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Reader Question: Our children have been in the school system in France for a number of years but we are considering moving back to the UK. Are class sizes better or worse there?

There are recent government statistics as to how many pupils are in school classrooms in France. 

The most recent data from the French Education Ministry uses information from the start of the 2024-2025 school year. 

In the early-years classes (maternelle), there were 21.9 pupils on average in a classroom, and 21.3 in elementary school (age six to 11). 

Prior to this in 2019/20, France was stated in an Education Ministry report to have the largest class sizes in the EU in elementary school, with 22 pupils in a classroom on average, and among the largest sizes in the first years of secondary school (³¦´Ç±ô±ôè²µ±ð) along with Spain, at around 26.

In 2021/2022 there was one teacher for every 18.2 elementary school pupils in France (the data specifies this is not the same thing as numbers in the average classroom).

This was lower than in the UK (19.4) but higher than other EU counterparts including Germany (14.9), Spain (12.2), and Italy (10.8) for the year.

It is also lower than US schools, where there was an average of one teacher for every 13.7 pupils. 

In the early years of secondary school (³¦´Ç±ô±ôè²µ±ð), pupil numbers per classroom are 25.8 in 2024/2025 year. 

At lycée (age 15-18), numbers depend on the ‘pathway’ each student follows.

For the GT (general and technological) pathways, class numbers are higher at 30.1 pupils per class, and significantly lower for the professional pathways at 18.5 – these latter ones aimed at pupils looking to go into a trade or looking for a certain skillset for a job.

The GT and ³¦´Ç±ô±ôè²µ±ð class sizes are on the rise in France, however those for the professional pathway at lycées are dropping.

In secondary school in 2021/2022 there was one teacher for every 13.2 pupils. 

This was higher than the OECD average of 12.7, but lower than in the US at 14.9.

UK government data says in 2024/2025, there were 16.7 pupils for every one teacher at secondary schools. 

Again, this does not equate to actual class size. 

Recent plans by the government to reduce the number of teaching posts in France are partially due to lower intake of new pupils at schools, which have lowered in 2025/2026.