Hundreds of schools to be totally or partly closed as protests rock France

5 OCTOBER 2026

Up to 500 schools across France will be totally or partly closed on 5^th October 2026, because of a wave of student protests that has shaken the country, the Education Minister said.
24 schools had been “burned or ransacked” since the start of the movement.
He described the closures as chiefly a security precaution ahead of large-scale protests that the leaders of the movement have called for.
The teenagers at French high schools, known as lycees, say that their studies are being ruined by high teacher absence rates, overlong school days and dilapidated facilities, as well as other grievances.
The movement began at a Paris school on September 17 but grew into nationwide protests marked in places by outbursts of violence involving teenagers and security forces, which have used tear gas and truncheons (lathis) against the students.
In a bid to address the protesters’ concerns, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu set out a timetable on Sunday urging local authorities to prioritise filling gaps left by long-term absences and unfilled posts.
He also called a meeting with regional presidents to discuss overhauling the country’s often-dilapidated school buildings.
Over 5,000 people, 85% of them minors, have been arrested since the start of the movement.
Critics have accused the police of using heavy-handed tactics against children.