Checked October 2026: School dates, exam rules and university fees in this guide are for the 2026–2027 school and academic year, as published by the French government (service-public.gouv.fr). They change every year, so check the official figures for later years.

French Education System: How It Works for Expats and Students

France’s education system is centralised: from nursery school to the baccalauréat, a national curriculum set by the Ministry of Education applies in every public school, and the school calendar is fixed nationally. For expat families and international students, that makes the system predictable but demanding, especially without French. This guide explains how it is organised, what changed for 2026–2027, and the options open to families arriving from abroad.

Key Takeaways

Instruction is compulsory from age 3 to 16, and young people aged 16 to 18 must then be in education, training or employment. Public schools are free.
The school path runs through école maternelle (3–6), école élémentaire (6–11), collège (11–15) and lycée (15–18), ending with the baccalauréat.
For 2026–2027, annual tuition at public universities is €178 for a licence (bachelor’s), €255 for a master’s and €398 for a doctorate, plus a €105 student life contribution (CVEC). Most non-EU students pay higher “differentiated” fees.
Expat children can attend free public schools (taught in French), state-contracted private schools, or fee-paying international schools.
The 2026–2027 school year began on 1 September 2026 and summer holidays start on 3 July 2027.

Structure of the French Education System

École Maternelle (Nursery School): Ages 3–6

Compulsory since the 2019 school year. There are three years: petite section, moyenne section and grande section. The focus is on language, early numeracy, socialisation and creativity. The school day typically runs from about 8:30 am to 4:30 pm with a long lunch break, and public maternelles are free.

École Élémentaire (Primary School): Ages 6–11

Five years: CP (cours préparatoire), CE1, CE2, CM1 and CM2. Core subjects are French (reading, writing, grammar), mathematics, history-geography, science, the arts and physical education. A modern foreign language, usually English, is taught from CP.

Collège (Middle School): Ages 11–15

Four years, from sixième (6e) to troisième (3e). A second modern language is added from cinquième (5e), along with technology and civic education. At the end of 3e, students sit the diplôme national du brevet (DNB): written papers in French, mathematics, history-geography and civic education, and science, plus an oral presentation. Since the 2026 session, the final exams count for 60% of the result and continuous assessment for 40% (previously 50/50), and the result is given as an average out of 20. In 2027, the written papers take place on 24, 25 and 28 June.

Passing the brevet is not a condition for moving up to lycée. A one-year prépa-seconde class, piloted since 2024 and made permanent by a decree of July 2026, is offered on a voluntary basis to students admitted to seconde who need to consolidate the basics, including those who did not obtain the brevet.

After 3e, students are directed towards one of three routes:

Voie générale (general, academic)
Voie technologique (technology-focused)
Voie professionnelle (vocational)

Lycée (High School): Ages 15–18

Three years: seconde, première and terminale.

General route: students choose specialty subjects (spécialités) for première and terminale, such as mathematics, physics-chemistry, economics and social sciences (SES), history-geography-geopolitics-political science, languages and literatures, and digital and computer science.

Technological route: eight bac technologique series, covering management (STMG), industry and sustainable development (STI2D), laboratory sciences (STL), health and social care (ST2S), design and applied arts (STD2A), hospitality (STHR), music and dance (S2TMD) and agronomy (STAV). They combine theory with applied work.

Vocational route: the CAP (two years) and the bac professionnel (three years), with periods of work placement. These lead to employment or to further vocational study such as a BTS.

The Baccalauréat

The bac is taken in première and terminale. For the general and technological bac, continuous assessment counts for 40% of the final mark. The remaining 60% comes from end-of-course exams: the early French exam (written and oral) and, since the 2026 session, an early mathematics exam, both taken in première; then philosophy, the two specialty exams and the grand oral in terminale. The grand oral is a 20-minute oral presentation and discussion. From the 2027 session, at least 2 points in every brevet, bac and vocational exam paper are reserved for the quality of written French (spelling, syntax, vocabulary and the organisation of ideas). Holding the bac (or an equivalent) is the standard requirement for entering university.

Higher Education

Universities. Public universities offer licence (3 years), master’s (2 years) and doctoral degrees. For 2026–2027, annual tuition is €178 for a licence, €255 for a master’s and €398 for a doctorate, plus the €105 CVEC. Students on means-tested grants pay neither. Most non-EU students pay “differentiated” fees: €2,902 a year for a licence and €3,950 for a master’s in 2026–2027. Doctorates are charged at the standard rate. Nationals of the EU/EEA, Switzerland and Québec, among others, pay the standard fees, and universities can exempt some international students from the higher fees under rules that were revised in May 2026. Admission to the first year of a licence goes through the national Parcoursup platform. Universities may rank applicants for oversubscribed courses.

Grandes écoles. Selective institutions, many of which recruit through competitive exams (concours) after two years of preparatory classes (CPGE). They include engineering schools (such as École polytechnique, CentraleSupélec and the Mines schools), business schools (HEC, ESSEC, ESCP), and institutions such as Sciences Po and the Écoles normales supérieures. The ENA, the senior civil-service school, was replaced in 2022 by the Institut national du service public (INSP).

BTS and BUT. Shorter, career-oriented programmes: the BTS (brevet de technicien supérieur, two years, usually taught in lycées) and the BUT (bachelor universitaire de technologie, three years, taught in university IUTs). The BUT replaced the two-year DUT in 2021.

Options for Expat Families

Public Schools (Écoles Publiques)

Advantages: free, full immersion in French language and culture, and a neighbourhood-based community.
Challenges: the language barrier is real, especially for older children, and the first year can be difficult academically.
Support: newly arrived children who do not speak French are assessed (by the academy’s CASNAV centre) and can be placed in UPE2A support classes, which combine intensive French with time in a regular class. Availability varies by area.
Enrolment: for maternelle and élémentaire, start at your town hall (mairie), then with the school’s head teacher. For collège and lycée, contact the département’s education services (DSDEN). You will typically need proof of address, proof of identity and family status (a birth certificate or livret de famille), and proof of compulsory vaccinations.

Private Schools Under Contract (Écoles Privées Sous Contrat)

Follow the national curriculum and national exams, often with a religious (mostly Catholic) identity or particular teaching approaches.
Teachers are paid by the state, so fees are usually far lower than at international schools; they vary by school.

International Schools and International Sections

Private international schools teach in English or bilingually and follow international curricula: the International Baccalaureate (IB), British (IGCSE, A-levels), American (AP) or other national systems. Examples include the International School of Paris, the American School of Paris and the International School of Lyon. Fees are substantial and vary widely, so ask each school for its current fee schedule.
International sections in French public schools (sections internationales), such as those at the Lycée international de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, teach part of the curriculum in another language. At lycée level they lead to the baccalauréat français international (BFI).
International schools suit families on short assignments, or those who want continuity with another education system.

CNED (Distance Learning)

The Centre national d’enseignement à distance, the state’s distance-learning body, provides the French curriculum remotely. It is used by French families abroad, travelling families and students with particular circumstances.

The School Day and Year

Typical Daily Schedule

Maternelle and élémentaire: about 8:30 am to 4:30 pm with a long lunch break. Many primary schools work a four-day week with no classes on Wednesday; others teach on Wednesday mornings, depending on the commune. Before- and after-school care (périscolaire, garderie) is usually available.
Collège and lycée: roughly 8 am to 5 or 6 pm, with free periods (permanence) depending on the timetable.
Phones: pupils were already banned from using mobile phones in primary schools and collèges, and the ban was extended to lycées from the 2026 school year.

The School Year 2026–2027

The school year runs from early September to early July, with a break of about two weeks roughly every six to seven weeks. Winter and spring holidays are staggered across three zones (A, B and C) to spread holiday traffic.

Holiday	Dates (2026–2027)
Start of school year	Tuesday 1 September 2026 (Corsica: 3 September)
Toussaint (autumn)	17 October to 2 November 2026
Christmas	19 December 2026 to 4 January 2027
Winter: Zone A	13 February to 1 March 2027
Winter: Zone B	20 February to 8 March 2027
Winter: Zone C	6 February to 22 February 2027
Spring: Zone A	10 April to 26 April 2027
Spring: Zone B	17 April to 3 May 2027
Spring: Zone C	3 April to 19 April 2027
Summer	from Saturday 3 July 2027

Holidays start after classes on the first date, and classes resume on the morning of the second. Zone A covers the academies of Besançon, Bordeaux, Clermont-Ferrand, Dijon, Grenoble, Limoges, Lyon and Poitiers; Zone B covers Aix-Marseille, Amiens, Lille, Nancy-Metz, Nantes, Nice, Normandie, Orléans-Tours, Reims, Rennes and Strasbourg; Zone C covers Créteil, Montpellier, Paris, Toulouse and Versailles. See our French school calendar for more.

Wednesdays

Because so many primary schools have no lessons on Wednesday, or only in the morning, many sports clubs, music schools and other activities for children take place on Wednesday afternoons.

Grading and Assessment

The French Grading Scale

France marks on a scale of 0 to 20. At the bac, the honours (mentions) are:

16 and above: très bien
14 to 16: bien
12 to 14: assez bien
10 is the pass mark

Marks of 18 to 20 are rare, and a mark of 14 or above is a strong result. Students used to letter grades should not read a French 13 or 14 as a poor mark.

Report Cards (Bulletins)

Issued at the end of each term or semester, with marks, teachers’ comments and, often, the class average. Schools hold parent-teacher meetings during the year.

Higher Education for International Students

Applying

First-year licence: through Parcoursup for most applicants. Students from many non-EU countries apply through Campus France’s “Études en France” procedure instead.
Master’s and doctorate: through the national master’s platform or directly with the university, and through Études en France where it applies.
Grandes écoles: through each school’s own concours or admissions procedure.

Scholarships and Aid

Eiffel Excellence Scholarship: a French foreign ministry programme for international master’s (up to age 29) and PhD (up to age 35) students. Applications are submitted by the French institution, not by the student.
Erasmus+: EU-funded study periods at French institutions for students from participating countries.
CROUS grants: means-tested grants (bourses sur critères sociaux), mainly for French and EU students and certain long-term residents.
Institution scholarships: many universities and schools have their own funding.

Student Life

CROUS, the state student-services network, runs subsidised residences and restaurants. Since 4 May 2026, CROUS restaurant meals cost €1 for all students. Student housing can be cheaper than the private market, and the APL housing allowance can reduce rent. Student status brings discounts on transport, museums and cultural events. International students from outside the EU with a student residence permit can work up to 964 hours a year (60% of the legal full-time working year) without a separate work permit; Algerian students come under a separate agreement.

Tips for Expat Families

Start French lessons before the move: even basic French eases the transition; see our guide to learning French.
Meet the school: talk to the head teacher (directeur or directrice in primary, principal in collège, proviseur in lycée) before enrolment about language support.
Be patient: progress in a new language varies a great deal by age and personality.
Get involved: parents’ associations (associations de parents d’élèves) are a way into the school community.
Expect homework: from collège onward, regular homework is normal, so a routine at home helps.
Think long term: if you plan to stay, public school immersion is the strongest route to integration. If the stay is short, an international school keeps continuity.

Next Steps

Choose a schooling path (public, private under contract or international) based on your timeline, budget and your children’s French.
Check enrolment timing: town halls usually register children in spring for the following September, but newly arrived families can enrol during the year.
Start French early, for children and parents alike.
Plan around the school calendar using the dates above.
For relocation support, see our overview of expat services in France and our guide to living in France as an expat.