Lycée Français de New York

Lycée Français de New York
505 East 75th Street
Address
505 East 75th Street New York City, New York United States
Information
School type	Co-op
Established	October 1935 First charter: April 17, 1936
Principal	Sean Lynch
Grades	Pre-K - 13
Gender	Girls and boys
Age	3 to 18
Language	French and English
Publication	The Fridge
Newspaper	Le Lynx (literary magazine)
Website	www.lfny.org

The Lycée Français de New York (LFNY), literally The French High School of New York, is a private, independent bilingual French school for students from pre-kindergarten to twelfth grade based in Manhattan, New York City which follows the French curriculum of study and allows students to study for the French general Baccalauréat, the international option of the French Baccalaureate, or a special Franco-American Baccalaureate (BFA), as well as the American High School Diploma. It fosters over 1300 students from over 45 different nationalities from pre-kindergarten through high school. The student to teacher ratio is approximately 7:1.

In the mid-1930s the LFNY was the brainchild of the then French Consul General in New York, Comte Charles de Ferry de Fontnouvelle. He enlisted the help of Forsythe Wicks, a lawyer and businessman who was the president of the Alliance Française and Paul Windels, Sr., the attorney general of the City of New York. Others involved in the founding of the LFNY include Dr. Nicholas Murray Butler, the President of Columbia University, Mr. Jesse Straus, the U.S. Ambassador to France, and Mr. Jean Marx, the Director of Cultural Affairs at the Quai d'Orsay The LFNY granted its first baccalaureate degree in 1938. During the late 1930s and 1940s world events helped shape the School as it continued to expand to accommodate the many students who came here from Europe and elsewhere during WWII. Eight graduates of LFNY died in combat during the war. Since 1935 over 36,000 students have studied at the Lycée. More than 150 nationalities have been represented throughout the School's history."

De Fontnouvelle served as the school's first President from 1935 until his death in 1956. He was succeeded by two interim Presidents: Jean de Siéyès (president or former president of the French-American Banking Corporation) from de Fontnouvelle's death until the end of the school year; and Robert Lacour-Gayet (a writer and academic) for the next school year. Then, Mr. Maurice Galy (deceased 1993) became the school's President starting in 1957, a post he held until he retired in 1989.