For several years, in the three paths, general, professional and technological, the Rennes academy has obtained the best results in the French baccalaureate. Hence this question: are Breton students really the best?
We often hear that Brittany is a land of academic excellence. For several years, in the three tracks, general, professional and technological, the Rennes academy has obtained the highest baccalaureate success rates in France: 95.1% in 2023 for the general track, compared to 91% at the national level. . So, does Breton school excellence really exist?
TO READ : BAC 2023. Brittany remains first in class
To understand why Bretons are good at school, we first have to go back in time. At the beginning of the 20th century, Brittany had the highest rate of illiterates in France.
Without going so far as to say that the Region had revenge to take, very quickly school was seen as the means of achieving social advancement: “It is a central concern and we must not forget it, a concern for families, explains Emmanuel Ethis, rector of the Rennes academy. I believe that this is what links all generations in Brittany. When you have a child who comes home in the evening and is asked what he did and if he did well at school, it’s something that may seem trivial but here, we have the majority of families who ask their children this question, which is not always the case elsewhere.”
A region with a strong identity which favors common references, but which is not enough to explain the good Breton educational results. Another possible explanation: it is the region of France where we read the most newspapers, a population of readers who have the best network of libraries in France.
Another factor, in education, the Rennes academy is one of the most in demand. So there is no shortage of teachers. “We have people in Brittany who have worked quite a bit elsewhere and who have experienced other conditions and therefore, when they arrive in Brittany, they are rather very experienced” notes Emmanuel Ethis. A lot of work on early schooling has also been carried out.
So, would everything be idyllic in Breton education? Maybe not completely. According to sociologist Pierre Merle, specialist in educational issues, “we must also take into account another indicator which is perhaps the most important: the expectation for a 6th grade student to have their baccalaureate, whether it is a general, technological or professional baccalaureate. If we retain this indicator, the Brittany region is not so well placed, he observes. That is to say that we have a very good result in the baccalaureate but this is largely due to strong selectivity.” The Breton educational network is structured between public, private and Diwan schools.
TO READ : TESTIMONY. Level groups: “Impossible to implement in half of the colleges in France”, the view of a school director
Private education is very established in Brittany, more than elsewhere. 40% of high school students at the Rennes academy are registered there. “I think that the level of selectivity is largely linked to the private sector, underlines Pierre Merle. Otherwise, to explain the good results, it is also possible to compare the level of funding per student. In Brittany, it is rather above average. And so, there are factors that are favorable to the success of children, in addition to selectivity in a way.”
Brittany displays excellent results in the baccalaureate, of course, but it is well aware that it still has room for improvement to help the most vulnerable to succeed.
