Louis-le-Grand is a state school. It is composed of two different parts : a "Lycée" (800 pupils) and the "Classes préparatoires" (900 students).

Louis-le-Grand, founded in 1563, is located right in the heart of the Quartier Latin in Paris. The Quartier Latin is the traditionnal student's area of Paris. Rich in history, architecture, culture, this area regroups the oldest and the most prestigious educational establishments in France (La Sorbonne, le Collège de France).

Louis-le-Grand, aiming at excellency, plays a leading role in the education of french elites. Former pupils who have become statesmen, diplomats, prelates, marshals of France, members of the Académie, mem and women of letters are countless. "The Jesuit College of Paris", wrote Elie de Beaumont in 1862, "has for a long time been a state nursery, the most fertile in great men". Indeed Molière, Voltaire, Hugo, all famous writers, could be held as examples of former students. All the same, Pompidou, Giscard d'Estaing, Chirac, all presidents of the 5th Republic, have all once spent their time on the benches of Louis-le-Grand.