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The structure of the French education system

After nursery school or kindergarten (école maternelle), which is optional, the French

compulsory education system is divided into three stages or ‘cycles’:

•  primary school (école)

• middle school (collège)

• high school (lycée)

Preschoolnursery (école maternelle)

Preschools or nursery schools ! écoles maternelles ! provide care for children from two and

three years old until they are si"# $hile children are not o%liged to attend, state facilities are freeand are an e"cellent way for young children of e"pat parents to learn French &uickly and easily#'he curriculum aims to prepare children for primary school, and includes reading, writing,

numeracy and sometimes even a foreign language# For more information on maternelles and

other preschool nurseries and daycare options, see "paticas guide to preschool options inFrance, French daycare and childcare options in France# 

Primary school (ecole primaire)

*hildren in France attend primary school from the age of si" to ++ years old# nless your child

attended the maternelle, you should apply to the school through your local mairie. -ou’ll need

your child’s %irth certificate, proof of residence and an up.to.date vaccination certificate# Formore information on applying to primary school, see "paticas guide on how to choose a school

in France#

'here are five levels:

• Cours préparatoire (*P) or 11ème  ! age / to 0 years old

• Cours élémentaire (*+) or 10ème – age 0 to 1 years old

• Cours élémentaire (*2) or 9ème ! age 1 to 3 years old

• Cours moyen 1 (*4+) or 8ème ! 3 to +5 years old

• Cours moyen 2 (*42) or 7ème ! +5 to ++ years old

'he school week is around 26 hours7 primary schools often close for all or part of $ednesday#

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'here are lessons on literacy, numeracy, geographyhistory and commonly a foreign language,

often nglish# -our child must %e enrolled %y the 8une prior to the 9eptem%er start of the school

year#

f a child needs to repeat a year, redoubler , it is most often suggested at the end of a cycle# 'his

decision can %e determined %y a group of school directors and teachers, conseil de cycle,although parents may appeal their decisions# ;owever, there isnt the same negative stigma

attached to repeating as in nglish.speaking countries, and some <5 percent of students mayrepeat at least once in their schooling life#

'he administrator, usually a mem%er of the teaching staff, is known as the directeur  or directrice7

teachers are referred to as matre or matresse#

4iddle school (collège)

=etween the ages of ++ and +>, students in France attend a middle school or collège. All pupils

are accepted7 there is no entrance e"am or re&uirements for state schools# -ou must enrollthrough your local mairie  %y the 8une %efore the 9eptem%er start of the school year . ?ead more

a%out the application process in "paticas guide on how to choose a school in France#

'here are four levels:

• !ème – ++ to +2 years old

• "ème – +2 to +< years old

• #ème – +< to +6 years old

• $ème – +6 to +> years old 

'he sylla%us aims to give all pupils a general education and consists of French, mathematics,

historygeography, civics, %iology, physics, technology, art, music, and physical education# @verthe four years in the college, the more academic students tend to choose to take more general

classes while the less academic tend to take more vocational classes#

n collège, marks (notes) %ecome an important aspect in a child’s schooling, with tests

(controles) %ecoming commonplace# uring the year students are tested every week and at the

end of the year have to pass with an average of +2 marks out of 25# 9coring under +5 may meanrepeating the year, although no stigma is attached to this# Parents can appeal a decision for their

child to repeat (redoubler ), %ut rarely do#

At the end of the four years, at the age of +>, all students must sit the bre%et& the 'iplme ational du *re%et (or *re%et des Collèges)# 9tudents are tested on French, mathematics and

historygeography (choosing which one they want to answer on the day) %ut they must also have

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 passed their =2i (computerinternet skills) during the year and have reached a level A2 in a

foreign language# 'here are proposed changes to the history element#

'he bre%et is also marked on continuous assessment (including general attitude and %ehaviour)during the last year of college ($ème) ! so some students may have already passed the bre%et  

 %efore they even sit the e"am# 9tudents have to get +5 marks out of 25 to pass7 +2 for a +ention ,sse- *ien, +6 for a +ention *ien and +/B for a +ention rès *ien#

After the bre%et& students may leave the education system altogether if they are +/ (though mostdo not), or continue their education in a lycée. Academic pupils will move onto a lycée général  

or lycée tec/niue, while less academic may go to a lycée proessionnel.

;igh school or lycée

'he last three years of secondary education ! from +> to +1 years old ! are spent at a lycée

 general , a lycée tec/niue or a lycée proessionnel # 9tudents take the same core curriculum of

some eight or nine su%Cects %ut are offered three electives and an artistic workshop# At the end ofthis year, the key decision is made as to which baccalaureat  the student will pursue# *ontact the

individual school for enrolment re&uirements and procedures#

'he levels are:

• econde (*AP, =P) ! +> to +/ years old

•  3remière (*AP, =P) ! +/ to +0 years old

• erminale (=A*) ! +0 to +1 years old

4 5ycée general and lycée tec/niue

9tudents start to specialise with the aim of  sitting the *accalauréat (le bac), which is the&ualification to enter  university at +1 years old. 9tudents choose different ‘series’# 'he general

bac consists of the D series (literary studies), 9 series (economic and social studies) or 9 series

(sciences)# 'he 9 %ac is considered the toughest#

'here are also some seven baccalauréat tec/nologiue, diplomas %ased on specific technicalskills# 'he technology bac series include 9cience and ndustrial (9'), 9cience and Da%oratory

(9'D), ;ealth and 9ocial 9ciences (9'99), 9cience and 4anagement (9'E), 4usic and ance('4), Agronomy (9'A) and ;otel 4anagement# f the lycée has an nternational or uropean

section there may %e tests taken in nglish that count towards the marks#

9tudents have to pass all su%Cects in the series (getting +525 in the e"am) to pass7 those getting

125 or under have to retake the year and sit again# 'hose who pass can get a place at one of

France’s universities#

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9itting for the tests can %e a nail.%iting e"perience and many students may add a series of

 practice tests to their regular studies during the final two years# ;owever, many complain that the

testing level has decreased and is one reason why many students fail their first year of university,although ministers and civil servants disagree#

'heoretically, the lycées offer the same standard of education for all7 in practice, in league ta%les pu%lished in the main newspapers, certain lycées (mainly private) consistently top the rankings# 

How to register your child into a French school

f you are enroling your child in a pu%lic school for the first time, contact the ser%ice des écoles at your local mairie or arrondissement # *hildren are generally e"pected to attend the school near

their place of residence# n Paris, a child aged si" or more who does not speak French may %e

sent %y the local town hall to a school where French.language courses for %eginners are

availa%le, if availa%le#

'o enrol in a collège or lycée, you can contact the esta%lishment of your choice directly# f your

child is arriving from outside France and is entering collège or lycée for the first time, you will

need to contact the educational districts administrative head or education authority (inspection

académiue& ser%ice de la di%ision des élè%es, or rectorat ) in your area# -our child may have to

take a French.language test#