The large principles

The French Republic has always given a large importance to education since the birth of the First Republic in 1792. Since this date, the primary goal of the school has been to promote a common national identity by providing children with an equal education, whatever their social background is.
Traditionnaly, the French education system was extremely centralized. By deciding entrust local communities with powers and responsabilities belonging to the State, France started in 1982 a huge decentralization which deeply modified respective tasks of national administrations and local communities.
However, the State keeps an important role in watching the smooth running of the public service and the coherence of teaching.

The general education

• The "maternelle" school, which can be compared to pre-schools, welcomes chidren for free as soon as they reach two-years-old.
  The maternelle school is a public school with certified teachers. Children are taught how to behave with others and are helped to develop their personality and their physical abilities.
  The day in the maternelle school begins around 9 o'clock and ends at 5.00 pm. Children have no school on Wednesday but usually go to school on Saturday morning.

• The Primary school ("enseignement élémentaire") from CP (« classe préparatoire » to CM2 (« Cours élémentaire 2 » or from 6-years-old to 11-years-old ) follows the objectives to teach the bases of the 3 R.
  The school is free and children from 6-years-old to 16-years-old must go to school (Primary school then "college")
  Students go to school on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. There is no school on Wednesday neither on Saturday. Lunch is served in each school.
  You can check the official curriculum of the Primary schools by clicking here

• The "collège" is from French Grade 6 (6ème) to French Grade 3 (3ème) (from 11-years-old to 15-years-old). Its goal is to go deeper into learnings of the Primary school, to develop logic, observation and new technologies knowledge. Topics are: Mathematics, French, Biology and Geology, foreign languages, History and Geography, art, civics and physical training (you can check the official curriculum of "Collège" by clicking here (in French only).
  At the end of the "Collège", students take the "brevet des collèges", the first certificate of their studies.
  The students in "collèges" follow around 30 and 35 hours of courses during the week (about 7 hours per day).

• The "Lycée" is from French Grade 2 (Seconde) to the last French Grade (Terminale), from 15-years-old to 18-years-old. You can refer to the official curriculum of the Grade of "Seconde", "Première" or "Terminale" by clicking on the corresponding Grade (information available in French only)
  After one year in "Lycée", the students must choose a profil for their studies: Sciences (S), Litterature (L) or Economy and Social Sciences (ES).
  At the end of the Lycée, students must take an exam, the "Baccalauréat". This examination give entrance to higher education in France.
  To know more about the Baccalauréat, check out the web site of the French Ministery of Education (in French only)

The technical education

• The technological baccalauréat has been established to allow students to follow their secondary studies after the « Seconde » (equivalent to 10th grade) during two years in a specialized field such as industrial technologies and sciences.
  
  To know more about the technological baccalauréat, check out the web site of the French Ministery of Education (in French only)

• The professional training leads to two kinds of certificate:
  - the "CAP" which is a national certificate to become an "ouvrier" (worker) or an "ouvrier qualifié" (skilled worker). This certificate is obtained after French Grade 5 (13-years-old) or French Grade 3 (15-years-old ).
  - the "BEP" provides skills for all the jobs of a same professional sector.

• The professional baccalauréat has been established in 1985 to allow students with a BEP (and sometimes with a CAP) to follow their studies during 2 more years. Students can immediately work with this certificate. This new training becomes more and more appreciated by young people and the private sector.To know more about the profesional baccalauréat,  check out the web site of the French Ministery of Education (in French only)

Private Education in France

Most of the private schools are religious institutions (mainly catholic) which have signed an agreement with the State. This agreement allows the Ministry of Education to support financially these schools by paying teachers' wages and costs of their training.
Schools which have signed this agreement are strictly controlled and must respect the official curriculum and schedules. 17% of the students between 3 and 17-years-old are in private schools. Private schools require a tuition which varies from one school to another.

Higher Education (after 18-years-old)

When they graduate from secondary school, students have the choice between a short education leading quickly to a profession, and a long education in a university or in a « Grande Ecole ».
The French higher education system has changed since the « LMD reform » (Licence, Master, Doctorat) has been implemented, especially for long education.

To know more about higher studies in France, check out the web site of Edufrance which has for mandate to promote French higher education through international educationnal and scientific exchanges. This web site offers an outline of higher education in France.

The web site of EGIDE is also quite rich about higher studies in France. It gives details about contain, cost or registration of each discipline. (In French only) .
School fees : Public universities and engineering schools are free of charge. Students who are requested to pay the registration fee just have to pay administrative costs . In a private school (secondary and primary private schools, Business schools), tuition is between 3000 and 7000 euros.