Thousands of high school students have blockaded campuses across France to protest teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms and deteriorating facilities. The movement has disrupted more than 1,200 schools and led to clashes with police, according to Reuters.
More than a third of France’s roughly 3,700 high schools were closed or disrupted Thursday, and more than 400 were closed Friday, Education Minister Édouard Geffray said. Officials said dozens of people have been injured and thousands arrested since the demonstrations began late last month, with many of those detained minors.
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The protests began in working-class communities near Paris, including Aubervilliers and the Seine-Saint-Denis department, before spreading nationwide. Students, parents and unions say schools are contending with unfilled jobs, inadequate buildings, crowded classes, demanding schedules and years of insufficient investment. The unrest comes as the government seeks passage of a 2027 budget and France prepares for a presidential election next year. The proposal would raise education spending by 1.7%. The government says education remains a priority and has attributed the limited increase in part to declining student enrollment, Reuters reported.
Students hold a sign reading “Stop budget cuts” as they protest against under-resourced schools in front of a high school blockade, in Lyon, France, Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani) 
Policemen stand in front of burning garbage as they face students during a protest against under-resourced schools, in Paris, Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard) 
Students face policemen during a protest against under-resourced schools, in Paris, Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard) 
Policemen stand in front of burning garbage as they face students during a protest against under-resourced schools, in Paris, Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard) 
Firefighters extinguish a fire as students protest against under-resourced schools in Lyon, France, Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)
A teachers union says about two-thirds of schools in Seine-Saint-Denis have vacant teaching positions. Students in poorer suburbs also argue that a child’s address should not determine the quality of education available to them, while teachers and researchers say schools have assumed more responsibilities even as per-student funding has remained roughly flat over the past decade, Reuters reported.
Teachers’ unions and some political figures have joined the protests. Sophie Vénétitay, the leader of a teachers union taking part in the demonstrations, blamed President Emmanuel Macron’s government for what she called a decade of decline.
“The public education system is in a catastrophic state after 10 years of Emmanuel Macron,” she told The New York Times during a march. “It is lacking everything.”
Government officials have said some student grievances are legitimate but condemned what they described as urban violence. They have also accused the far-left France Unbowed party of encouraging the unrest, an allegation the party denies. Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said he directed prosecutors to pursue criminal charges where possible and to hold parents responsible for damage.
Geffray said the government would abandon a plan to raise some higher education registration fees, reform school governance to give students a greater voice and develop measures to address teacher shortages. Student leaders said the steps were insufficient.
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