French state schools lose wealthy pupils to privat...

Summary

• French state schools are losing wealthier families to private ones, as falling standards, strikes and tight budgets push parents out.
• Why French state schools are strugglingFor generations, public schools stood for the republican ideal of liberty, equality and fraternity, offering rich and poor children alike a strong education.
• Experts blame a swelling pension bill for the troubles of French state schools.

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French state schools are losing wealthier families to private ones, as falling standards, strikes and tight budgets push parents out.

Clemence Remy moved to Nantes in 2020 and sent her two daughters to the local state school. The teachers were good, she said, but repeated staff strikes, often called at the last minute, forced her to take time off work again and again. Eventually, she moved the girls to a private school.

“School is an institution we should be able to rely on,” Remy said. “In the end, you realise you can’t rely on the system.”

Such frustrations have helped fuel some of the most violent protests France has seen in decades. They started last month at high schools in the poor northern suburbs of Paris. Anger there over missing teachers and shabby buildings soon spread into a nationwide movement protesting inequality, thin public spending and declining standards.

Why French state schools are struggling