FREEPORT, Maine — L'École Française du Maine, otherwise knows as The French School of Maine, is one of just three French schools in New England certified by the French Ministry of Education.
The teachers are all native French speakers, and it's nearly all French, all day for these kids.
Christina Post enrolled her daughter in the school because she wanted to keep her engaged in class.
"She's a little advanced for her age, so we were looking for schools for her that would give her more challenge," says Post.
For other parents, the French-immersion school is the right fit because of their international background.
Dasha Betts grew up in Russia before moving to Maine to work as a French teacher. Her daughter attends L'École Française du Maine. Betts says, "It's a great opportunity I think for my daughter to be trilingual because at home I already speak Russian to her."
Founder and Head of School Willy LeBihn says the students who attend French-immersion schools generally fit into 3 even groups: They have a parent or grandparents with a French background, they've lived abroad, or their family simply values speaking more than one language.
"60% of people around the world speak more than one language. Here in North America or in western Europe, we're really the exception," says Lebihn.
According to a Pew Research Study from last year, only 20% of K-12 students in America study a foreign language.
That's compared with an average of 92% in Europe.
While many argue it would be more beneficial to learn a language that is more prominent around the world-- such as Mandarin or Spanish--studies project that French will gain prominence in the financial world as Africa becomes more developed in the coming decades.
LeBihn says, "French will become more prominent because of the growing market of Africa and the strong presence of western Europe and Canada in the world economy. If you look at the top ten banks in the world, most of them are in French-speaking countries."
LeBihn also argues French will also always be relevant because of its cultural importance in the arts.
Studies have shown there to be several cognitive benefits to studying foreign languages.
Research has shown that foreign language study in the early elementary years improves brain function.
Studies also show that learning a second language at any age can help protect people against Alzheimer's.
Only 10 states and Washington D.C. make foreign-language learning a high school graduation requirement. Maine not one of them.