How to Understand France's Education System

France boasts one of the most advanced and successful public education systems in the world. Since the aftermath of the French Revolution, French society has placed heavy emphasis on reforming and improving their education system. If you are interested in learning about or understanding France's education system just follow these steps.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Understand the system's centralized nature. Unlike the US, which has a relatively decentralized system that focuses on state systems, France's education system is highly centralized. Even after some reforms in the 1960s and 1970s, the education system is still controlled largely by the government's Ministry of National Education, which is the largest employer in France.
2. Know the difference between primary and secondary schooling. In France, primary school is where children go for their first five years of schooling, formally beginning at age six (though sometimes earlier). The secondary school that follows takes students from ages 11 to 15 and is broken up into various "forms," which are the equivalent of American grades (as in first grade).
3. Understand what a "college" is. In France, you might hear of a teenager who is attending "college." You shouldn't assume that the student is a genius since the word, in France's education system, refers to the equivalent of the American junior high school. Following college is what is known as the lycee, or high school.
4. Learn about the baccalauréat. The baccalauréat, sometimes referred to simply as "the bac," is the test that students must take at the end of high school in order to move on to university, other forms of advanced training or a profession in general. The baccalauréat occupies a distinct place in French culture because of its universality and its difficulty.