split between French and English.
Bilingualism is at the core of our curriculum, and co-teaching is a key component of our approach. We combine the best of both educational worlds and build bridges between the two languages. The French and English teachers will, together, explicitly compare with the students various topics in Language Arts, Social Studies, Math, and Sciences. It’s a demanding bilingual curriculum with an emphasis on projects and investigation. Our students develop strong bilingual and biliterate skills, becoming fluent in both French and English. As a school with an international community, we welcome children from all backgrounds, whether your families speak French, only English, or another language at home.
Our accreditation by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and the National French Ministry of Education ensures that we follow both American and French curricula. We are also a member of the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools.
In high school, students follow the prestigious International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Program (MYP), an internationally recognized curriculum that promotes critical thinking, creativity, and global awareness. As an IB candidate school, The French American Academy is working toward full authorization of the MYP, with plans to offer the IB Diploma Program (DP) in the coming years. The high school is also bilingual, offering French instruction tailored to each student’s language level.
No prior French knowledge is required for entry into Preschool, Middle School, or High School.
What is the student/teacher ratio in your school?
Pre-K2 (2.5 years old): 6:1 (legal requirement: 6:1)
Pre-K3 (3 years old): 8:1 (legal requirement: 10:1)
Pre-K4 (4 years old): 8:1 (legal requirement: 12:1)
Kindergarten: 8:1 (legal requirement: 15:1)
1st to 8th Grade: Typically 12-20 students per class (capped at 20). (no legal requirement, public school average: 27:1)
High School: The high school maintains small class sizes to ensure a dynamic learning environment where every student is encouraged to contribute, collaborate, and excel academically.
Do you have early drop-off and aftercare options available?
Yes, our school day runs from 8:30 am to 3:15 pm, with before-school care starting at 7:30 am. After-school care is available from 3:15 pm to 6:30 pm.
We also offer a school bus service from Englewood through Weehawken and Hoboken to Jersey City, operating in both the morning and evening.
Do you provide an option for catered lunch?
In Jersey City, we partner with Daily Delicious. You can easily order your child’s lunch online or send your child with a lunchbox. Daily Delicious meals are balanced, healthy, nutritious, delicious, and kid-friendly.
What extracurricular activities do you offer?
Enrichment classes typically run from 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm.
Offerings may include:
Art (3D Art, Sustainable Art), Sports (Soccer, Tennis, Basketball and other Team Games), Hip-Hop, Music (Guitar and Piano private lessons), Mandarin, Chess, Cooking, Woodworking, Programming, and much more.
Our Enrichment Program offers every day at least 4 different classes during the school year to various age groups.
Students also enjoy a huge in-house gymnasium for physical education or indoor recess.
Do you offer Summer Camp programs?
The French American Academy, Jersey City’s Summer Camp program, runs for 8 weeks (end June – mid-August).
We also offer mini-camps during Fall, Winter, and Spring breaks.
What would you like to say to our families?
We warmly welcome all families to The French American Academy in Jersey City, NJ. With financial aid options available for qualifying families, we strive to make our high-quality bilingual education accessible to everyone.
At The French American Academy, we strive to provide a nurturing and academically enriching environment, offering your child the unique gift of a bilingual education that opens doors to a world of opportunities.
What is the Future of the FAA?
The French American Academy High School is now an IB candidate high school for the prestigious International Baccalaureate (IB) program. This marks a historic milestone, as we are the first High School in Jersey City that offers the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum.
The IB Diploma Program is globally recognized and has been found to have 10-20% higher rates of admission and retention in top US Colleges. It includes subjects that receive college credits in some of America’s Ivy League institutions, as well as being a pathway to Universities all over the world.
We urge interested families to express their interest as soon as possible through our Expression of Interest Form.
Updated: October 22, 2025
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