Every year, the question torments parents: how many students will there be in their child’s class next year? It’s difficult for them to imagine that their dear little one finds himself in a crowded classroom and that he may not benefit from the best learning conditions. Because, as Lola*, director and teacher in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, pointed out in an article in Figaro Student, “When we have classes of 27 students, it is complicated to take into account the needs of each person.”
For these concerned parents, the latest figures published by the Department of Evaluation, Foresight and Performance (Depp) on this subject offer a less than reassuring perspective: French primary and secondary school classes are among the most burdened with ‘Europe. According to Depp, France clearly exceeds the European average in 2020-2021, with an average of 21.9 students per class in primary school, compared to 20.6 in the European Union (EU), and 25.6 students in middle school, compared to 22.8 for the EU.
If we look at class sizes in secondary education in France, the report “National education in figures” of 2024, again published by Depp, specifies the developments made on this subject in recent years. The report indicates that the average number of students per class in middle school increased from 23.5 in 1980 to 25.8 in 2023. At the general and technological high school, the increase is even more marked: from 27.1 students in 1980 to 30.3 in 2023. On the other hand, in vocational high schools, classes have been significantly reduced, going from 23.5 to 18.1 students on average over the same period.
-Primary schools are also experiencing notable changes, with a marked drop in enrollment in priority education zones (REP and REP+). Since 2017, the class splitting measures, initially put in place for CP in REP+ then extended to CE1 and the main section, have considerably reduced numbers. In 2015, a CP class in REP+ had 21.7 students on average. This figure fell to 12.7 in 2024. Over a wider period, precisely from 1980 to 2024, public and private pre-primary establishments (kindergarten) went from 30.1 to 21.9 students per class. For public and private elementary establishments, the number of students per class decreased, from 23.9 to 21.3. Enrollment has therefore decreased by 8.2 students on average in pre-primary education and by 2.6 students in elementary education in just over forty years.
* The first name has been changed
