 | |
| Ministry of National Education | |
|---|---|
| Minister | Anne Genetet |
| General details | |
| Primary languages | French |
| System type | Central |
| Literacy (2003) | |
| Total | 991 |
| Male | 99 |
| Female | 99 |
| Enrollment | |
| Total | 15.0 million2 |
| Primary | 7 million |
| Secondary | 6 million |
| Post secondary | 2.3 million3 |
| Attainment | |
| Secondary diploma | 79.7% |
| Post-secondary diploma | 27% |
| 1 As of 2020, literacy rates are no longer collected within INSEE censuses. 2 Includes private education. 3 Includes universities, CPGE, and schools. | |
Education in France is organized in a highly centralized manner, with many subdivisions.[1] It is divided into the three stages of primary education (enseignement primaire), secondary education (enseignement secondaire), and higher education (enseignement supérieur). Two year olds do not start primary school, they start preschool. Then, by the age of six, a child in France starts primary school and soon moves onto higher and higher grade levels until they graduate.
In French higher education, the following degrees are recognized by the Bologna Process (EU recognition): Licence and Licence Professionnelle (bachelor's degrees), and the comparably named Master and Doctorat degrees.
The Programme for International Student Assessment coordinated by the OECD in 2018 ranked the overall knowledge and skills of French 15-year-olds as 26th in the world in reading literacy, mathematics, and science, below the OECD average of 493.[2] The average OECD performance of French 15-year-olds in science and mathematics has declined, with the share of low performers in reading, mathematics and science developing a sharp upward trend.[3] France's share of top performers in mathematics and science has also declined.[4]
France's performance in mathematics and science at the middle school level was ranked 23 in the 1995 Trends in International Math and Science Study.[5] In 2019, France ranked 21 in the TIMSS Science general ranking.[6]
- ^ "France". Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
- ^ https://www.oecd.org/pisa/Combined_Executive_Summaries_PISA_2018.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ "Compare your country – PISA 2018".
- ^ "Compare your country – PISA 2018".
- ^ "TIMSS 1995 Highlights of Results for the Middle School Years". timss.bc.edu. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
- ^ "TIMSS 2019 International Reports – TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Center at Boston College".