His father, a Frenchman by birth, was determined that Brunel should have access to the high-quality education he had enjoyed in his youth in France; accordingly, at the age of 14, the younger Brunel was enrolled first at the College of Caen in Normandy, then at "Lycée Henri-IV" in Paris.
Quando Brunel completò nel 1822 i suoi studi presso il Lycée Henri-Quatre, suo padre lo presentò come candidato alla rinomata scuola di ingegneria l'"École Polytechnique", ma come straniero non venne ammesso.