Primary and secondary education in France - statistics & facts
In France, education is free and mandatory from age three to age 16. The education system is divided into three main successive stages: primary education (kindergarten and elementary school), secondary education (middle school, high school, and some specific training), and higher education (universities, Business Schools, etc.). After elementary school, middle school marks the entry of students into secondary education. It is organized into four levels from the sixth to the third grade and is structured into educational cycles. At the end of the third grade, students take the national diploma of the Brevet National des Collèges and can then move on to a second grade class in a general or technological high school, a second grade vocational class, or a first year of preparation for the Certificate of Vocational Aptitude (CAP).
