Bonjour & Welcome!

We are grateful to be able to learn, play and work on traditional, unceded Indigenous territories, and we respectfully acknowledge the Elders and Keepers of this land.

École des Sentiers-alpins (ESA) is a public francophone K-6 + grades 7-9 school located just outside beautiful Nelson, BC. Our school also has a francophone Strong Start pre-school program, open to all families, called Franc Départ. In partnership with L.V. Rogers (SD8), ESA students can continue on at École Secondaire de Nelson (ESN), which offers francophone public education to grades 10-12. Our school-community values are well-being, kindness, courage and connection. We are proud to be an inclusive school whose community is dedicated to climate justice, anti-racism, equity, and student success!

ESA and ESN are both part of the Conseil scolaire francophone (SD93), BC’s province-wide public francophone school district. The CSF is BC’s only francophone education authority. It was established in 1995 to meet BC’s obligation under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to enable francophones to manage their own education programs. Students enrolled in CSF schools are taught the same standard curriculum as any other BC student; however, they receive their instruction in French, and have an added linguistic and cultural component.

School Mission & Vision

To engage and inspire our learning community by way of quality francophone public education that contributes to a more equitable world, to the well-being of our planet, and to the full potential of all people

Cultural Mandate

Our cultural mandate stems from the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms; more specifically, Section 23 which guarantees access to free public francophone education to eligible families located in minority linguistic contexts such as BC