Primary school (kindergarten or elementary) for a pupil coming from the foreigner

Verified 22 February 2023 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

Have you just settled in France and are you wondering about your child's schooling? You have to enroll him in school from the age of three. The registration procedure and the rules for schooling are different depending on whether it is a first installation or a return to France. We present you with the information you need to know.

FYI  

These school enrollment rules apply regardless of your nationality.

1st installation

You have to enroll your child in school from the age of 3 years.

Registration is done first at the town hall and then at the school. If your child is 6 years of age or older, their academic skills are assessed. Its results determine the class in which it is assigned.

These rules apply regardless of your child's nationality.

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Your child is 6 years of age or older

Registration in Town Hall

The child must be registered at the latest in the month of June preceding the start of the school year.

Registration usually starts in March, but some municipalities start registration on the 1ster quarter of the year prior to the start of the school year.

Ask your local council early (or the host town hall in case of schooling outside the municipality of residence).

You will need to provide the following documents:

  • Document proving your identity and that of your child (family booklet, identity card, passport, copy of birth certificate or attestation on honor)
  • Recent proof of residence. You can provide an attestation on honor.

Other documents may also be requested for school canteens or extracurricular activities.

Who shall I contact
Assessment of the child's achievements

At the time of registration, the city hall will refer you to specialized teachers to evaluate your child's academic skills. This assessment covers the following acquis:

  • Knowledge of French (beginner or master of elements of French, spoken or written)
  • Skills in other languages taught (including English)
  • School competences acquired in the previous language of schooling (in particular in mathematics)
  • Degree of familiarity with school writing.

If the level is sufficient, your child is assigned in an ordinary class (CP to CM2). Otherwise, it is assigned to a educational unit for incoming allophone students (UPE2A).

When the results of the evaluation are known, the city hall issues you a registration certificate indicating the school where your child is assigned.

If you have difficulty registering your child, you can contact the department's department of national education in your department.

Final enrollment in school

To permanently enroll your child, you must report to the school indicated on the registration certificate as soon as you obtain it.

The school management carries out the registration, on presentation of the following 2 documents:

  • Certificate of registration issued by the City Hall
  • Document certifying that the child has compulsory vaccinations for his age or for a contraindication

If the child stays in the same school during kindergarten, you will not have to renew his registration every year.

Your child is under 6 years of age

Registration in Town Hall

The child must be registered at the latest in the month of June preceding the start of the school year.

Registration usually starts in March, but some municipalities start registration on the 1ster quarter of the year prior to the start of the school year.

Ask your local council early (or the host town hall in case of schooling outside the municipality of residence).

You will need to provide the following documents:

  • Document proving your identity and that of your child (family booklet, identity card, passport, copy of birth certificate or attestation on honor)
  • Recent proof of residence. You can provide an attestation on honor.

Other documents may also be requested for school canteens or extracurricular activities.

Who shall I contact

Once the registration is completed, the City Hall will issue you a registration certificate indicating the nursery school where your child is assigned.

If you have difficulty registering your child, you can contact the department's department of national education in your department.

Final enrollment in school

To permanently enroll your child, you must report to the school indicated on the registration certificate as soon as you obtain it.

The school management carries out the registration, on presentation of the following 2 documents:

  • Certificate of registration issued by the City Hall
  • Document certifying that the child has compulsory vaccinations for his age or for a contraindication

If the child stays in the same school during kindergarten, you will not have to renew his registration every year.

The school introduces you to the French education system. Your rights and duties, and those of your child, are also presented at the time of reception.

This information takes the form of a bilingual welcome booklet available in the following languages:

If your child is under the age of 6, he/she is enrolled in regular kindergarten class.

If he is more than 6 years old, he is enrolled, according to his skills, in ordinary elementary class (CP to CM2) or in pedagogical unit for incoming allophone students (UPE2A).

Your child can be integrated into a regular elementary class whose students are not the same age as him. In principle, the age gap cannot exceed 2 years.

Teaching in a teaching unit lasts for a variable time depending on your child's needs. It is organized alternately with time in ordinary class.

The goal is for your child to take part in all classes as soon as possible (usually after a year).

Your child is assessed regularly, without waiting for the end of the school year.

FYI  

if your child is taught in a teaching unit, he or she can continue to receive support over several years to complete his or her training in french.

If your child is between the ages of 8 and 12 and their mother tongue is not French, they can pass the Diploma in French (Delf) Prim.

The Delf Prim is an official certification of the Ministry of National Education in French as a foreign language. It is issued by France éducation international. The Delf Prim is internationally recognized.

Who shall I contact

  • France education international

    By telephone

    +33 (0)1 45 07 60 00

    By mail

    1 Léon-Journault Avenue

    92318 Sevres cedex

    By E-mail

    Using the contact form

Return

If your child has already attended school in France or at a French school abroad, you must follow the following rules to enroll him in school.

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School attended abroad in a French institution

The steps to enroll your child are the same as those for a change of residence.

You must first register your child at the town hall of your home. In particular, you will have to provide a document proving your identity and that of your child and a recent proof of domicile.

You must then present yourself to the management of the new school with the following documents:

  • Certificate of Cancelation of the Institution Previously Attended
  • Guidance Decision
  • Quarterly bulletins for the past year
  • Mandatory vaccination certificates
  • Fact Sheet (Parents)
  • Proof of domicile

Please note

the hotel may ask for additional documents.

A policy decision taken by a French foreigner institution is applicable in France in public and private establishments under contract.

Example :

Your child has just completed his CP class at a French school abroad. He is allowed to move to class of CE1. During the summer holidays, you move to France and enroll him in a public school. He will therefore be enrolled in the CE1 class.

School attendance at another institution

You must first register your child at the town hall of your home.

Then you have to run for the new school's leadership.

Your child will be assigned to a class based on their age and skill level. For this purpose, an evaluation is carried out by the school's teaching team.

Correspondence Education (Cned)

The steps to enroll your child are the same as those for a change of residence.

You must first register your child at the town hall of your home. In particular, you will have to provide a document proving your identity and that of your child and a recent proof of domicile.

You must then present yourself to the management of the new school with the following documents:

  • Certificate of Cancelation of the Institution Previously Attended
  • Guidance Decision
  • Quarterly bulletins for the past year
  • Mandatory vaccination certificates
  • Fact Sheet (Parents)
  • Proof of domicile

Please note

the hotel may ask for additional documents.

Cned's notices of transition to higher education and guidance proposals are valid as they are for any other educational institution.

Example :

Your child has just completed his CP class by mail (Cned). He's allowed to go to class CE1. During the summer holidays, you move to France and enroll him in a public school. He will therefore be enrolled in the CE1 class.

Instruction followed in the family

You must first register your child at the town hall of your home.

Then you have to run for the new school's leadership.

Your child will be assigned to a class based on their age and skill level. For this, an evaluation is carried out by the school's teaching team.

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