French School Calendar 2027-2028: Zone B Gets Best Holiday Deal
Listen to the story
The French education ministry has released the school calendar for the 2027-2028 academic year. France divides its schools into three holiday zones — A, B, and C — so that not all students go on holiday at the same time.
According to the announcement, Zone B has come out ahead this time. Its public holidays fall close to scheduled school breaks, giving families extra rest without needing to take many extra days off work.
This kind of alignment between public holidays and school breaks matters to parents, because it can reduce the number of workdays they must give up to spend time with their children during holidays.
Alongside this news, the new class schedules for the 2026 school year have also been made available, helping parents and students prepare early for the coming year.
There is also useful advice for workers who want to enjoy longer holidays without using too many RTT days — extra rest days that many French employees receive in addition to standard paid leave. By carefully choosing which days to take off around public holidays and weekends, workers can create longer breaks while using very few of these RTT days.
This kind of planning has become increasingly popular in France, as both families and employees look for smart ways to make the most of the national calendar and enjoy longer periods of rest each year.
Vocabulary6 words
- education ministry
- the government group that manages schools
- zones
- groups or regions with different holiday dates
- alignment
- when two things match well together
- schedules
- plans that show dates and times
- RTT
- extra rest days workers get in France
- paid leave
- time off work where you still get money
Quiz
Answer key
1. Three holiday zones 2. Its public holidays fall close to school breaks 3. Careful planning around public holidays
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
The French _____ has released the school calendar for the 2027-2028 academic year. France divides its schools into three holiday _____ — A, B, and C — so that not all students go on holiday at the same time.
According to the announcement, Zone B has come out ahead this time. Its public holidays fall close to scheduled school breaks, giving families extra rest without needing to take many extra days off work.
This kind of _____ between public holidays and school breaks matters to parents, because it can reduce the number of workdays they must give up.
Alongside this news, the new class _____ for the 2026 school year have also been made available, helping parents and students prepare early.
There is also useful advice for workers who want to enjoy longer holidays without using too many _____ days — extra rest days that many French employees receive in addition to standard _____.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think France divides schools into different holiday zones?
- Do you think it is fair that some zones have better public holidays than others? Why or why not?
- How do people in your country try to make their holidays longer?
- Would you like a system like RTT days in your job? Why or why not?