Lyceum Kennedy French American School was founded in 1964 by Madame Éliane Dumas, a French school teacher. In collaboration with the French Ministry of Education, she opened such a school to serve the needs of French and francophone families in Manhattan.

In 1986 Dr. Koji Sonoda, a linguist and professor originally from Japan, acquired the school. Dr. Sonoda had always held a great admiration and respect for French culture and language and saw the school as a wonderful opportunity to help support the French-speaking community as well as further his passion for education. For the remainder of the decade and into the 1990's, the student population and curricula expanded to include a Japanese program as well as serving families from a more diverse sampling of countries. In 1988, the school opened a campus in Ardsley, NY (Westchester County).