Schools in France: compulsory education from 3 and how to enrol

• École maternelle (nursery school): ages 3 to 6, three years (petite, moyenne and grande section).
• École élémentaire (primary school): ages 6 to 11, from CP to CM2.
• Collège (lower secondary): ages 11 to 15, from sixième to troisième, ending with the diplôme national du brevet.
• Lycée (upper secondary): ages 15 to 18, general, technological or vocational tracks, ending with the baccalauréat or a vocational qualification.

Town halls are responsible for nursery and primary schools (buildings, enrolment, canteen). Secondary schools are managed by the departments and regions, and placement is organised by the education authority (rectorat and its departmental services).

1. Register at the town hall of your place of residence. In Paris this is your arrondissement town hall, online via the City's Paris Familles portal or in person by appointment. For a September 2026 start, Paris held its main enrolment campaign from 1 April to 5 May 2026; families arriving during the year can register at any time.
2. The town hall gives you an enrolment certificate naming the school for your address, according to the school catchment area (secteur scolaire). A request for a different school (dérogation) is possible but not guaranteed.
3. Finalise admission with the school director, bringing the certificate, identity documents and the vaccination record.

Children already in a Paris public school are re-enrolled automatically each year. Collège enrolment is handled by the education authority, not the town hall.

Newly arrived children whose French is not yet sufficient (élèves allophones nouvellement arrivés) have the same right to school as others.

• Primary school: from age 6, the child's French and school skills are assessed after enrolment. Most join a regular class for their age (no more than two years below it) and receive intensive French support in a UPE2A unit (unité pédagogique pour élèves allophones arrivants), usually for about a year.
• Collège and lycée: contact the CASNAV of your education authority (académie), the centre that organises the reception of newly arrived pupils. An education psychologist and teachers assess the child's skills, then the education authority assigns a school and class, with UPE2A support where needed. Children aged 12 to 17 can also take the school version of the DELF French diploma.
• Children over 16 who are no longer subject to compulsory schooling still have options, including vocational training.

The ministry provides welcome booklets for parents in several languages.

Many primary schools offer a canteen at lunchtime and supervised activities before and after class (périscolaire), often organised by the town hall. In Paris you register for these services through Paris Familles, and prices depend on your family income (quotient familial). Weekly timetables are set locally; in many towns primary pupils have no class on Wednesday afternoon, and leisure centres (centres de loisirs) take children then and during the holidays. Ask your town hall for the local timetable.

• Start of the school year: Tuesday 1 September 2026.
• All Saints' holidays: 17 October to 2 November 2026.
• Christmas holidays: 19 December 2026 to 4 January 2027.
• Winter holidays: in February 2027 (check the official calendar for zone C).
• Spring holidays: 3 April to 19 April 2027.
• Summer holidays start: 3 July 2027. Holidays start after classes on the first date, and pupils return on the last date.

Most children attend public schools. Private schools under contract with the state (sous contrat) follow the national curriculum and charge moderate fees; many are Catholic. Bilingual and international sections exist in some public schools, with admission tests, and there are fee-paying international schools. Ask the education authority about international sections near you.