What is the average number of pupils in a French state school class – and how does it compare with the UK and US?

The average number of pupils in French state school classes has fallen for nine consecutive years, helped by government measures to reduce class sizes and a falling school-age population.

At the start of the 2025 school year, state primary schools had an average of 21.3 pupils per maternelle class (ages 3-5) and 20.7 per elementary class (ages 6-10), according to education ministry figures.

This compares with 24.5 and 23.1 respectively in 2015.

France has no general maximum class size. However, since 2020, the government has aimed to limit classes containing grande section (ages 5-6), CP (ages 6-7) and CE1 (ages 7-8) pupils to 24.

The target was close to being achieved in 2025: 86% of classes containing grande section pupils had 24 or fewer pupils, rising to 95% for CP and 92% for CE1.

Classes in priority education areas can be considerably smaller following the government’s class-splitting measures.

In those schools selected for particular attention, as part of the Réseau d’éducation prioritaire renforcé (REP+), the average CP class had just 12.8 pupils in 2025.

There are nevertheless significant differences across France. Some 11% of state primary classes had more than 25 pupils in 2025.

Private schools under contract tend to have larger classes, averaging 24.8 pupils in maternelle and 24.2 in elementary education.

The decline in pupil numbers is also playing a role. Between 2015 and 2025, state schools outside priority education lost almost 500,000 pupils in rural and urban areas combined, while the number of classes fell less quickly.

How does France compare with the UK and US?

The latest internationally comparable OECD figures, based on 2023 data, put the average primary class size at 21.6 pupils in France, 26 in the UK and 20.1 in the US. The OECD average was 20.6.

These figures differ slightly from the latest French figures because the OECD uses an international methodology and its figures cover primary education in both public and private schools.

The OECD figures therefore show the UK with significantly larger primary classes than France, while US classes are slightly smaller.

Falling pupil numbers

Mustafa Ozcelik, vice-president of parents’ association FCPE, told The Connexion that the falling population presented a choice between reducing costs and improving schools.

“We can view population decline in two ways: it allows either for smaller classes that cater to students, or for the budget to be reduced. What we are actually seeing is more of the latter,” he said.

“There were more than four thousand jobs cut in France’s Education Nationale last year alone.

“Instead of that, we should be using the falling population to make our school more efficient.”

Rural schools

Mr Ozcelik said national averages also disguise significant differences between urban and rural areas.

“But the average does not tell the whole story. It mirrors the problem of medical deserts: classes tend to be bigger in towns than in rural areas,” he said.

Education ministry figures show that public schools outside priority education in rural areas had an average of 21.4 pupils per maternelle class (ages 3-5) in 2025, down from 23.6 in 2015. For elementary classes (ages 6-10), the average fell from 22.6 to 21.0.

However, falling pupil numbers can also threaten the viability of rural schools.

“The falling population in rural areas can also lead to classes being closed, and children having to go to schools in other communes,” Mr Ozcelik said.