Curious about a school exchange, but not sure where to start?
We handle the partner-school matchmaking and support both schools throughout the entire exchange process.
More than 600 school exchange partnerships created since 2012.
Build Confidence and Lifelong Friendships
A school exchange gives your students the chance to experience French language and culture in daily life.
Your students will:
Affordable & Inclusive
A school exchange keeps travel costs low for families and expands access to cultural exchange.
Families and schools benefit from:
- Lower travel costs as students stay with their exchange partners’ families
- Cultural exchange that reaches more students through hosting and school-wide involvement
- Meaningful exposure to French language and culture, even for students who do not travel
How It Works
- Speak with an exchange coordinator – Learn how an exchange works and if it could be the right opportunity for your students
- Get matched with a partner school in France – We match schools based on age and number of students.
- Host your French partner school (Fall 2026) – Your students and families welcome French students and teachers into your community.
- Visit France (Spring 2027) – You and your students stay with host families and attend school in France.
* Calls are informational and focused on answering your questions.
“To see our students come on this school exchange journey is really quite extraordinary. I have witnessed amazing student transformations take place both during their time abroad and after their return home.”
Get started
Submit the form below to speak with a School Exchange Coordinator. He/she will help you determine whether a school exchange is the right fit for your school.
FAQs
Click on the map below to see the locations of our French partner schools.
As part of the Prométour Group, we’re a leader in the educational travel industry with more than 30 years of experience. In 2006, we began organizing school exchanges and have organized more than 600 exchanges since then.
We prioritize the safety of students and have offices in both France and the US in order to provide 24/7 in-country support to both school groups while traveling.
All exchanges include travel insurance with medical coverage for both your school and the French school, giving schools and families peace of mind when hosting and traveling.
Costs are kept manageable for families, so more students can participate. Hosting also creates opportunities for your entire school community to engage with French culture — including students who may not be able to travel abroad.
An exchange program involves the support of the organizing teacher, school administration and host families.
To determine if an exchange is the right option for your school, we encourage you to first speak with your school administration. You will need their approval to travel with your students and to host the French students at your school for four to seven days. If your administration approves, you may also need to schedule time at your next school board meeting to get their approval as well. This process can take several months depending on your school.
Once you have school approval, you will need to identify if you have enough interest from families to host the visiting students. It is required in an exchange program that students are hosted one per home in a safe, supervised, and welcoming environment.
Your exchange will take place during the French school year, which starts in September and ends in June.
On your school profile form, you will be able to indicate your preferred travel dates. The more flexible you are with your dates, the more likely we will be able to match you with a partner school.
Please note that if you are not able to travel until June, it may be more difficult to find a partner as many French schools are starting finals by then.
On your school profile form, you will be able to indicate your hosting availability. The more flexible you are with your dates, the more likely we will be able to match you with a partner school.
Many French schools like to travel in the fall when their school year starts, so it’s best to have your partnership established the spring prior to their travel.
When you have been matched with your partner school, you and the organizing teacher at your partner school will decide together what activities each school will plan for the other.
First, you’ll want to decide how many days will be spent in classes versus on excursions. Usually Americans prefer to spend less time in class and more time sight-seeing while the French prefer to integrate themselves in daily school life. Use this opportunity to plan special activities that will involve other students at your school, coordinate with other teachers which classes the students will attend, and work with your families to plan some activities outside school hours to make sure all the visiting students are enjoying their time in your town.
