Since 2020, the EASIE data collection has taken place annually. Before 2020, it took place every two years. The default view below is the most recent school year available.

The data is presented in tables, focusing on different aspects of inclusive education. Unless stated otherwise in the notes, the data displayed is from the selected school year.

Click on the icon in the data tables to open a pop-up window containing the data sources and notes.

The Country Report presents the indicator tables, which are generated from the data in the data tables. The HTML versions of the Country Reports on the webpage are accessible; the PDF downloads are automatically generated and may not be fully accessible. To view the Country Report, click the 'View Country Report' button below.

Where data is not displayed, the following reasons have been given: 

  • Data tables – ‘M’ for missing data, ‘NA’ where data is not applicable
  • Indicator tables – ‘NC’ where indicators cannot be calculated.

The ‘Background Information’ questionnaires are completed to give context to the data in the data tables. You can download the background information for 2016/2017 datasets as a PDF. For all other datasets, use the drop-down menu below.

View Country Report

2022/2023 Data:

Question ISCED 02 ISCED 1 ISCED 2 ISCED 3
Boys: Girls: Total: Boys: Girls: Total: Boys: Girls: Total: Boys: Girls: Total:
1.1 Actual population of children/learners in the typical ISCED age ranges
1,128,137
1,075,118
2,203,255
1.1
2,073,970
1,982,684
4,056,654
1.2
1,763,945
1,677,408
3,441,353
1.3
1,325,501
1,256,571
2,582,072
1.4
1.2 All children/learners enrolled in any form of recognised education
1,189,408
1,136,644
2,326,052
2.1
2,113,459
2,015,253
4,128,712
2.2
1,742,287
1,671,861
3,414,148
2.3
1,112,115
1,131,377
2,243,492
2.4
1.3 All children/learners enrolled in mainstream (pre-)schools
1,182,335
1,132,558
2,314,893
3.1
2,099,746
2,008,152
4,107,898
3.2
1,740,474
1,670,966
3,411,440
3.3
1,111,504
1,130,899
2,242,403
3.4
1.3a All children/learners educated with their peers in mainstream groups/classes for 80% or more of the time
1,181,861
1,132,336
2,314,197
4.1
2,063,962
1,990,022
4,053,984
4.2
1,646,771
1,613,215
3,259,986
4.3
1,100,819
1,125,305
2,226,124
4.4
1.3b All children/learners educated in separate groups/classes, spending less than 80% of the time with their peers in mainstream groups/classes
474
222
696
5.1
35,784
18,130
53,914
5.2
93,703
57,751
151,454
5.3
10,685
5,594
16,279
5.4
1.4 All children/learners educated outside of mainstream (pre-)schools
7,073
4,086
11,159
6.1
13,713
7,101
20,814
6.2
1,813
895
2,708
6.3
611
478
1,089
6.4
1.4a All children/learners educated in separate special (pre-)schools or units organised by the ministry of education
NA
NA
NA
7.1
NA
NA
NA
7.2
NA
NA
NA
7.3
NA
NA
NA
7.4
1.4b All children/learners educated in separate special (pre-)schools or units organised by other sectors/ministries
7,073
4,086
11,159
8.1
13,713
7,101
20,814
8.2
1,813
895
2,708
8.3
611
478
1,089
8.4
1.4c All children/learners educated in other recognised forms of alternative education
NA
NA
NA
9.1
NA
NA
NA
9.2
NA
NA
NA
9.3
NA
NA
NA
9.4
1.4d All children/learners educated in recognised forms of home schooling
M
M
M
10.1
M
M
M
10.2
M
M
M
10.3
M
M
M
10.4
1.5 All children/learners who should, by law, be in some form of recognised education, but who are out of any form of recognised education.
M
M
M
11.1
M
M
M
11.2
M
M
M
11.3
M
M
M
11.4
Question ISCED 02 ISCED 1 ISCED 2 ISCED 3
Boys: Girls: Total: Boys: Girls: Total: Boys: Girls: Total: Boys: Girls: Total:
2.1 Actual population of children/learners with an official decision of SEN in the typical ISCED age ranges
23,660
8,820
32,480
1.1
128,897
52,015
180,912
1.2
133,773
57,697
191,470
1.3
53,944
25,058
79,002
1.4
2.2 All children/learners with an official decision of SEN in any recognised form of education
47,154
20,780
67,934
2.1
150,210
63,978
214,188
2.2
118,647
49,639
168,286
2.3
36,204
15,649
51,853
2.4
2.3 All children/learners with an official decision of SEN educated in mainstream (pre-)schools
33,000
12,697
45,697
3.1
125,544
51,306
176,850
3.2
115,406
48,230
163,636
3.3
35,030
14,867
49,897
3.4
2.3a All children/learners with an official decision of SEN educated with their peers in mainstream groups/classes for 80% or more of the time
32,526
12,475
45,001
4.1
89,760
33,176
122,936
4.2
72,774
25,810
98,584
4.3
28,134
10,915
39,049
4.4
2.3b All children/learners with an official decision of SEN educated in separate groups/classes, spending less than 80% of the time with their peers in mainstream groups/classes
474
222
696
5.1
35,784
18,130
53,914
5.2
42,632
22,420
65,052
5.3
6,896
3,952
10,848
5.4
2.4 All children/learners with an official decision of SEN educated outside of mainstream (pre-)schools
14,154
8,083
22,237
6.1
24,666
12,672
37,338
6.2
3,241
1,409
4,650
6.3
1,174
782
1,956
6.4
2.4a All children/learners with an official decision of SEN?educated in separate special (pre-)schools or units organised by the ministry of education
NA
NA
NA
7.1
NA
NA
NA
7.2
NA
NA
NA
7.3
NA
NA
NA
7.4
2.4b All children/learners with an official decision of SEN?educated in separate special (pre-)schools or units organised by other sectors/ministries
14,105
8,067
22,172
8.1
24,567
12,637
37,204
8.2
3,012
1,329
4,341
8.3
1,082
736
1,818
8.4
2.4c All children/learners with an official decision of SEN educated in other recognised forms of alternative education
NA
NA
NA
9.1
NA
NA
NA
9.2
NA
NA
NA
9.3
NA
NA
NA
9.4
2.4d All children/learners with an official decision of SEN educated in recognised forms of home schooling
49
16
65
10.1
99
35
134
10.2
229
80
309
10.3
92
46
138
10.4
2.5 All children/learners with an official decision of SEN who should, by law, be in some form of recognised education, but who are out of any form of recognised education
M
M
M
11.1
M
M
M
11.2
M
M
M
11.3
M
M
M
11.4

France - Country Background Information

Describing the forms of education in the country

The EASIE data collection covers all recognised forms of education at ISCED levels 02, 1, 2 and 3.

This means any type of education organised by or approved by any recognised educational provider in the public or private sector: municipality, local or regional educational provider from the public or private sector, working with/for ministries responsible for education and areas such as health, social, welfare, labour, justice, etc.

What is the compulsory education age range in the country?

Since the start of the 2019 school year, education is compulsory for all children, French and foreign, aged 3–16 (article L131-1 of the Education Code). Compulsory education is provided in public or private schools. It may also be provided within the family.

Since the start of the 2020 school year, training is compulsory for young people aged 16 to 18 (Article L 114-1 of the Education Code). Young minors who have dropped out of school without any qualifications and those who graduated and are not in employment, education, or training will be obliged to take training.

Upcoming changes: starting in the 2021–2022 school year, home schooling will be provided by way of derogation only.

What are the typical age ranges for the ISCED levels?

ISCED LEVEL 02 ISCED LEVEL 1 ISCED LEVEL 2 ISCED LEVEL 3
3-5 6-10 11-14 15-17
Is private sector education covered by the data provided for the country?
Yes

Most private schools are financed by public funds. They are placed under the authority of the Ministry of National Education. Education is provided in accordance with the rules and school curricula of the national education system.

Is recognised public or private education organised by sectors other than education (i.e. health, social, welfare, labour, justice, etc.) in the data provided for the country?
Yes

When deemed necessary, children with a disability and ill children can be schooled in separate special schools or units placed under the authority of the Ministry of Health. Such schools or units can be public or non-profit organisations, but most of the teachers in those schools are paid by and answerable to the Ministry of Education.

The Ministry of Agriculture also provides vocational education at the lower- and upper-secondary levels.

Are there recognised forms of alternative education covered by the data provided for the country?
No
Are there recognised forms of home schooling covered by the data provided for the country?
Yes

If parents provide home education, children are not taken into account in the statistics. If children at home follow correspondence courses with the CNED (Centre national d'enseignement à distance, French national centre for distance learning), they are part of the annual survey. Disaggregated data on children in a recognised form of distance learning are only available for children with a disability.

Identifying an ‘inclusive setting’ in the country

In the EASIE data collection, an inclusive setting is operationally defined as:

A recognised form of education where the child/learner follows education in mainstream classes alongside their peers for the largest part – 80% or more – of the school week.

The 80% time placement benchmark clearly indicates that a child/learner is educated in a mainstream class for the majority of their school week. At the same time, it acknowledges possibilities for small group or one-to-one withdrawal for limited periods of time (i.e. 20% or one day a week).

Very few participating countries can provide exact data on children/learners spending 80% of their time in a mainstream group/class. However, all countries can apply one of three agreed proxies that provide an approximation to this benchmark:

  • Placement in a mainstream class implies over 80% or more
  • Data is available on the number of hours of support allocated to a child/learner
  • Placement in a mainstream class implies over 50% or more.
Are you able to provide actual data to verify the 80% placement benchmark?
No
If no, which proxy are you using
Placement in a mainstream class implies 80% or more
What an ‘official decision of SEN’ means in the country

In the EASIE data collection, the agreed operational definition is:

An official decision leads to a child/learner being recognised as eligible for additional educational support to meet their learning needs.

Countries may have different types of official decision, but for all official decisions:

  • There has been some form of educational assessment procedure involving different people. This procedure may involve the child/learner, parents, school-based team members, as well as professionals from multi-disciplinary teams from outside the child’s/learner’s (pre-)school.
  • There is some form of legal document (plan/programme, etc.) that describes the support the child/learner is eligible to receive, which is used as the basis for decision-making.
  • There is some form of regular review process of the child/learner’s needs, progress and support.
Please describe what an ‘official decision’ is in the country.

Data on learners with an official decision of SEN relate to learners with a disability (learners with a personalised schooling project). According to Law 2005-102 of 11 February 2005

on equal rights and opportunities:

‘A disability is any limitation of activity or restriction of participation in society suffered by a person in his/her environment due to a substantial, lasting or permanent impairment of one or more physical, sensory, mental, cognitive or psychological functions, a multiple disability or a disabling health disorder.’

Decree No. 2005-1752 of 30 December 2005 determines the training plan for learners with disabilities. It presents the various modes of schooling for learners with disabilities, emphasising that the mainstream curriculum must always be the reference for building their school career. Learners with disabilities are enrolled in mainstream educational settings as a priority. The settings may be public or private, depending on the parents’ choice. The law also provides for education options in specialised settings for a given time or for the whole education process, and various arrangements such as help from external support services.

There are different types of special needs other than disability (PAP, PPRE, PAI) but there is currently no data on those learners. 

What educational assessment procedures are carried out and who is involved?

If learners with SEN have (or potentially have) a disability, their family approaches the département-based centres for people with disabilities (Maison Départementale des Personnes Handicapées (MDPH), one for each French département).

A multi-disciplinary team of the MDPH evaluates the child’s educational needs, proposes annual goals and determines syllabus modifications, examination accommodations. It also notifies schooling modalities (i.e. schooling in a mainstream class, schooling with the support of a ULIS facility, schooling in a special unit or school organised by the Ministry of Health, etc.), human help and external support provision to meet the child’s/learner’s needs.

This results in a personalised schooling project, which considers the wishes of the child/learner and their parents.

The multi-disciplinary team’s external members include one or several doctors, a psychologist, an occupational therapist, a nurse and a school social worker. In some cases, it may call on experts, either at its own initiative or at the parents’ request. Its internal members include a reference teacher, an occupational integration instructor and a primary or secondary teacher, according to the level of the child/learner.

What legal documents (plans, programmes, etc.) that describe the support a child/learner is eligible to receive are linked to an official decision?

The MDPH multidisciplinary assessment team generates a personalised schooling project (projet personnalisé de scolarisation

, PPS). The project is conceived according to the learner’s needs and proficiency and their family’s opinion on implementing:

  • Pedagogical adaptations (differentiation/adaptation of the curriculum)
  • Assessment accommodations (e.g. extra time)
  • Assistive technology
  • Human help from a support assistant (accompagnant d'élèves en situation de handicap – AESH) who provides individual help to learners with an official decision of SEN in mainstream education.

If necessary, specific arrangements – including help from external support services – can be organised (e.g. speech therapists).

An implementation document is generated to summarise all adaptations notified by the MDPH (e.g. PPS implementation document for primary school learners

).

What formal, regular review processes of a child/learner’s needs, progress and support are linked to an official decision?

The education monitoring team meets at least once a year to assess the PPS and its implementation. This evaluation makes it possible to measure the adequacy of the means implemented to meet the learner’s needs. In both mainstream and special education, the school head teacher and any health professional supporting the child’s schooling can participate in the education monitoring team. The team includes the children or their parents, as well as the learner’s referent teacher responsible for implementing the PPS.

What ‘out-of-education’ means in the country

Within the EASIE data collection, specific questions examine children/learners who are out of education. This means children/learners who should, by law, be in some form of recognised education, but who are out of any form of recognised education. A recognised form of education is any type of education organised by or approved by any recognised educational provider in the public or private sector.

Is there a formal definition of ‘out-of-education’ in the country?
No
Please describe which learners are considered ‘out-of-education’ in the country

Children out of any form of education provision. No data is collected/available on out-of-education children.

Please describe any specific country issues you think are relevant for understanding the data you have provided

An inclusive setting is defined in France when a child/learner is enrolled in a mainstream class in a mainstream school (schools organised by the Ministry of Education. 

For now, no indicator allows us to track the inclusion time of learners enrolled with specific support (ULIS, UEEA), but we are working on it for the start of the 2026 school year.

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