Le Lycée Français de Los Angeles

Le Lycée Français de Los Angeles

Two career educators, Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Kabbaz, founded Le Lycée Français de Los Angeles as a dual language, international school in 1964. To put this in historical perspective, in 1964 Lyndon Johnson had just stepped into the shoes of the assassinated John F. Kennedy as the President of the United States, the Beatles performed for the first time in America on the Ed Sullivan show, Martin Luther King, Jr. was awarded the Nobel Prize, and Goldfinger with a very young Sean Connery playing James Bond was featured in movie theaters. During this time of social change, the school's founders saw a tremendous need for a classical institution of learning in California that welcomed all children from all cultures around the world. Due to a law that prohibited teaching in California in a language other than English, the opening of this French school was delayed for a year as Mr. and Mrs. Kabbaz hired consultants and attorneys to lobby for a change in the education code in Sacramento. This historical change in the law not only paved the way for the opening of Le Lycée Français de Los Angeles, but also for many other multilingual, international schools, dual language programs and language immersion. In the future, much will change, but the values and standards of Le Lycée Français de Los Angeles will remain the same. It will always be the top French School in Los Angeles with an exemplary American college prep program. The school officially opened in 1965 with no outside financial help. The first campus was located on Doheny Drive in Beverly Hills. In 1967, the school moved to our present location at 3261 Overland Ave in 1967. The school quickly became well known for its quality of education, its devotion to the needs of students as individuals, and its "open arms" policy for pupils from all walks of life. The uniform with its classical and timeless style was established during the first year and has remained the same since. In those many and exciting years, the school expanded to six campuses including two preschool and kindergarten campuses, a lower elementary campus, an elementary campus, and a middle school. In September of 2009, the much-anticipated new 96,000 sq. ft. Raymond and Esther Kabbaz High School opened, providing the school with a gymnasium as well as spacious classrooms, various state-of-the-art learning areas, and a well-equipped cafeteria. In 2000, the modern performing arts theater, Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz, opened at the Century City Campus with professional quality facilities. Sadly, Le Lycée's community lost the Founders of the school during the last decade. However, their values and passion have been passed on in the fundamental structure of the school. Many of the people they trusted and worked with over the years are still active in the school. The most notable is Clara-Lisa Kabbaz who has been associated with the school from the beginning (as a kindergarten student) and now serves as President of the school and Chairman of the Board, continuing her parents' work of providing a unique and outstanding international educational experience.