Bilingual welcome booklets
Information on the organization of schooling and the French education system is available in the form of bilingual welcome booklets.
Download a bilingual booklet
Download a bilingual booklet
Vaccinations
Your child must be vaccinated before you can enroll him/her in any public groups or services for children (day nursery, childcare providers, elementary school, etc.).
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- If your child was born before 2018, the 3 compulsory vaccinations are diphtheria, tetanus and polio.
- If he/she was born after 2018, 8 additional vaccinations are compulsory.
Find out more
School holidays
School holiday dates are set in advance for every academic year, with the country divided into 3 zones.
See the school holidays calendar
See the school holidays calendar
Qualifications
‘Brevet des collèges’ (middle school certificate)
This national qualification evaluates the knowledge and skills acquired at the end of middle school. It is largely based on coursework assessments but does include an oral exam and three written exams at the end of the ‘troisième’ year (Year 10 (UK), 9th grade (US)).
‘Baccalauréat’ (French format Baccalaureate exam)
Exam taken at the end of high school (school leavers age), this qualification or an equivalent variant on it is essential for admission to higher education.
This national qualification evaluates the knowledge and skills acquired at the end of middle school. It is largely based on coursework assessments but does include an oral exam and three written exams at the end of the ‘troisième’ year (Year 10 (UK), 9th grade (US)).
‘Baccalauréat’ (French format Baccalaureate exam)
Exam taken at the end of high school (school leavers age), this qualification or an equivalent variant on it is essential for admission to higher education.