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The essentials
- Education is compulsory from age 3 to 16 (loi Blanquer, 2019) ;
- Public schools are free, secular and follow the national Éducation Nationale curriculum ;
- International schools offer English-medium instruction (LFI, EaB Jeannine Manuel, Marymount, ASP, BSP) — typically €15 000 to €35 000 per year ;
- The school year runs from early September to early July, with three rotating holiday zones (A, B and C).
Explore the education guides
Three detailed guides cover the moments most expat families look up first. The current page is the overview — pick the one that matches your situation.
Back to School (la rentrée)
Early-September start, supplies lists (liste de fournitures), four-day week and what to expect on the first day.
Erasmus+ Exchange
How European students apply for an Erasmus+ year in France, eligibility, monthly grant amounts and the practical steps.
French Universities
Public universities versus Grandes Écoles, Parcoursup, Campus France and 2026 fees for EU and non-EU students.
The French education system at a glance
French schooling is structured in four sequential cycles, all delivered in French unless you choose a bilingual or international stream. Public schools follow the national curriculum set by the Ministère de l'Éducation Nationale, and progression is automatic from year to year unless a teaching council recommends a repeat (redoublement).
| Level | Age | French class | English equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maternelle | 3-6 | PS, MS, GS | Nursery / Pre-K |
| École élémentaire | 6-11 | CP, CE1, CE2, CM1, CM2 | Primary school (Years 2-6) |
| Collège | 11-15 | 6e, 5e, 4e, 3e | Middle school (Years 7-10) |
| Lycée | 15-18 | 2nde, 1ère, Terminale | High school (Years 11-13) |
| Higher education | 18+ | Licence, Master, Doctorat | Bachelor's, Master's, PhD |
Two national exams punctuate the journey: the brevet at the end of 3e (around age 15), and the baccalauréat at the end of Terminale (around age 18). The bac unlocks access to higher education through the Parcoursup platform.
Maternelle and elementary school
The école maternelle takes children from age 3 (compulsory since the 2019 loi Blanquer, lowered from 6) through to 6, split into three grades — Petite, Moyenne and Grande Section. It is free in the public system and focuses on language, social skills and motor development through play. Most municipalities also run a crèche network for under-3s, but enrolment is competitive and unrelated to maternelle.
From age 6, children move to école élémentaire for five years (CP, CE1, CE2, CM1, CM2). The curriculum centres on French, maths, history, geography, science, civics and a foreign language — almost always English. Class sizes are smaller in rural areas and capped at 24 in REP and REP+ priority-education zones, where teaching staff are reinforced.
A typical primary day
Most primary schools open at 8:30 am, break for a long lunch (usually 11:30 am to 1:30 pm) and finish at 4:30 pm. Many communes still run a four-day week with no class on Wednesday ; others keep a four-and-a-half-day rhythm with Wednesday morning lessons. After-school childcare (garderie or périscolaire) is offered until 6:00 or 6:30 pm at modest fees set on the family quotient.
Supplies and books
Public schools provide textbooks but not stationery. Each June, teachers issue a liste de fournitures covering pens, notebooks, a satchel, sports kit and an apron for art. Budget €60 to €120 per child for the August shop ; the Allocation de Rentrée Scolaire (ARS) covers most or all of it for low-income households. Our back-to-school guide walks through the routine in detail.
Collège: the middle-school years
The collège takes pupils from age 11 to 15 across four grades — 6e (the entry year), 5e, 4e and 3e. It marks the move from a single classroom teacher to a team of subject specialists, and introduces a second foreign language (typically Spanish or German) in 5e. Optional Latin, Greek or regional-language modules open up from 5e as well.
In 3e, pupils sit the Diplôme National du Brevet (DNB), or brevet. It assesses French, maths, history-geography, science and a final oral on a personal project (épreuve orale du chef-d'œuvre for vocational pathways, regular oral elsewhere). The brevet is a milestone, but it does not gate access to lycée — every pupil is entitled to continue.
During 3e, families and the teaching council jointly choose the next step: a lycée général et technologique (academic route) or a lycée professionnel (vocational route). Pupils with strong reports and a clear vocation can also apply for selective collèges running international or bilingual sections.
Lycée and the reformed baccalauréat
The lycée covers ages 15 to 18 across Seconde, Première and Terminale. Two main families exist:
- Lycée général et technologique — the academic route, leading to a general or technological bac and onward to university or Grandes Écoles ;
- Lycée professionnel — the vocational route, awarding a CAP, BEP or professional bac alongside on-the-job training, with direct entry to the labour market or further study.
The 2021 baccalauréat reform
The old S, L and ES streams disappeared in 2021. The general bac is now built on a common core (French, philosophy, history-geography, modern languages, scientific education, sport, civics) plus three specialities chosen in Première — for example mathematics, physics-chemistry, life sciences, history-geography, economics, languages, literature, arts. Pupils drop one speciality in Terminale and finish the year with two.
Continuous assessment now counts for 40% of the final bac mark, with the remaining 60% from terminal exams (French in Première ; philosophy, the two final specialities and a major oral in Terminale). This shift makes year-round attendance and report-card grades materially more important than under the old system.
The vocational and technological routes
The baccalauréat technologique retains its named series — STMG (management), STI2D (industrial design), ST2S (health and social), STL (laboratory science), STD2A (applied arts), STAV (agriculture), STHR (hotel and catering) and TMD (music and dance). The vocational bac pro covers more than 100 trades, from cuisine to électrotechnique, and combines classroom teaching with paid internships (périodes de formation en milieu professionnel). Both routes can lead to higher education through the BTS or BUT, and increasingly to licence with the right specialities.
Public, private or international: which to choose?
Four parallel networks exist, each governed by a distinct legal regime. The right choice depends on language, curriculum, religion, budget and how long you plan to stay in France.
| School type | Cost | Curriculum | Language | Religion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public (laïque) | Free | National (Éducation Nationale) | French | Strict secularism |
| Private sous contrat | €150-300 / month | National (state-funded teachers) | French | Mostly Catholic, no religious test |
| Private hors contrat | €500-1 500 / month | Free (Montessori, Steiner, bilingual) | French or bilingual | Varies by establishment |
| International schools | €15 000-35 000 / year | IB, British, American, French + foreign | English-medium with French | Generally secular |
Public schools: free, local, secular
Public schools account for around 80% of pupils. They are free, allocated by catchment area (carte scolaire) and bound by the laïcité principle: no religious symbols on staff, no faith instruction, no overt religious dress for pupils. Curriculum, teaching staff and school holidays are set centrally.
Private under contract: the middle ground
Private schools sous contrat d'association (the vast majority of private establishments) follow the national curriculum, employ teachers paid by the state and charge moderate fees of around €150 to €300 per month — sometimes less in primary, more in lycée. Most are historically Catholic but legally cannot make religious practice a condition of admission. They are popular with expats wanting smaller classes without the international-school price tag.
Private non-contracted: free hand, full price
Schools hors contrat (Montessori, Steiner, bilingual academies, alternative pedagogies) are independent of the state. They set their own curriculum, hire their own teachers and charge full fees of €500 to €1 500 a month or more. They are inspected for child safety and basic-skills coverage but otherwise free to design their programme.
International schools in France
For families staying short-term, expecting to move on within a few years, or wanting their children to follow an English-language curriculum, full international schools are the natural choice. Most are concentrated in Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux, Nice and Toulouse, and admissions can be competitive — apply 12 months ahead where possible. Annual fees typically run from €15 000 to €35 000 per child depending on the level and the prestige of the school.
Paris and Île-de-France
- Lycée International de Saint-Germain-en-Laye (LFI) — the most established public-private hybrid, offering OIB sections in English, German, Spanish and others ;
- École Active Bilingue Jeannine Manuel (EaB) — fully bilingual French-English, IB diploma, two Paris campuses ;
- American School of Paris (ASP) in Saint-Cloud — full US curriculum, IB diploma ;
- British School of Paris (BSP) in Croissy-sur-Seine — English national curriculum and A-levels ;
- International School of Paris (ISP) — IB Primary, Middle and Diploma programmes from age 3 ;
- Marymount International School in Neuilly — Catholic American curriculum, IB diploma.
Regional international schools
- International School of Lyon (Sergy) — IB curriculum, English and French sections ;
- Bordeaux International School — small bilingual school covering nursery to lycée ;
- Mougins School on the Côte d'Azur — British curriculum from age 3 to A-levels ;
- International School of Toulouse — English-medium IB curriculum.
English-language sections in public schools
A free middle ground exists for families willing to integrate into the public system: bilingual sections internationales, sections européennes and the Option Internationale du Baccalauréat (OIB, in place since 1981). These programmes layer reinforced English plus one or two non-language subjects taught in English (a Discipline Non Linguistique, or DNL) on top of the standard curriculum.
OIB versus section européenne
Sections internationales sit a separate, harder bac (the OIB), recognised by Anglo-Saxon universities as equivalent to A-levels or the IB. Admission is competitive and usually requires a written test plus an interview. Sections européennes are lighter — a few extra hours a week and DNL exposure — and are a good first step if your child is already comfortable in French.
Where to find them
- Lycée International de Saint-Germain-en-Laye — the flagship public OIB establishment ;
- Cité Scolaire Internationale de Lyon — primary, collège and lycée with American and British sections ;
- Lycée International de Sèvres in Île-de-France — multiple language sections ;
- Cité Scolaire Internationale Honoré-de-Balzac in Paris XVII — English, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Arabic, Polish ;
- Lycée Pierre-Mendès-France in Tunis (for families relocating via the AEFE network).
Enrolling your children
Enrolment differs by school type. The smoothest path through the public system runs through your mairie, ideally in the spring before the September start.
Public school: through the mairie
For maternelle and primary, contact the service des écoles at your local town hall. You'll need:
- Proof of residence in the catchment area (justificatif de domicile: rent contract, energy bill, or attestation d'hébergement) ;
- Family record book (livret de famille) or birth certificate translated into French ;
- Vaccination record (carnet de santé) — France requires 11 mandatory vaccines for any child born after 2018 ;
- An ID document for the parent or guardian.
The mairie issues a certificat d'inscription, which you then take to the school for final enrolment. Collège and lycée placements come from the rectorat ; non-French children may sit a level test (test de positionnement) and be placed in a transitional UPE2A class for a year of intensive French.
Private and international
Private schools (under contract or not) take direct applications. You typically submit a dossier with school reports, a motivation letter, and sometimes a parents' interview. International schools add an English-language test and may require school records over two or three years. Apply at least 6 to 12 months ahead of the start date, especially in Paris.
Higher education
After the bac, students apply to higher education through Parcoursup, the central admissions platform that replaced APB in 2018. It handles bachelor's degrees (licence), short technical degrees (BTS, BUT), preparatory classes for Grandes Écoles (CPGE) and most first-year courses in private schools.
Three parallel tracks
- Public universities — open access for most courses, low fees, broad subject range ;
- Grandes Écoles — selective, prestigious institutions for engineering, business and political science (Polytechnique, HEC, Sciences Po), usually entered through classes préparatoires ;
- Private schools — business, design, arts and engineering schools with fees from €5 000 to €15 000 a year.
2026 university fees
Public universities charge two flat rates set by the ministry:
- EU, EEA and Swiss residents: roughly €175 a year for a licence, €250 for a master, €390 for a doctorat ;
- Non-EU students (since the 2019 reform): around €2 770 a year for a licence and €3 770 for a master, with possible exemptions and scholarships through Campus France or individual universities.
International applicants begin the process via the Campus France portal, which handles visa pre-approval, fee payment and dossier transmission. Our universities guide details the full Parcoursup and Campus France steps. Student visa rules sit on the visa page, and dedicated student housing is covered in the student accommodation guide.
Schedule and holidays
A typical school day runs 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, with a long lunch break and two playground breaks (récré). Wednesday remains the historical half-day: most primary schools either skip Wednesday entirely (four-day week) or finish at midday (four-and-a-half-day week), depending on a vote at commune level. Collège and lycée usually run a full Wednesday morning and stop at lunchtime.
The school year is split into five periods separated by two-week breaks. To stagger road traffic and tourism flows, France divides the country into three zones (A, B and C), each holidaying on a slightly different rotation for the February and Easter breaks. Christmas, All Saints' and summer holidays are common to all zones.
For the full calendar with dates and zone allocations, see our school and bank holidays guide.
Cost and family aids
Public schooling is free, but everyday life around it is not. Expect the following recurring expenses:
- School supplies: roughly €60 to €120 per child each August ;
- Cantine (school canteen): €3 to €7 per meal in primary and collège, set by income (quotient familial) in most communes ;
- School transport: free or heavily subsidised in most regions, on application to the région ;
- Extracurricular and sports clubs: typically €100 to €400 per year per activity.
Allocation de Rentrée Scolaire (ARS)
The ARS is a back-to-school allowance paid in mid-August by the CAF to families on modest incomes. In 2026, it covers all children aged 6 to 18 enrolled in school and ranges from roughly €420 to €460 per child depending on age — the older the child, the higher the amount. Families who qualify receive it automatically once their tax return has been processed.
Other CAF and state aids
- Bourses de collège and lycée — means-tested grants paid termly, on a sliding scale ;
- Fonds social — emergency aids managed by individual schools for one-off needs (canteen arrears, school trips, equipment) ;
- Pass Culture — €300 cultural credit at age 18, plus €25-50 for younger lycée pupils.
For day-to-day expat support beyond schooling, our English-speaking helplines directory lists administrative lines (CAF, Ameli, France Travail) that answer in English.