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

Verified 22 October 2024 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

You have just settled in France and you want to organize your child's schooling? You have to enroll him in school from the age of three. The registration procedure and school enrollment rules are different depending on whether it is first installation or a return in 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, his academic skills shall be assessed. Its results determine the class in which it is assigned.

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Child 6 years of age or older

Registration in Town Hall

The child must be registered at the latest in June preceding back to school.

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 certificate of registration 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 register definitely 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 its age or for a contraindication.

Child under 6 years

Registration in Town Hall

The child must be registered at the latest in June preceding back to school.

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 certificate of registration 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 register definitely 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 its age or for a contraindication.

Please note

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 has under 6 years, he is attending ordinary kindergarten class.

If he's over six, he is enrolled, according to his skills, in ordinary elementary class (CP to CM2) or in a teaching unit for incoming allophone students (UPE2A).

Your child can be integrated into an ordinary elementary class whose pupils are not of the same age as him. In principle, the age gap may not 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 elderly 8 to 12 years and that its mother tongue is not french, he 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

Registration rules differ depending on the type of schooling your child attends abroad.

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School attendance at a French school

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

You must first report your departure to the institution in which your child is attending school. One certificate of cancelation (also called Extreme) will be given to you.

Then you need to enroll your child in the mayor's office from your home. You will in particular provide:

  • Document proving your identity and that of your child
  • And proof of recent residence.

Then you need to introduce you to the new school management 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 guidance decision taken by a French foreigner institution shall apply in France in the establishments public and in institutions private 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 in a non-French institution

You must first enroll your child in the mayor's office from your home. You will in particular provide:

  • Document proving your identity and that of your child
  • And proof of recent residence.

Then you need to introduce you to the new school management with the following documents:

The hotel may ask you for additional documents.

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

Your child will be taken care of as soon as he or she registers with the City Hall, including waiting for an assignment in the class corresponding to his or her level of competence.

Correspondence Education (Cned)

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

You must first report to the Cned your wish to enroll your child in an institution. One certificate of cancelation (also called Extreme) will be given to you.

Then you need to enroll your child in the mayor's office from your home. In particular, you will need to provide:

  • Document proving your identity and that of your child
  • And proof of recent residence.

Then you need to introduce you to the new school management 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.

The notices of transition to higher grades and the guidance proposals made by the Cned are valid in France in establishments public and in institutions private under contract.

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 enroll your child in the mayor's office from your home.

Then you need to introduce you to the new school management with the following documents:

The hotel may ask you for additional documents.

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

Your child will be taken care of as soon as he or she registers with the City Hall, including waiting for an assignment in the class corresponding to his or her level of competence.

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