France school holidays 2026-27: Key dates for parents
The holidays are staggered between three academic zones
School holidays in France are staggered between three academic zones, with the 2026-27 calendar now set. Here are the dates parents need to know.
The 2026-27 school year begins on Tuesday, September 1 across mainland France, with the exception of Corsica, where pupils return on Thursday, September 3.
Which zone is my school in?
France divides mainland schools into three academic zones to spread holiday periods and avoid concentrating travel and tourism at the same time.
Zone A: Besançon, Bordeaux, Clermont-Ferrand, Dijon, Grenoble, Limoges, Lyon and Poitiers.
Zone B: Aix-Marseille, Amiens, Lille, Nancy-Metz, Nantes, Nice, Normandy, Orléans-Tours, Reims, Rennes and Strasbourg.
Zone C: Créteil, Montpellier, Paris, Toulouse and Versailles.
Corsica has its own calendar, although several holiday periods follow Zone A.
The dates above apply to schools in mainland France and Corsica. Overseas territories have separate school calendars.
For the full calendar, including individual dates by zone, see the official Service-Public.fr school holiday calendar.
