Cotonou - Post Report Question and Answers
What is the availability of international schools? What has been your general experience with them, if any?
QSI has a moderately good reputation. The French school is known for being a pretty harsh environment. My son attends a smaller Montessori-like (French language) school that he loves. - Feb 2020
QSI runs a small but fairly good school K-8 and expanding. The British school offers higher classes. The French schools are in French. - Aug 2018
We arrived in Benin six months after Quality Schools International Benin had opened and didn't even know of its existence. Our children (1st, 3rd, 5th grade) spent 3 months at the English International School. We were unhappy there and transferred to QSI as soon as we were able. At the time, QSI had less than 30 students (preschool - grade 8). The class sizes were very small but the teachers were excellent and our children received individual attention. Our oldest had been struggling academically for years, but we are convinced that two years with almost 1:1 attention from an exceptional teacher has altered his academic trajectory in a very positive way. The school has a dynamic, charasmatic director, teachers who are thoroughly committed to their students and a close family community. I cannot say enough good things about QSI Benin. - Jun 2015
There are French, Indian, American, English, and Nigerian international schools. I don't have kids, so I cannot speak to quality, but I understand the French school is reputable, while the English school may have shoddy management. - Aug 2014
I worked for QSI, so obviously I have to vouch for them! The student body is rather small as of right now (30-40some kids), but it has only been up and running for a year now. The teachers there are incredibly passionate about education and about working on a one-on-one basis with students. The library (for such a small school) is quite large as well. - Jul 2013
I don't have any personal experience, but parents of elementary-school-aged children seem happy with American-run QSI, which opened in 2012. I would not bring a middle-school or high-school student here unless they spoke fluent French, or unless another school option become available. - May 2013
I don’t have kids, so anything I say about the schools is going to be anecdotal and second hand. There is the large French School which has competitive entrance and requires fluent French, and there is the British International School. Embassy officers have had kids in the French School in the past and were happy with the experience. Currently, there are only two school age kids at post and they go to the British International School. Their parents seem to be satisfied with the quality of the instruction and curriculum. I would not bring a non-French speaking teenager to Benin. - Dec 2011
