Country report

1. STEM education

Demand for STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) specialists is high, but tertiary STEM enrolments are falling. In 2023, 23.7% of tertiary education students were enrolled in STEM. This stands below the EU average of 26.8% and the proposed EU target of 32% by 2030 and is less than in 2015 (25.3%). Among STEM students, only 13.4% were enrolled in ICT (EU: 20.3%). Doctoral students in ICT represented 4.8% of all students, exceeding the EU average (3.8%) and nearing the proposed EU target of 5%. In 2023, 36.8% of students in medium-level VET pursued STEM fields (EU: 36.3%), below the proposed EU target of 45%. ICT engineers and industrial engineers are among the professions with the strongest growth forecasts, with increases of 26% and 24% in posts by 2030 compared to 2019, respectively. This equates to an additional 115 000 and 75 000 posts (DARES/France Stratégie, 2022). In these occupations, young graduates starting their careers are anticipated to fill more than three-quarters of recruitment needs in 2030, meaning that close to 1 in 4 jobs risks to remain vacant due to STEM skills shortages (idem, figures 34 and 36).

Women and disadvantaged students remain underrepresented in certain STEM fields. In 2023, 34.7% of STEM tertiary students were women, above the EU average (32.2%), but below the proposed 40% EU target. Female representation has increased since 2015, yet remains low in ICT (18.4%) and engineering (28.3%), while being on par in natural sciences (51%). In medium-level vocational education and training (VET), just one in nine students enrolled in STEM were female (11.1%) in 2023, below the proposed EU target of a least 25% by 2030. In VET, women remained particularly underrepresented in training with selective entrance exams, scientific training as well as in future-oriented sectors like ICT and mathematics (DEPP-SIES, 2024a). In addition, a greater share of tertiary engineering students come from advantaged socio-economic backgrounds compared to students in other fields of study (SIES, 2025, ch.14).

France does not have a specific STEM strategy, but sectoral action plans and initiatives exist. In 2025, the Education Ministry launched the action plan ‘girls and maths’ to boost girls’ interest, performance and career ambitions in maths and technical subjects. The action plan sets out several measures such as (i) raising teachers’ awareness on gender bias, (ii) setting targets for girls choosing advanced mathematics and science at upper secondary level, (iii) increasing the number of female teachers for advanced STEM, (iv) piloting maths and science-focused classes in lower secondary schools and (v) providing more opportunities for girls to meet female STEM role models. The effectiveness of the latter measure has been confirmed by a randomised controlled trial with 19 450 French secondary students showing that one-hour interventions by female scientists significantly boosted the enrolment of high-achieving grade 12 girls in selective, male-dominated university STEM programmes (Breda, Grenet, Monnet, & Van Effenterre, 2023). In addition, the ‘plan avenir’, launched in 2025, aims to improve school choice and career guidance to help students build a path that aligns with their interest and abilities, overcoming gender stereotypes and social or territorial inequalities (MENESR, 2025a). Funding for STEM education is available under the ‘France 2030’ initiative supporting the energy transition and the development of cutting-edge technologies.

Efforts are ongoing to develop specific STEM fields in VET and make them more inclusive. As part of the initial VET reform launched in 2023, aimed at improving labour-market relevance and VET excellence, STEM fields have been incorporated into both initial and upper-secondary VET, including training in technologies and sciences. In addition, the expansion of apprenticeships focuses on the green and digital transitions. Various initiatives aim to improve the gender balance in STEM, such as the ‘TechpourToutes’ project, launched under the ‘France 2030’ initiative, which supports women in VET pursuing careers in the ICT sector.

2. Early childhood education and care

While participation in early childhood education and care (ECEC) is high and access to pre-primary school is universal, some gaps remain. Attendance at pre-primary school is universal and mandatory from the age of three. In addition, the possibility for early admission to pre-primary school exists and in 2023/2024, 9.3% of two-year-olds were enrolled, down from 35% in 2000/2001 (DEPP, 2024f). France has one of the highest participation rates in formal childcare of children below three (59.4% in 2024 vs 39.3% in the EU), above the 2030 Barcelona target of 45%. However, it also has one of the highest socio-economic participation gaps in favour of advantaged children (40.9 pps vs 17.6 pps in the EU), even though disadvantaged children stand to benefit the most from quality ECEC, especially for language development (Berger, Panico, & Solaz, 2021). The Council of the EU, in 2025, recommended that France make quality ECEC more accessible for the most disadvantaged households to increase parents’ labour-market integration and reduce child poverty (Council of the EU, 2025). In 2025, benefits for families were increased for those choosing a childminder, to bring it to the same level of support for families opting for a crèche.

Municipalities will play a stronger role in improving childcare access and quality. A reform known as the ‘public service of early childhood’ entered into force in January 2025. Municipalities are now in charge of organising ECEC, monitoring the childcare needs of under three-year-olds and informing families of their childcare options. The reform also focuses on improving the attractiveness of childcare professions and childcare quality. This responds to calls from various actors to significantly improve childcare quality (Assemblée nationale, 2024; Cour des Comptes, 2024; EPE, 2025; IGAS, 2023).

A new pre-primary curriculum places a stronger focus on basic skills teaching, while evaluations now include early learning outcomes. For the first time, the Education Ministry conducted a longitudinal study (‘panel petite section 2021’) investigating the learning outcomes of 35 000 three-year-olds and found that socio-economic performance gaps already show at that age (DEPP, 2025a). Early diagnosis of such gaps is important to help close them. A new curriculum that will apply as of school year 2025/2026, better defines age-appropriate learning goals for early language development and numerical understanding for children between three and six (MENJS, 2024).

3. School education and basic skills

France has successfully reduced early leaving from education and training, but proficiency in basic skills and inequality remain a concern. While early leaving stood at 7.7% in 2024, meeting the EU target of <9%, basic skills remain an issue. In the 2023 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), French fourth and eighth graders obtained some of the lowest results among the EU-22 (DEPP, 2024b, c, d). In primary school, performance was very strongly linked to socio-economic background while top-performance rates in mathematics (3%) and science (4%) were significantly lower than the EU-22 average (10% and 11%, respectively). According to PISA 2022, around 29% of 15-year-olds lack basic skills in mathematics, increasing to 49% among disadvantaged students (OECD, 2023). Only 14.4% of disadvantaged students perform well in basic skills (level 4 or above in one of PISA domains), lower than the EU average (16.3%) and down from 20.8% in 2015 (vs EU: 21.1%). The socio-economic impact on performance was stronger compared to other EU countries and top mathematics performance has been falling since 2003 (see Figure 1). The Council of the EU, in 2025, recommended that France improve equity by ‘ensuring that all disadvantaged students benefit from improved educational support’ (Council of the EU, 2025). The Court of Auditors recommended reforming the ‘priority education’ support system for disadvantaged students, seen as being too rigid. It suggests a more flexible resource allocation to better address local needs. For example, extra resources are allocated based on the profile of the lower secondary school, meaning primary schools only receive additional support if their corresponding lower secondary school does (Cour des Comptes, 2025a).

Addressing the growing gender gap in mathematics has become a political priority. At the start of primary school, girls perform slightly better than boys in mathematics, but fall behind by the middle of first grade, with this gap quickly widening throughout primary school. The gender gap persists in secondary school, but narrows somewhat, indicating that it is not irreversible (DEPP, 2025b). In response, the Education Ministry adopted the action plan ‘filles et maths’ (see Section 1). Girls consistently report lower confidence in their mathematical abilities compared to boys, even when their performance is equivalent, a study of 2.3 million students showed (DEPP, 2025c). Resulting maths anxiety and exposure to gender-based stereotypes at home, in school and among peers can create self-fulfilling negative expectations for girls in their abilities and career aspirations in STEM (France Stratégie, 2025; IGF/IGÉSR, 2025). Further measures to promote maths skills include (i) a large-scale training programme for primary teachers; (ii) student maths clubs promoting a more playful approach to the subject; and (iii) maths hubs for secondary school teachers (‘labomath’) allowing them to develop their professional practice with peers and external partners.

Efforts to support basic skills are ongoing, with calls to focus on evaluation, pedagogical autonomy and a long-term approach. France has identified differentiation in teaching as being crucial in reducing underperformance and continues to explore strategies to implement this effectively. In the 2024/2025 school year, grouping by ability was introduced in the first two grades of lower secondary schools to strengthen basic skills. An evaluation found that although this measure reduced class size and provided additional resources in some cases, it did not achieve its main goal of reducing underperformance. This was mainly because (i) students rarely changed group throughout the school year, risking increasing performance gaps and (ii) pedagogical methods remained largely unchanged due to the rapid pace of implementing the reform. The report recommended adopting a more tailored, school-level approach with a long-term vision, making better use of the national student evaluations’ outcomes (IGÉSR, 2025a). Grouping by ability continues, but the Education Ministry has since emphasised flexibility and pedagogical autonomy in its implementation (JO, 2025). In addition, (i) as of 2025/26, revised, competence-based curricula will enter into force for all grades of primary school and the first grade of lower secondary school (MENJS, 2024) and (ii) a large-scale study was launched to identify effective pedagogical practices to support student success (MENESR, 2025b).

Despite major civic literacy gaps young people are attached to equality, voting and the environment. In the 2022 International Civic and Citizenship Education Study, 62.9% of eighth graders had sufficient civic knowledge (EU: 63.1%). French students showed some of the highest levels of support for gender equality and equal rights for migrants among countries participating in the study. The intention to vote and take environmental action were positively correlated to civic knowledge levels (DEPP, 2023; Schulz, et al., 2025).

France supports the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in teaching and learning while young people’s digital literacy could be improved. The 2023 International Computer and Information Literacy Study found that 43% of eighth graders lack basic digital skills, equal to the EU average, but well above the <15% EU target (Fraillon, 2024). In 2025, following extensive national consultation, the Education Ministry adopted a legal and ethical framework for using AI in schools (MENESR, 2025c). AI tools are available to volunteer teachers from the school year 2025/2026 on through the ‘AI Innovation Partnership’ of the ‘France 2030’ programme. These tools are developed by EdTech companies and research laboratories, tested and co-designed with teachers based on their classroom practices. AI tools will help differentiate basic skills learning in schools, expanding from first grade to all primary and lower secondary levels. The ‘PIX’ certificate will assess the AI skills of all eighth and tenth graders and offer them personalised training. An AI tool for assisting teachers with lesson preparation and evaluation is planned for 2026/2027 (next AI Innovation Partnership), supported with EUR 20 million from ‘France 2030’. Continuous professional training now includes AI. The Education Inspectorate highlighted the efforts made to ensure the consistent and reasonable use of AI while warning that AI could deepen inequality unless all teachers and students receive access to the technology and training (IGÉSR, 2025b).

Initial teacher education has been reformed to attract more people into the profession while the continuous professional development reform still needs to show its full effect. As of school year 2026/2027, the selective teacher entrance exams will take place at the end of the bachelor’s degree instead of at the end of the master’s degree. Master’s students will gain more practical experience than before as well as the status of paid probationary civil servants (MENESR, 2025d). The number of candidates taking competitive recruitment exams had been falling in the last years. Following the 2024 recruitment process, 3 000 posts remained vacant. The share of permanent teachers choosing to leave the profession, albeit limited in scale, is rising sharply (France Stratégie, 2024a). The 2022 continuous professional development reform aiming to organise training by specific local centres (écoles académiques de la formation continue) has however yet to meet its potential in covering all education levels, access and quality (OECD, 2024a). The Council of the EU, in 2025, recommended that France ‘strengthen the teaching profession, including by improving working conditions and initial and continuous training of teachers’ (Council of the EU, 2025).

4. Vocational education and training

articipation in vocational education and training (VET) has steadily increased over recent years, but employment rates lag behind the EU average. In 2023, 40.9% of pupils in medium-level education attended a VET programme, compared to 52.4% in the EU. Enrolment in upper-secondary vocational education and training increased by 2.7% in 2024/2025 compared to 2023/2024, reaching 651 000 pupils (excluding apprentices). The main reasons for this are the rising transition rates from the end of lower secondary education to vocational pathways and the decreasing drop-out rates (DEPP, 2024e)

The landscape of the apprenticeship system is evolving. While the number of apprenticeship contracts continued to rise until the end of 2024 (DARES, 2025a), it fell for the first time in early 2025 (-14% compared to 2024) since the implementation of the 2018 ‘Law for the freedom to choose one’s professional future’. As of January 2025, the government reduced hiring subsidies for apprenticeships, a measure that was initially supported under the recovery and resilience plan. Planned adjustments of the scheme include reassessing reimbursement levels for apprentice training centres and introducing a EUR 750 charge for companies hiring highly qualified apprentices. The latter is in line with an evaluation highlighting the need to better target support to those furthest from the labour market (France Stratégie, 2024b). The impact of these changes is yet to be assessed.

Continued efforts are crucial to improving the labour-market relevance of VET. Most recent VET graduates have experienced work-based learning (82.4% in 2024, well above the EU average of 65.2%). However, their employment rate (73%) is below the EU average (80% in 2024). The reform of VET schools, launched in the 2023/24 academic year, aims to increase the labour-market relevance of training and to ease the transition from upper-secondary VET to higher technological education. Efforts also include reinforced academic and career guidance programmes, co-funded by the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) in French regions, as part of a broader strategy to increase the attractiveness and accessibility of VET pathways, and to improve career prospects for graduates (Cedefop/ReferNet, 2025). In a context of skills shortages and mismatches, France added new vocational qualifications to the National Framework of Professional Qualifications (RNCP), targeting areas related to the twin transitions to better meet the demands of emerging sectors (Cedefop/ReferNet, 2023).

5. Tertiary education

More than half of young people have a higher education diploma, but almost a fifth of recent graduates are not employed. In 2024, 53.4% of 25-to-34-year-olds held a higher education diploma, significantly above the EU average (44.1%) and the EU target (45%). The gender gap is low (6.4 pps favouring women), making France one of the few countries where over half of young men hold a higher education degree (50.1% vs EU: 38.6%). Private education plays a strong role in the growth of tertiary education, as enrolment in private institutions has grown by 33.8% between 2018 and 2023, compared with 0.5% in the public sector over the same period (SIES, 2025, ch. 12). A draft law aims for tougher regulation of private, for-profit higher education to protect students from abusive practices (Assemblée nationale, 2025). Although socio-economic background plays a role in acceding to higher education, this has reduced over the years. In 2020, among 20-24-year-olds, 51.5% of students were from manual worker or employee parental background, whereas this was only 39.7% among the 40-44-year-olds (SIES, 2025, ch. 26). The employment rate of recent graduates, with 81.8% in 2024, was below the EU average (86.7%). Women had, on average, jobs with lower salaries and less stable employment conditions (SIES, 2025, ch. 15).

One in five graduates have international study experience, with a preference for shorter duration exchange programmes. In 2023, 20.4% of all higher education graduates had a learning experience abroad, well above the EU average (11.0%), but below the 23% EU target for 2030. Of this share, 16.9% went abroad for an exchange and 3.5% for a degree (EU: 6.6% and 4.4%, respectively). The top destinations of students seeking a degree abroad (114 000 in 2022) were Belgium, Canada, Switzerland, UK and Spain. Overall, more than half (53%) stayed in the EU (Campus France, 2025).

The number of international students in France continues to grow, but at a slower rate than in other top hosting countries. In 2024/2025, 12% of higher education students were from abroad (329 100 students). Of those, 51% were from African countries or the Maghreb, 22% from Asia, 18% from Europe and 8% from America (DEPP-SIES, 2025). The 2018 strategy ‘Bienvenue en France’ set the goal of 500 000 international students enrolled in 2027 (for an exchange or a degree). Between 2017 and 2022, the number of foreign students has increased by 21%, less than in other top hosting countries (between 55-60% growth in UK, Canada and Germany) (Campus France, 2025). In 2019, France had introduced higher tuition fees for foreign students. The Court of Auditors has called for a renewed international attractiveness strategy, with a stronger focus on labour-market relevant skills, higher scholarships for international students struggling financially, visa policies promoting labour-market integration as well as more support with learning French (Cour des Comptes, 2025b). In 2025, the National Assembly adopted a text abolishing the High Council for the Evaluation of Research and Higher Education (HCERES), the quality assurance agency. Although the decision is to be confirmed by another vote, it raises questions on the future of international cooperation and the recognition of French qualifications.

6. Adult skills and learning

Despite continued efforts, France’s progress towards its goal of having 65% of adults participating in education and training by 2030 remains limited. In 2022, 49.2% of adults participated in training, above the EU average (39.5%), but representing only a modest improvement since 2016 (48.4%). Access to training remains unequal, depending on employment status and education level. In 2022, 56.3% of employees participated in training (EU: 44.3%), compared to only 43.2% of unemployed individuals (EU: 28.7%). In 2022, adults with lower qualifications are less likely to benefit from training, with only 23.6% participating (EU: 18.4%), while participation among highly qualified individuals was significantly higher (68.7% vs 58.9% in the EU). Lower-qualified adults are also less likely to enrol in training leading to a qualification, which can improve employment outcomes (DARES, 2025b; IGAS, 2024). The 2023 PIAAC study showed that more than one in five adults lack basic literacy and numeracy skills, slightly above the EU average (OECD, 2024b) (see Figure 2). In 2023, 59.7% of adults had at least basic digital skills, above the EU average (55.6%), but showing a decline since 2021 when it was 61.9%.

France’s skills policy aligns well with the objectives of the Union of Skills, but the effectiveness of current measures could be further improved. Substantial investments are made in skills forecasting and in up- and re-skilling initiatives, notably through the Skills Investment Plan (Plan d’investissement dans les compétences, PIC). However, evaluations of the PIC indicate that between 2018 and 2023, only one in four training programmes targeted a priority sector (ICT, health, construction, green transition) and participation of lower-qualified individuals stagnated at around 52% (DARES, 2025b). Between 2019 and 2022, the number of training programmes in sectors with labour shortages even fell by 12% (Cour des Comptes, 2025c). The European Union’s Technical Support Instrument helps France to implement a roadmap for employment and training policies in areas related to the green transition. Efforts also focus on the transferability and visibility of skills, including through the validation of prior learning. Implementing the Council Recommendation on micro-credentials could further support these efforts. France continues to be very advanced in implementing individual learning accounts, with its ‘Compte Personnel de Formation’.

French skills development policy could benefit from new reforms and initiatives if sufficient funding is provided. In 2025, the Qualiopi certification system for training programmes will be reformed to improve quality and to combat fraud, with a stricter label becoming operational in 2026. Currently, 34% of training organisations are Qualiopi-certified while the new label is expected to make the audit criteria and evaluation indicators more precise and stringent for training organisations. In addition, the Full Employment Law (2023) came into effect in January 2025 and could encourage greater training participation among jobseekers. However, its actual impact remains to be seen, as budget cuts for 2026 may hinder France’s up-and re-skilling efforts.