CultureFrench School Holidays

In France there are five school holiday periods, Toussaint (All Saints Day), Noël (Christmas), Hiver (Winter), Printemps (Easter) and Été (Summer).
Generally speaking the school year runs from September 2nd to the 2nd or 3rd of July. All public schools are on a four day week, no school on Wednesdays.

For All Saints Day, Christmas and summer, all schools in France go on vacation at the same time. But for winter and Easter vacations, not all schools have the same schedule. The country is divided into three educational zones - A, B and C. Each zone will start its vacation on a different week. Normally one zone starts, then a week later another, then a week after that the last zone starts. Winter and Easter vacations last two weeks.

French School Zones:

Zone A includes - Caen, Clermont-Ferrand, Grenoble, Lyon, Montpellier, Nancy, Metz, Nantes, Rennes and Toulouse.

Zone B includes - Amiens, Aix en Provence, Marseille Besançon, Dijon, Lille, Limoges, Nice, Orléans, Tours, Poitiers, Reims, Rouen and Strasbourg.

Zone C includes - Bordeaux, Créteil, Paris and Versailles.

French school holiday schedule (K - 12) for the 2009/2010 school year.

French school holiday schedule (K - 12) for the 2008/2009 school year.

French school holiday schedule (K - 12) for the 2007/2008 school year.

French school holiday schedule (K - 12) for the 2006/2007 school year.

French school holiday schedule (K - 12) for the 2005/2006 school year.

French school holiday schedule (K - 12) for the 2004/2005 school year.

French school holiday schedule (K - 12) for the 2003/2004 school year.