Moving to France with kids? Here’s the guide you wish you’d found sooner. From crèche and maternelle to collège, lycée and the reformed baccalauréat, we explain ages, hours, catchment rules, and how international options fit alongside local schools. You’ll learn what “cycle 3” actually means, why Wednesdays look different, when lunch is served, and how support works for newcomers and children with additional needs.
We also cover fees at public universities, the CVEC, and how Parcoursup admissions work. Prefer English-medium teaching? See where bilingual and international sections and the BFI sit in the mix. And if childcare is your first hurdle, we’ve included routes and costs. Start here, then pick the right area and school with confidence for your family.
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Pre-school & nursery options
Childcare in France is relatively affordable compared to many countries, thanks to subsidies from the CAF (family benefits office). Municipal crèches accept children from a few months to age three, but waiting lists are common. Many families also use a licensed assistante maternelle, a registered childminder supported by state allowances (CMG/PAJE).
From age 3–6, children attend école maternelle. Some communes admit two-year-olds into Toute Petite Section (TPS). The three official years are Petite Section, Moyenne Section, and Grande Section. New national programmes for French and maths will apply from September 2025.
At age six, children move into école élémentaire. Primary covers five years:
CP (cours préparatoire) – first reading/writing year
CE1, CE2 – cycle 2 (fundamental learning)
CM1, CM2 – part of cycle 3 (consolidation)
Note: cycle 3 continues into sixième (first year of collège).
At primary as well as at the preschool level, it is important to note that in some regions of the country, schools are closed Wednesday. In others, they are open for half the day. It’s just another quirk of the French school system compared to the English and others. Thankfully, there are also provisions for on-site before and after school care, called la garderie. In regions like mine where schools are closed on Wednesday, the local council usually operates one or more centres de loisirs where children are looked after by a team of qualified childcare workers. These same centres are operational during all school holidays.
Secondary education
Rather than a single high school where students go to complete their entire secondary education, in France you have two different schools: Collège (age 11-15 years) and Lycée, or Middle School and High School. From primary school, children move to Collège, often more than one primary school feeds into a single Collège so it is a big change for children. The years work backward, so 6e → 5e → 4e → 3e. At the end, pupils sit the Diplôme national du brevet (DNB).
From here, students move into Lycée (ages 15-18). As they progress from la seconde to la première to la terminale (the final year of school), this three year cycle culminates in La Baccalaureate university entrance exams. There are also the specialist high schools: Lycées Technologiques and Lycées Professionnels. Both prepare students for specific career paths and feed into tailored Baccalaureate examinations, although a Lycée Professionnel can also prepare students for the CAP (certificat d'aptitude professionnelle) certification which is completed in only two years (and isn’t a valid university entrance exam).
A new French International Baccalaureate (BFI) replaces the old OIB for bilingual pathways.
English-speaking schools/International schools vs French Speaking
It’s a normal question for any parent to ask as they contemplate a move to a different country: Is the French system good? And it’s one that has many people exploring English-speaking and international options. I’ve chosen to enroll my children in the local French school for various reasons: it’s free, I can walk to it, my children make friends within the local community, and, most importantly, they are learning to speak, read and write French even if we only speak English at home. For us, we’ve made the right choice, but it doesn’t mean it’s the right choice for everyone. You can’t pick what state school you want to enrol your children in, instead it depends on where you live and what school your address feeds into. There is also an extensive network of semi-private and private schools in France, some with religious affiliations, which are fee-paying and work on an application basis.
If you would like your child to be educated in English, there are state-run French schools with international sections where six hours a week is taught in English, as well as English-speaking international schools, many teaching the highly-regarded International Baccalaureate (IB) program. While an international school education may sound very appealing, it’s worth remembering that the majority of these are private and annual fees can run into five figures.
When looking at France’s education system vs the US and the UK, France’s is still weighted very much towards academic subjects. You’ll find that other activities such as sport, music, art and dance are best pursued outside of school hours. Given the length of the school day, many of these extras are scheduled on Wednesdays or on weekends.
Children with special needs
France has a well-developed framework to support children with additional needs in the education system. Support can be tailored depending on the child’s situation and ranges from classroom assistance to specialist schools. Key provisions include:
Projet Personnalisé de Scolarisation (PPS) – an individual education plan drawn up with teachers, health professionals, and the family.
AESH (Accompagnant d’élèves en situation de handicap) – trained assistants who accompany children in mainstream classes.
ULIS classes – small groups within mainstream schools for pupils who need a more adapted environment.
PIAL (Pôles Inclusifs d’Accompagnement Localisés) – local hubs that organise and deploy AESH support efficiently across schools.
Specialised schools – for pupils whose needs cannot be met in mainstream settings, sometimes in combination with shared schooling.
Your first step is to contact your local Maison Départementale des Personnes Handicapées (MDPH), which coordinates assessments and resources.
Homeschooling (instruction en famille, IEF) now requires prior authorisation from your académie. Approval is limited to four grounds: child’s health/disability, intensive sport/arts training, family travel, or a tailored educational project. Applications must be filed 1 March–31 May each year. In 2024–25, around 30,600 children were authorised.
In 2023/24, over 2.5 million students were enrolled in one of France’s 600+ universities, studying an array of subjects from arts and humanities (the most popular) to science, law, engineering and many others, just like any country! To attend university in France, you’ll need to have completed the Baccalaureate, or equivalent. An undergraduate degree, or bachelor’s degree is called a licence. Master and doctorat are postgraduate qualifications, the equivalent of a Masters and PhD.
Since many French universities are state-funded, tuition fees are very reasonable for French and EU students, especially if you are used to American college fees. International students enrolling at a French university should expect to pay higher fees, but again these are relative compared to some other countries. As with anywhere, it is worth exploring what scholarships, bursaries and other grants are available.
There also exists in the French education system a network of very prestigious Grandes Ecoles which have a defined area of specialism and a rigorous selection process. Many of France’s politicians, businessmen and leading scientists are Grande Ecole graduates.
Choosing where to live
Because school catchment areas often determine placement, your property choice shapes your child’s schooling. For families weighing location, it’s worth factoring this into your house hunt.
There’s no doubt that, as you navigate the education system in France you’ll find differences to what you are used to in your home country. While you may become frustrated at certain traits, such as the long school days (especially for younger kids), there are plenty of positives to balance this out: France is a country that makes affordable and accessible education for children from birth until tertiary level a top priority.
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