International schools in Gabon

Are you looking for an international school in Gabon? You can find a list of selected schools at the bottom of this page. Use the search filters to select only girls' or boys' schools, prep schools, senior schools or sixth forms; or you can search for schools that offer a particular curriculum.

A large and relatively stable country on Africa’s west coast, Gabon is a major oil exporter with high levels of foreign direct investment and per capita income. However, its population is growing rapidly and 36 per cent of people are aged 14 or younger, while poverty is widespread. 

Traditionally, private education in Gabon has been strongly influenced by French language and culture, but over recent years, a more diverse set of international schools has sprung up in the capital Libreville, which sits on the equator. 

Today the city has schools offering the curriculums of the United States, Turkey, and the International Baccalaureate Office, as well as several institutions that teach the French national curriculum. There is also a primary school following the Montessori method. Coeducational day schooling is the norm. 

Gabon has two IB World Schools, the Lycée Franco-Britannique Ecole Internationale and The International School of Gabon Ruban Vert. The former teaches in French and is authorised to teach all three IB programmes, while the latter is English-medium and offers the IB Diploma Programme and Primary Years Programme. 

Parents are advised to check that schools are accredited by organisations such as the Council of International Schools or the International Baccalaureate Organisation. 

The public education system is based on the national curriculum of France and the medium of instruction is French. Six years of primary schooling are followed by seven years of secondary education, which is divided into two cycles, Collège and Lycée, culminating in the Baccalaureate exam. 

Gabon has only reported one year of school attendance figures to UNESCO. In 2019, gross enrolment rates for pre-primary, primary and secondary education were 43 per cent, 108 per cent and 73 per cent respectively. Gabon has a wide range of tertiary institutions, where gross enrolment was 21 per cent. The government offers a global university scholarship programme for eligible students.