The Ministry for Education defines France’s national educational curriculum. The Ministry is organized on a regional basis, with 17 academic regions responsible for maintaining nationwide standards in education policy,
along with 26 mainland academies and four academies in France’s overseas territories responsible for public service aspects of education (including defining strategy and managing schools and personnel) and along with 17 academic regions rectors.
In France, school is mandatory for all children aged 3 to 16. At the beginning of the 2016-2017 school year, a number of schools opened classes for children aged two.
Different types of school
There are three different types of school:
Registering a child for school
The family’s place of residence determines which school the child will attend.
Anticipating the procedure as soon as possible is recommended.
When registering for public kindergarten or elementary school
The municipal offices inform the parents regarding the establishment their child will attend and registers them at the school. The municipal offices then provide the family with a registration certificate.
This certificate must be handed to the head of the school, who approves the registration.
Depending on the availability of places, enrollments may be possible during the course of the academic year.
When registering for junior high-school
The local education authority determines which junior high-school the child will attend, depending on the catchment area in which they live. The child must be registered at the relevant school.
Depending on the availability of places, enrollments may be possible during the course of the academic year.
When registering at a state senior high school or a state-funded and controlled private senior high school
The family’s wishes must be expressed to the head of the school. In public establishments, the local education authority inspector then determines the school to which the student will be assigned.
Depending on the availability of places, enrollments may be possible during the course of the academic year. app.
The school year
The school year lasts 10 months. It begins in early September and ends in late June or early July.
There are four school holidays spread over the year, in late October (Toussaint), at the holiday’s season (Christmas/New year), in the winter (February/March) and in the spring (April/May). These holidays last for two weeks, except for Toussaint, which lasts for 10 days around All Saints’ Day (November 1).
Each year, the French Ministry for Education sets holiday dates for the different academic zones. France is split into three areas, A, B and C, each comprising various academic regions.
International programs in figures:
⦁ 553 international programs at the start of the 2017-2018 academic year in 284 schools and educational establishments (both in France and establishments teaching in French abroad)
⦁ 24 foreign partners
⦁ 17 languages and cultures represented, with American, Arabic, British, Brazilian, Chinese, Korean, Danish, Dutch, German, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Swedish programs.
International school programs
International school programs stem from partnerships set up between France and foreign countries. They enable children of any nationality to be taught within the French education system by offering them bilingual and bicultural tuition.
The educational content and teaching methods employed are largely inspired by those used in the partner countries.
There are international programs at every stage of the school curriculum: elementary school, junior high school (collège) and senior high school (lycée). In senior high schools, only the general streams (Literature, Economics & Social Sciences, and Sciences) have international programs.
The International Option Baccalaureate (IOB) is an international version of the French Baccalaureate diploma, which comes with the words ‘international option’ and the language in which the pupil has been educated.
To obtain this qualification, pupils must have studied in a school with an international program during the second and final year of the International Baccalaureate course.
Pupils must study all the subjects from their chosen pathway, which are either languages and literature (L), economics and social sciences (ES) or maths and sciences (S).
They must also sit specific oral and written examinations for the foreign language of the program as well as history and geography. There is also a set test in mathematics, which replaces the history and geography examinations for those studying in Chinese language programs. The qualification is recognized in both France and the partner country.
Anyone interested in enrolling on the International Option Baccalaureate course is advised to register as early as possible.
For further information, click here to download a brochure on international programs (in French and English).
International private education
There are many private international schools in France, some of which are accredited by international bodies guaranteeing the quality of education provided. Here is a list of these accreditation bodies:
International Baccalaureate (IB)
The International Baccalaureate, also known as the Geneva Baccalaureate, is a non-profit educational foundation based in Geneva, which has developed four international programs to enrich students’ intellectual and personal abilities, as well as their cultural knowledge. It accredits institutions, both on the teaching methods used and on the content of the programs. Institutions have the option of developing one or more programs offered by the IB.
More than 4,000 schools around the world offer one or more IB programs. In France, 19 institutions are IB accredited, including the American School of Paris, the International School of Paris and the International School of Nice. The locations of IB-accredited institutions can be viewed on our interactive map.
For further information on the International Baccalaureate, click here to go to the foundation’s website.
Council of International Schools (CIS)
As a global non-profit organization, the Council of International Schools offers programs developed by its members for primary and secondary schools, higher education institutions, and private individuals.
These programs provide students with a strong international and intercultural grounding enabling them to adapt to the increasingly global nature of modern day society.
What’s more, primary and secondary school members must commit to undertaking an external quality assurance process to enhance student learning.
There are more than 1,000 CIS accredited schools and universities around the world. In France, there are nine accredited institutions, including the Bordeaux International School, the International School of Lyon and the Marymount International School in Paris. The locations of CIS-accredited institutions in France can be viewed on our interactive map.
New England association of schools and colleges (NEASC)
New England Association of Schools and Colleges is an independent, voluntary, non-profit organization. Independent state educational institutions, schools and colleges join voluntarily. NEASC assesses and promotes the quality of education, and its accreditation attests to a school’s high quality and integrity.
The organization provides a process for meaningful, ongoing whole school improvement while respecting the specific culture of each school, with accreditation granted by the members themselves.
Each institution self-reports and is subject to a peer-review process for accreditation.
Some 2,000 state and independent schools, technical and vocational institutions, colleges and universities in New England and international schools in more than 65 countries are accredited by NEASC. In France, there are three NEASC-accredited institutions: the École Jeannine Manuel in Paris, the International School of Paris and the International School of Toulouse.
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