France Releases School Calendar for 2026-2027
Listen to the story
The French government has released the official school calendar for the 2026-2027 academic year.
The calendar gives the exact date of the rentrée, the day students return to school after summer.
It also lists all school holiday periods, including autumn, Christmas, winter and spring breaks.
In addition, the calendar includes national public holidays, which are non-working days for the whole country.
French school holidays are organised by zone, since not all regions have breaks at the same time.
The three main zones are called A, B and C. This system helps spread out holiday travel across France.
Corsica, a French island, follows its own separate school calendar.
With these dates now confirmed, families can start to plan ahead for the coming year.
Many people are especially interested in knowing the best moments to book time off work.
Choosing the right dates can help parents make the most of their holidays with their children.
Teachers, schools and local authorities also use the calendar to organise the academic year in advance.
Publishing the dates so early gives everyone time to prepare travel plans and daily schedules.
Vocabulary10 words
- calendar
- a document that shows important dates
- rentrée
- the day school starts again after summer
- holiday
- a period with no school or work
- public holidays
- official days off for the whole country
- zone
- a group of regions with the same holiday dates
- Corsica
- a French island with its own rules
- plan
- to prepare something for the future
- book
- to reserve time off or a trip
- authorities
- official groups that manage public services
- schedule
- a plan of times for doing things
Quiz
Answer key
1. The day school starts again 2. To spread out holiday travel across the country 3. No, it has its own calendar
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
The French government has released the official school _____ for the 2026-2027 academic year.
The calendar gives the exact date of the _____, the day students return to school after summer.
It also lists all school _____ periods, including autumn, Christmas, winter and spring breaks.
In addition, the calendar includes national _____, which are non-working days for the whole country.
French school holidays are organised by _____, since not all regions have breaks at the same time.
The three main zones are called A, B and C. This system helps spread out holiday travel across France.
_____, a French island, follows its own separate school calendar.
With these dates now confirmed, families can start to _____ ahead for the coming year.
Many people are especially interested in knowing the best moments to _____ time off work.
Teachers, schools and local _____ also use the calendar to organise the academic year in advance.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think French holidays are organised by different zones?
- Do you think it is useful for schools to publish the calendar so early? Why?
- How do school holidays affect family planning in your own country?
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of having school holidays at different times in different regions?