France vs New Zealand (Comparing Education Systems 2026)

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This page compares the education systems of France and New Zealand.

Education System Overview

France and New Zealand education system comparison: Education System Overview
Category	France	New Zealand
System Type	Public-private mix; Governance model: Centralized, with national rules for curricula, qualifications and teacher recruitment, while regions, departments and municipalities manage responsibilities such as buildings, equipment and local services. [French Ministry]	Public/private mix; mixed governance. National legislation, funding and curriculum settings are combined with governance by individual state-school boards. [Ministry of Education]
Governing Body	Ministry of National Education for school education and the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Space for tertiary education.	Ministry of Education; Education Review Office (ERO); New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA); Tertiary Education Commission (TEC). From 1 September 2026, ERO regulates early childhood education licensing and certification, private-school registration and school-hostel licensing, while the Ministry retains state-school regulation, policy, funding and curriculum responsibilities. [Ministry of Education]
Government Expenditure on Education (% of GDP)	5.32% of GDP (2022, latest available value for general government expenditure on education). [World Bank]	5.2% (2023). [World Bank]

Education Structure & Compulsory Schooling

France and New Zealand education system comparison: Education Structure & Compulsory Schooling
Category	France	New Zealand
Compulsory Age Range	From age 3 to age 16. A separate training obligation applies from ages 16 to 18 and can be fulfilled through schooling, vocational training, employment, civic service or an approved support pathway. [Éduscol]	6 to 16 years. Most children begin school at age 5. [Ministry of Education]
Total Compulsory Duration (Years)	13 years of compulsory instruction (ages 3–16), followed by the separate training obligation through age 18.	10 years. [Ministry of Education]
Pre-primary Education (ECE) Access	Compulsory from age 3. In 2024, the schooling rate was 98.5% at age 3 and 100% at ages 4 and 5. [French Ministry]	Optional. In 2025, 77% of 3-year-olds and 83% of 4-year-olds attended ECE for at least 10 hours per week; 96.8% of children participated in ECE during the six months before starting school. [Education Counts]
Primary + Secondary Education Structure (Years)	5 + 4 + 3 (Primary + Lower Secondary/Collège + Upper Secondary/Lycée). Pre-primary education normally adds three years before primary school. [French Ministry]	8 + 5 years: Years 1–8 primary/intermediate and Years 9–13 secondary, across 13 school year levels. [Ministry of Education]
Vocational vs. General Upper Secondary Split (%)	Approximately 29.3% Vocational / 70.7% General & Technological among lycée students in 2025, based on 661,600 vocational and 1,599,400 general and technological students. [French Ministry]	—

Academic Calendar & Instruction Time

France and New Zealand education system comparison: Academic Calendar & Instruction Time
Category	France	New Zealand
Academic Year Start (Typical Month)	September. [French Ministry]	February; for 2026, Term 1 could begin between 26 January and 9 February. [Ministry of Education]
Academic Year End (Typical Month)	July. [French Ministry]	December; schools in 2026 must finish no later than 18 December. [Ministry of Education]
Instruction Weeks per Year	36 weeks. [Légifrance]	—
Instruction Days per Year	—	—

Grading System

France and New Zealand education system comparison: Grading System
Category	France	New Zealand
Primary/Secondary Grading Scale	The 0–20 scale is widely used in secondary education, while competency-based assessment is also used, particularly during compulsory schooling.	No single national numerical grading scale applies across Years 1–13. NCEA achievement standards use Not Achieved (N), Achieved (A), Merit (M), Excellence (E). [NZQA]
Higher Education Grading Scale	Commonly 0–20, with 10/20 generally representing a passing mark; higher education programs use ECTS credits within the LMD degree structure. [Campus France]	—

Language of Instruction

France and New Zealand education system comparison: Language of Instruction
Category	France	New Zealand
Primary Instruction Languages (K–12)	French	English; te reo Māori in Māori-medium education. Māori-medium education enrolled 28,382 students, or 3.3% of the school population, in 2025. [Education Counts]
Other Official / Minority Instruction Languages (K–12)	Regional languages can be taught through bilingual or specialized programs, including Breton, Basque, Catalan, Corsican, Occitan and regional Germanic languages.	Pacific languages are used in some bilingual and immersion provision. [Education Counts]

School Provision & Access (K–12)

France and New Zealand education system comparison: School Provision & Access (K–12)
Category	France	New Zealand
Public School Enrollment Share (K–12, % of Students)	86.4% in primary education and 78.8% in secondary education in 2025. [French Ministry]	95.98% in state and state-integrated schools as at 1 July 2025. [Education Counts]
Public School Tuition Fee (Annual, Local Currency)	$0 tuition. Public primary and secondary education is tuition-free. [French Ministry]	$0 tuition for eligible domestic students at state schools; other costs such as uniforms, stationery and trips may apply. [Ministry of Education]
Public Schools Nationwide Availability	Yes, with public primary and secondary education provided nationwide.	Yes. State and state-integrated schools operate nationwide, with local enrolment schemes used by some schools. [Ministry of Education]
Private School Enrollment Share (K–12, % of Students)	Approximately 13.6% in primary education and 21.2% in secondary education in 2025. [French Ministry]	3.99% in fully registered private schools as at 1 July 2025. [Education Counts]
Private Schools (Geographic Concentration)	—	—

International Schools (K–12)

France and New Zealand education system comparison: International Schools (K–12)
Category	France	New Zealand
Number of International Schools (Total)	—	—
Number of IB World Schools	—	20. [IB]
Main International Programmes Offered	International Baccalaureate, International Sections, Cambridge programs and American-style curricula, depending on the school. The IB currently lists French schools offering PYP, MYP, DP and CP programs. [IB]	IB Primary Years Programme, Middle Years Programme and Diploma Programme; Cambridge Primary, Lower Secondary, IGCSE and International AS & A Level. [IB] [Cambridge International]

Resources & Learning Environment (K–12)

France and New Zealand education system comparison: Resources & Learning Environment (K–12)
Category	France	New Zealand
Minimum Teacher Qualification (Public Schools)	From the 2026 recruitment session, the main external teacher recruitment competitions opened at Bachelor’s level (bac+3), followed by two years of paid initial training. Transitional bac+5 competitions continue through 2027 for candidates already following the previous route. [French Ministry]	Approved Initial Teacher Education qualification, Teaching Council registration and a current practising certificate. [Teaching Council]
Average Class Size (Primary)	21.1 students in elementary classes (2025). [French Ministry]	—
Average Class Size (Lower Secondary)	25.7 students in collège classes (2025). [French Ministry]	—
Average Class Size (Upper Secondary)	30.2 students in general and technological lycée classes / 18.4 students in vocational lycée classes (2025). [French Ministry]	—

System Performance & Learning Outcomes (OECD/PISA)

France and New Zealand education system comparison: System Performance & Learning Outcomes (OECD/PISA)
Category	France	New Zealand
PISA Participation Years	2000, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2022, 2025. [OECD]	2000, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2022, 2025. [OECD]
PISA 2018 Scores (Mathematics / Reading / Science)	495 / 493 / 493. [OECD]	494 / 506 / 508. [OECD]
PISA 2022 Scores (Mathematics / Reading / Science)	474 / 474 / 487. [OECD]	479 / 501 / 504. [OECD]
PISA 2025 Scores (Mathematics / Reading / Science)	458 / 456 / 483. France performed close to the OECD averages of 463 in mathematics, 461 in reading and 482 in science. [OECD]	480 / 497 / 509. [Education Counts]
PISA Performance Trend 2000–2025	France’s 2025 results were lower than in 2022 in mathematics and reading and about the same in science. The 2025 results were among France’s lowest PISA results across all three domains and were below the levels recorded in 2015. [OECD]	Reading in 2022 remained below results observed in 2000–2009, while mathematics and science declined over 2012–2022. In 2025, mathematics and reading were similar to 2022; the 2025 science score was not statistically different from New Zealand's 2012–2022 science scores. [OECD] [Education Counts]
Strongest Subject Area (PISA 2025)	Science (Score: 483), followed by mathematics at 458 and reading at 456. [OECD]	Science — 509. [Education Counts]

Higher Education System

France and New Zealand education system comparison: Higher Education System
Category	France	New Zealand
Number of Higher Education Institutions (Total)	More than 3,500 public and private higher education institutions. [Campus France]	—
Number of Universities (Research Universities)	78 universities and communities of institutions. [Campus France]	8. [Universities NZ]
Number of Universities of Applied Sciences / Colleges	—	10 stand-alone polytechnics operating from 1 January 2026; four additional polytechnic business divisions remained within NZIST during the 2026 transition. [TEC] [TEC]
Main Institution Types	Universities; Grandes Écoles; engineering schools; business and management schools; art and architecture schools; specialized institutions; IUT and STS programs.	Universities; polytechnics and institutes of technology; wānanga; private training establishments; government training establishments. [NZQA]
Tertiary Enrollment Share by Ownership	—	85.5% public providers / 14.5% private training establishments by EFTS in 2025. [Education Counts]
English-Taught Degree Programmes (Bachelor + Master, Total)	More than 1,600 programs taught in English. [Campus France]	—
Share of Tertiary Programmes Taught in National Languages (%)	—	—
Share of Tertiary Programmes Taught in English (%)	—	—
Main Global Ranking Used	Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) 2026. [Campus France]	QS World University Rankings 2027. [QS]
Universities in Top 100 (Selected Ranking)	4 in ARWU 2026: Paris-Saclay University, PSL University, Sorbonne University and Université Paris Cité. [Campus France]	1 — University of Auckland (#67), QS World University Rankings 2027. [QS]
Universities in Top 500 (Selected Ranking)	17 in ARWU 2026, including the four institutions in the Top 100 and 13 additional institutions ranked from 101 to 500. [Campus France]	8, QS World University Rankings 2027. [QS]
Universities in Top 1000 (Selected Ranking)	27 in ARWU 2026. [Campus France]	8, QS World University Rankings 2027. [QS]
National Accreditation / QA Agency (Higher Education)	Hcéres (High Council for Evaluation of Research and Higher Education), which evaluates higher education institutions, programs and research units. [Hcéres]	NZQA quality-assures non-university tertiary providers. Universities New Zealand — Te Pōkai Tara is the statutory body responsible for quality assurance of the eight universities, with institutional review carried out through Matatāhuna-Universities Quality Assurance Agency. [NZQA] [Universities NZ]
International Students (Total)	443,500 foreign students were enrolled in French higher education in 2024/25. [Campus France]	59,890 tertiary students in 2025. [Education Counts]
International Students Share of Total Tertiary Enrollment (%)	Approximately 15% in 2024/25. [Campus France]	15.2% of tertiary headcount in 2025 (59,890 of 395,095 students). [Education Counts]

Education Costs (Indicative)

France and New Zealand education system comparison: Education Costs (Indicative)
Category	France	New Zealand
Public University Tuition Fees – Domestic / Regional (Annual, Local Currency)	Approximately $210–$740 per year for standard public Bachelor’s, Master’s and engineering registration fees in 2026/27; some institutions and programs charge different amounts. [Campus France]	2026 University of Auckland full-time undergraduate reference range: $4,321–$11,081, converted from published NZD 7,616.40–19,531.20 fees using the 23 September 2026 NZD/USD exchange rate; Student Services Fee excluded. [University of Auckland]
Public University Tuition Fees – International / Non-EU (Annual, Local Currency)	Approximately $3,400–$4,700 per year for differentiated Bachelor’s and Master’s fees in 2026/27 at institutions applying the national fee schedule; exemptions and lower fees apply in some cases. [Campus France]	2026 University of Auckland full-time undergraduate reference range: $22,821–$49,110, converted from published NZD 40,225–86,561 fees using the 23 September 2026 NZD/USD exchange rate; Student Services Fee excluded. [University of Auckland]
Typical Tuition Fees for English-Taught Programmes (Annual, Local Currency)	—	—
Language School Costs (Monthly, Local Currency)	—	—

Major Education Updates & Policy Changes

France and New Zealand education system comparison: Major Education Updates & Policy Changes
Category	France	New Zealand
2000–2010: Key Updates & Reforms	Higher education adopted the LMD structure (Licence–Master–Doctorate) and ECTS credits as part of European degree alignment. [Campus France] The common base of knowledge and skills became part of compulsory education, later developing into the current common base of knowledge, skills and culture. University governance and institutional autonomy changed during the decade, alongside continued implementation of the European Bachelor’s-Master’s-Doctorate degree structure.	NCEA was introduced progressively from 2002 to 2004 as New Zealand's main senior secondary qualification. [NZQA] From 1 July 2007, eligible 3- and 4-year-olds at participating teacher-led services could receive up to 20 hours per week of free ECE. [Education Counts] The 2007 New Zealand Curriculum became mandatory for English-medium schools in February 2010. [Ministry of Education]
2010–2020: Key Updates & Reforms	The common base of knowledge, skills and culture was established by the 2015 decree, with revised elementary and collège programs taking effect from 2016. [French Ministry] Compulsory instruction was lowered from age 6 to age 3 from the 2019 school year. Reform of the general and technological baccalauréat was adopted, with a new structure combining terminal examinations and continuous assessment for implementation from the 2021 session. [French Ministry]	The Ministry released the refreshed Te Whāriki early childhood curriculum in 2017. [Ministry of Education] Fees Free tertiary education and training was introduced on 1 January 2018 for eligible first-time learners. [TEC] The Education and Training Act 2020 received Royal assent on 31 July 2020. [New Zealand Legislation]
2020–2024: Key Updates & Reforms	The training obligation for ages 16–18 took effect in September 2020 for young people no longer covered by compulsory schooling. [Éduscol] The revised general and technological baccalauréat was implemented, with 40% of the final result based on continuous assessment and 60% on terminal examinations. [French Ministry] The national Mon Master platform became the common application system for first-year Master’s programs in 2023. [Higher Education Ministry]	From January 2023, the Equity Index replaced the school decile system for allocating equity funding. [Education Counts] From Term 1 2024, schools with Years 0–8 students were required to provide an average of at least one hour per day each of reading, writing and mathematics, or their Māori-medium equivalents. [Ministry of Education] State schools and kura were required to have student phone restrictions in force no later than 29 April 2024. [Ministry of Education]
2025–2026: Key Updates & Reforms	The 2026 teacher recruitment reform introduced external recruitment competitions at bac+3, followed by two years of paid initial training, while transitional bac+5 competitions continue through 2027. [French Ministry] A new early mathematics examination for students in première générale and technologique was held for the first time in June 2026 and counts toward the 2027 baccalauréat. [French Ministry] New mathematics programs entered into force in seconde and première for the 2026/27 school year, with terminale scheduled to follow in 2027/28. [Éduscol]	The first seven new charter schools opened at the start of Term 1 2025. [Ministry of Education] The redesigned vocational education and training system began operating on 1 January 2026 with eight Industry Skills Boards, 10 stand-alone polytechnics and four work-based learning providers transitioning into independent private training establishments. [TEC] From 1 September 2026, ERO assumed responsibility for ECE licensing and certification, private-school registration and school-hostel licensing. [Ministry of Education]

General Overview (Narrative)

France and New Zealand education system comparison: General Overview (Narrative)
Category	France	New Zealand
Overview	France operates a centralized education system with national curricula, qualifications and teacher recruitment alongside local responsibility for school facilities and services. Compulsory instruction runs from age 3 to 16, followed by a training obligation through age 18. Primary and secondary education follow a 5+4+3 structure, with upper secondary students choosing general, technological or vocational pathways. Most students attend public schools, which are tuition-free. In PISA 2025, France scored 458 in mathematics, 456 in reading and 483 in science; mathematics and reading were lower than in 2022, while science was about the same. Higher education includes more than 3,500 institutions, including universities, Grandes Écoles, engineering schools, business schools and specialized institutions. France had 443,500 foreign students in higher education in 2024/25. Current changes include bac+3 teacher recruitment from the 2026 session, the first early mathematics examination for the baccalauréat in June 2026, and new mathematics programs introduced for seconde and première in the 2026/27 school year.	New Zealand has a public/private education system with national legislation, funding and curriculum settings alongside local governance by state-school boards. The Ministry of Education retains responsibility for policy, funding, curriculum and state-school regulation, while ERO carries review functions and, from September 2026, specified regulatory duties for ECE, private schools and school hostels. Schooling is compulsory from ages 6 to 16, although most children begin at age 5. The 13 school year levels comprise Years 1–8 primary/intermediate and Years 9–13 secondary; ECE is non-compulsory. Most students attend state or state-integrated schools. English and te reo Māori are the main curriculum languages, and NCEA is the main senior secondary qualification. In PISA 2025, New Zealand scored 480 in mathematics, 497 in reading and 509 in science. Tertiary education includes eight universities, polytechnics, wānanga and private training establishments. In 2025, tertiary headcount was 395,095, including 59,890 international students. Current structural changes include the charter-school model operating from 2025, the redesigned VET system operating from January 2026 and the September 2026 transfer of specified regulatory functions to ERO.