Students demanding better classrooms, more staff and manageable schedules have blockaded schools as clashes and arrests intensify across France.
PARIS, FRANCE — A rapidly spreading protest movement by French high school students has closed hundreds of schools, brought teenagers into clashes with riot police and put new pressure on President Emmanuel Macron’s government over conditions in the nation’s education system.
The demonstrations began in the Paris region in September and quickly spread across France, driven by complaints about teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms, deteriorating buildings and long school days. Students have blocked entrances and staged demonstrations, while some protests have been accompanied by fires, property damage and confrontations with police. Authorities said more than 5,000 people were arrested during the past week, with Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez saying most were teenagers.
The movement traces its beginnings to the Saint-Exupéry high school in Créteil, southeast of Paris, where teachers and students protested unfilled staff positions. The unrest then reached other Paris suburbs and communities across the country. By Thursday, more than 1,000 high schools had experienced strikes or protests, according to figures reported by Le Monde from the Education Ministry. On Friday, about 400 high schools remained closed because of the unrest, Reuters reported.
Students say the protests reflect problems that extend beyond individual schools. Complaints include classes with too many students, missing teachers and support staff, damaged facilities, inadequate equipment and schedules that can keep teenagers at school from early morning until late afternoon. Some students have also criticized Parcoursup, France’s national university admissions platform, describing the process as another source of pressure and uncertainty.
Conditions inside aging school buildings have become another focus. Students have described classrooms that become extremely hot during summer heat waves and buildings with leaks, damaged furniture and other maintenance problems. At a protest in Pantin outside Paris, a 15-year-old student told Reuters that some classes had 35 students and not enough chairs. The student also complained that a one-hour lunch period was too short for everyone to get food.
The unrest has increasingly been overshadowed by violence around some demonstrations. Riot police have used tear gas as protesters threw objects and fireworks, and fires have been set outside some schools. Reuters reported confrontations in cities including Strasbourg, Marseille, Rennes and Pantin. Education Minister Édouard Geffray said 65 education employees had been injured during the unrest, including 40 headteachers. More than 170 students have also been injured, according to figures cited by The Associated Press.
The police response has itself become part of the dispute. Rights groups have accused officers of using excessive force against minors, including batons, tear gas and less-lethal projectiles. French authorities have opened investigations into several allegations involving police conduct. One investigation concerns a 16-year-old who suffered an eye injury after police fired projectiles into a crowd, according to Reuters. Authorities have not concluded those investigations.
The government has said students may have legitimate complaints while drawing a distinction between demonstrations and violence. Officials have described some incidents as “urban violence” and accused people outside the student movement of exploiting the unrest. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu called a crisis meeting as the disturbances spread, while Geffray urged parents to discourage their children from joining protests that could become dangerous.
The protests have also become entangled in French politics. Officials have accused the far-left France Unbowed party of encouraging the movement, an allegation party leaders reject. France Unbowed leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon has publicly backed students’ demands while saying protests should remain nonviolent. He has also criticized police tactics. His political opponents, meanwhile, have accused the party of trying to use the unrest for electoral advantage ahead of France’s 2027 presidential election.
The dispute comes as the government prepares its 2027 budget. The proposed education budget would rise 1.7% to about 65.5 billion euros, excluding teacher pensions, Reuters reported. That increase would be below inflation. Education has traditionally been one of the French government’s largest spending areas, though projected debt-servicing costs are expected to exceed education spending next year.
The movement now faces another test after a weekend lull. Labor unions have called for teachers and other workers to demonstrate Tuesday, creating the possibility that the high school protests could converge with wider labor unrest. Students have signaled that their demands for more staff, improved facilities and better learning conditions remain unresolved, while the government faces pressure to keep schools operating and prevent further violence.
Author note: Last updated Oct. 4, 2026.