Early Modern · Architecture

Lycée Juliette Récamier

Lyon

Lycée Juliette Récamier is a public local secondary and higher education institution in Lyon. The lycée was built in the 1950s on a site with an earlier industrial past: it was occupied by an indiannerie and then by the manufacture des tabacs de Lyon, which later moved to Monplaisir. The former manufacture de Perrache remained a warehouse until 1932, was sold at auction, and was demolished in 1938. The lycée’s creation was supported by Édouard Herriot, then mayor of Lyon, and it was intended for young girls. It was named after Juliette Récamier. In 2018, the lycée was ranked 59th out of 70 in departmental teaching quality and 2022nd nationally, based on baccalaureate success, the proportion of first-year students obtaining the baccalaureate after two years, and added value calculated from students’ social origin, age, and national diploma results.

Map showing the location of Lycée Juliette Récamier in Lyon
Location of Lycée Juliette Récamier in Lyon

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Institutional Role

Lyc ee Juliette Recamier is a public local secondary and higher education institution. Its role combines secondary education with higher education, placing it within the public educational landscape. The institution is identified by this dual function, which defines its use and public purpose.

Location and Access

Lycée Juliette Récamier is located in an area with strong transport connections in Lyon. It is served directly by train at gare de Lyon Perrache, and it is also accessible by the autoroutes A6 and A7. Public transport access includes bus lines C10 and 15 at arret Pont Gallieni R.D., metro line A at station Perrache, and tramways T1 and T2 at arret Perrache. The site is also served by numerous buses passing through the gare routiere de Perrache.

The location is near Lycée Juliette Récamier, and it is close to several higher education institutions. These include the universities Lumiere - Lyon II and Jean Moulin - Lyon III across the Rhone, as well as Universite catholique de Lyon.

Educational Ranking

In 2018, Lycée Juliette Récamier was ranked 59th out of 70 in departmental quality of teaching and 2022nd at the national level. The ranking was based on three criteria: the success rate at the baccalaureate, the proportion of first-year students obtaining the baccalaureate after two years at the institution, and the added value calculated from students' social origin, age, and national diploma results.

From Industrial Site to Protected School Building

The site occupied by the Lyccee Juliette Recamier has a layered industrial history. It was first used for an indiannerie and later by the manufacture des tabacs de Lyon, which then transferred to Monplaisir. The former Perrache tobacco factory continued as a warehouse until 1932, was sold at auction, and was demolished in 1938. The current lycee dates from the 1950s and was created with the support of Edouard Herriot, then mayor of Lyon. It was intended for young girls and named after Juliette Recamier, a figure on whom Herriot had written a reference work. The architecture of the school is attributed to Edouard Payen. Because of its remarkable architecture, the lycee is protected as a monument historique.

Educational Offerings

Lycee Juliette-Recamier provides a wide range of secondary and higher education programs. At secondary level, it offers education from seconde to terminale, including preparation for the general baccalaureat with 10 specialties, among them Arts-danse. It also offers the technological baccalaureat STMG with options in Mercatique and Gestion financiere. Students may choose from several living languages, including German, English, Arabic, Spanish, Italian, and Chinese. The school also offers optional teaching in Arts-danse across both general and technological tracks.

At higher education level, the lycee provides BTS programs and classes preparatoires aux grandes ecoles. It is the only institution in the Rhone-Alpes region to offer classes preparatoires for ENS Cachan D1 and D2.

Arts-danse Specialty at Lycée Juliette Recamier

Since 2003, Lycyee Juliette Recamier has offered an Arts-danse specialty supported by partnerships with Maison de la Danse and the Centre national de la Danse. The program is co-taught with two certified arts option dance teachers and is designed to develop a living choreographic culture for students at all dance levels. It also involves international artist-educators, who teach works within the Arts-danse curriculum.

The specialty combines artistic practice with live performance experiences. It aims to develop students abilities as spectators, choreographers, interpreters, researchers, and critics, while also fostering creativity, critical thinking, and both individual and collective engagement. The training is presented as a way to consolidate psychosocial skills, including self-confidence, collaboration, communication, stress management, and emotion management.

The Arts-danse specialty also prepares students for the baccalaureat, including the terminal oral examination. More broadly, it supports progression toward ambitious post-baccalaureat pathways. Former students have entered excellence tracks such as hypokhagne and khagne and have gone on to the Ecole Normale Superieure de Lyon. The program is also described as a logical preparation for university studies in performing arts, history, or philosophy, and as a recognized asset on Parcoursup for admission to Staps programs.

Teaching Programs at Lyccee Juliette Recamier

Lyccee Juliette Recamier offers a range of post-secondary programs. Its formations include two sections of techniciens superieurs, which prepare students for brevets de techniciens superieurs, as well as two classes preparatoires aux grandes ecoles. Among these are classes preparatoires to ENS Cachan D1 and D2, located in the Rhone-Alpes region and belonging to the category of economic and commercial preparatory classes.

These preparatory courses target holders of a general or technological baccalaureat and prepare them for entrance exams to several selective schools and institutions, including ENS Cachan, ENS Rennes, EM Lyon, IEP, and schools in the Ecricome and Passerelle-esc banks. They also prepare students for exams to the Ecole superieure de commerce de Toulouse, Telecom Ecole de Management, ENSAI, the Ecole nationale d'assurances, and Celsa, as well as for university magisters in law, economics, and management.

The D1 and D2 tracks have distinct profiles: D1 is legal-oriented, while D2 is economics-oriented. Each track offers approximately 40 places and operates with an atypical and performant mode. Since 2021, D1 students have followed university courses at the faculty of law of Universite Jean Moulin Lyon 3, while D2 students follow courses in Sciences Economiques et de Gestion at Universite Lyon 2.