French Teenagers Blockade High Schools in Major Protests Over Inequality and Poor Infrastructure

Hundreds of French high schools have been barricaded by teenagers and forced to close as part of the biggest youth protest movement in decades over the state of French lycees, where 15- to 18-year-olds are studied. The protests have seen hundreds of people injured in clashes with police. Students state the education system suffers from deep inequality, ruined buildings, oversized classes, and a shortage of teachers and funding. The French prime minister has promised to address complaints he called legitimate, including issues on class sizes, long school hours, damaged buildings, and teacher provisions. Data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development shows a child born in a deprived neighbourhood in France has less chance of escaping their background than in most other developed nations, with a marked performance gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students. Teachers and sociologists note children are often segregated by background, postcode, and income. Many school buildings, particularly from the 1960s, are in disrepair with leaking roofs, holes in walls, broken toilets, and temperatures exceeding 35C during heatwaves, prompting regional authorities to ask for higher budgets from the government. Class sizes average 29 students in French language lessons compared to an OECD average of 26, with urban high schools seeing classes of 36 pupils or more. Students also face long school days running from 8am to 6pm over 36 weeks a year, and the education ministry has acknowledged that about 10% of teaching hours are not delivered across the year due to unreplaced absent teachers. While France spends 28% more than the OECD average on upper secondary education, analysts question how money is spent, noting that teacher salaries are comparatively low.

Context

These widespread protests reflect long-standing structural pressures within European public services, where aging infrastructure meets changing demographics and tighter budgets. The demands raised by French students highlight the ongoing challenges governments face in balancing heavy instructional hours with adequate staff numbers and modern facilities.