Up to 500 Schools Close in France as Students Demand Better Conditions

Up to 500 secondary schools across France are expected to be fully or partially closed on Monday as a nationwide student protest movement over school conditions continues to disrupt education and fuel clashes with police.

Education Minister Édouard Geffray said on Sunday that between 400 and 500 high schools would suspend classes because security conditions could not be guaranteed. He said the closures were mainly a precaution ahead of further demonstrations planned for Tuesday.

The protests began in the Paris region in September before spreading to cities across the country. Students have complained about teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms, long school days, inadequate resources and deteriorating school buildings.

The movement has increasingly been accompanied by clashes, fires and damage to public property. Geffray said 24 schools had been burned or ransacked since the protests began, while 78 education staff had been injured.

The education ministry said the number of affected schools on Monday would be similar to Friday, when between 400 and 500 institutions suspended classes. The ministry has also allowed some schools affected by blockades or damage to conduct lessons remotely where necessary.

The unrest has produced a heavy police response. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said nearly 5,000 people had been arrested since Monday, with most of those detained being teenagers. Hundreds of people, including students and police officers, have also been injured during the unrest.

Some of the demonstrations have involved students blocking school entrances, setting rubbish bins and other objects on fire and confronting riot police. Authorities have also reported fires at school buildings and attacks on education workers.

The government has sought to separate the students’ educational demands from the violence surrounding some demonstrations. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has called for attention to students’ concerns while also taking a tougher position on damage and attacks.

Lecornu said the government would accelerate consideration of legislation intended to make people responsible for property damage bear the cost of repairs. He also said the government supported students and education workers who had been attacked, as well as police and gendarmes injured during the unrest.

The protests are unfolding as France prepares its 2027 budget and heads toward next year’s presidential election. Reuters reported that the government’s proposed education budget would rise by 1.7% to €65.53 billion, excluding teacher pensions, although students and their supporters argue that years of underinvestment have contributed to deteriorating conditions.

The protests have also acquired a political dimension. France Unbowed leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon and other figures on the left have expressed support for the students, while government officials and political opponents have accused the movement of being politically exploited. France Unbowed lawmakers have rejected allegations that they organised the protests.

Student groups are planning another major mobilisation on Tuesday, while a major trade-union demonstration is also expected. Authorities are therefore preparing for further disruption after Monday’s partial or complete school closures.

For now, the government faces the challenge of restoring normal classes while responding to demands from students for more teachers, better facilities and improved learning conditions and containing the violence that has accompanied parts of the movement.