About LNDC
Lycée Notre-Dame de Cîteaux is a Catholic boarding school for girls in Kiyovu, Kigali, owned by the Bernardine Sisters.
A full Great Hall for the Best Performing Girls awards, June 2026 · Photo: Imbuto Foundation
Who we are
Our school takes its name from the Abbey of Cîteaux in Burgundy, France, founded in 1098 as the mother house of the Cistercian order. LNDC is owned by the Bernardine Sisters, a Catholic congregation of the Cistercian family. Bernardine communities are known for their work as teachers, in Belgium and across Africa.
We are a girls' boarding school, so students live, study and pray together on our campus in Kiyovu, Nyarugenge District, close to the centre of Kigali. LNDC offers both Ordinary Level and Advanced Level and prepares every student for Rwanda's national examinations.
Our story
Some of the most important chapters of Rwanda's history were lived, in part, at LNDC.
1960s
Agathe Uwilingiyimana enrolled at LNDC as a girl from the south of the country and spent seven years here, at a time when it was counted among the best secondary schools in Rwanda. She went on to become the first woman to serve as Prime Minister of Rwanda.
Sources: Wikipedia, The New Times
1994
During the Genocide against the Tutsi, Sister Hélène Nayituriki, herself an alumna and then a teacher at LNDC, protected more than 150 students, teachers and neighbours who had taken refuge at the school. In 2007 Rwanda honoured her with a national medal.
Sources: Global Sisters Report, Wikipedia
“We don’t have ethnic groups at school, we have students.”
Milestones
1098
In Burgundy, France, Cîteaux becomes the mother house of the Cistercian order, the family of the Bernardine Sisters who own LNDC today.
1960s–70s
Agathe Uwilingiyimana spends seven years at LNDC. She later becomes the first woman to serve as Prime Minister of Rwanda.
1994
Sister Hélène Nayituriki, an alumna and teacher, protects more than 150 students, teachers and neighbours during the Genocide against the Tutsi.
1997
Sister Hélène becomes headmistress and leads the school with one message: there are no ethnic groups at school, only students.
2007
Sister Hélène receives a national medal for her role in protecting lives in 1994.
2008
The New Times describes LNDC as a role-model school for discipline and academic performance.
2013
LNDC hosts Rwanda's Girls in ICT Day, welcoming students from six Kigali schools to meet women leaders in technology.
2024
Terimbere Ineza Alia Ange Stevine is ranked the best O-Level student in Rwanda.
2025
All 172 LNDC candidates pass the 2024/25 O-Level national examinations.
2026
Anabella Mutara wins the lower secondary category of the first ORATOR National English Competition.
Our values
Seven commitments, displayed on our campus in Kinyarwanda, describe the kind of community LNDC wants to be.
Tugomba twese
“We must all…”
Seven commitments, written in Kinyarwanda on a sign on campus, that shape life at LNDC.
Respect God
Faith is the foundation of everything we do.
Respect others
Courtesy and kindness towards everyone we meet.
Respect yourself
Dignity in how we speak, study and carry ourselves.
Respect one another
Respect that flows in every direction.
Work together
Achieving more through shared effort.
Help one another
Lifting each other up, in class and beyond.
Be outstanding
Striving for excellence in all that we do.
Kwibuka
As a community that lived through 1994, LNDC holds remembrance close. During Kwibuka31, on 30 April 2025, students, Sisters, staff and guests, including the Rwanda Defence Force spokesperson, came together to honour the victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
The students walked in procession, singing, and stood in silence in the Great Hall, renewing the promise that it will never happen again.
Places in Senior One and Senior Four are allocated nationally by NESA. Find out how admission works, or write to the school office with your questions.
