Lycée (High school) in France

Quick takeaways

Lycée (High School) in Limoux, France — originally an all-boys school; a historic but well-maintained building, like so many in France.

Yesterday I was lucky to visit a high school in France. I will keep to myself the name and location, and sadly no pictures, as it’s very difficult these days to get into a French school with the current political climate and heightened terrorist threats, but I would love to share a few quick takeaways:

• Schedule: much more like college than our schedule in the USA (students have some classes MWF and others T/Th. They have free periods during the day that they are trusted to fill in a responsible manner on or off campus, starting at age 14!
• Freedom/Autonomy: The level of freedom and autonomy available to students is also extended to teachers, who are only expected to physically be present in the building during the periods they teach. If your schedule ends at noon on Friday (or happens to be Monday-heavy, excluding classes on Fridays) lucky you! Enjoy!
• Course Offerings and Exams: I learned that the IB (International Baccalaureate) program is designed after the French “National Baccalaureate” education system. Students study a wide variety of “baccs” (tracks? Subjects?) in the areas of literature, science, math, technology, and possibly “professional” (vocational) areas, specializing in one area after the first year of lycée (high school). All of their high school career builds up to taking their “Baccs” examinations at the end of their time at the school and their performance on those exams determine, to a large extent, what they go on to study. University is highly subsidized (less than 500 euros per year) and it is seen as a right for all to go, but, as it is merit-based, very few make it/survive (e.g. Perhaps 2,000 law students will begin but eventually become a cohort of 200 due to fierce competition along the way). Biggest standout of secondary course offerings was philosophy — every senior takes this course and learns to think, argue, and articulate multiple perspectives to high level issues and societal problems. Pretty amazing!

There is SO much more to say but for now I need to wrap up and get ready for today’s “college” (middle school/junior high) school visit! Then tomorrow will be primary. I feel so fortunate to get this glimpse of the French education system before moving on to Spain on Thursday!