How schooling is organised
France is the archetype of educational centralisation. The national curriculum is set by ministerial decree and published in the Bulletin officiel, and it applies identically across the country and in French schools abroad. Schooling is organised into cycles: école maternelle, école élémentaire, collège (ending in the diplôme national du brevet) and lycée, ending in the baccalauréat.
The bac was substantially reformed from 2021. The old fixed streams (S, ES, L) were replaced by a common core plus student-chosen enseignements de spécialité, with continuous assessment now contributing a significant share of the final mark alongside the terminal written and oral examinations, including the distinctive Grand oral.
What the ministry publishes
Éduscol is the ministry's professional resource portal and carries the official programmes, assessment guidance and subject-by-subject teaching resources. Lumni (the successor to France 4's educational strand, run with the public broadcasters) is the main free student-facing platform, organised by level from primary through lycée. The CNED operates public distance education, and réseau Canopé publishes pedagogical material.
Because the curriculum is national, French material has a consistency that federal systems lack: a resource labelled for Première matches what every student in that year is studying. Almost all of it is in French.
Getting the most out of it
Search using the official cycle and level names — cycle 3, Seconde, Terminale — and the exact subject titles from the Bulletin officiel. The ministry's own vocabulary is the fastest route to official material.
For bac preparation, look specifically for sujets et corrigés (papers with worked solutions) for your chosen specialities, and do not neglect the Grand oral, which rewards preparation of a very different kind from written revision.
Resource listings
Assessment
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Baccalauréat
National high school diploma examination system and specifications
National ExaminationTerminaleAll Baccalauréat SubjectsCurriculum-aligned
Career Education
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Orientation scolaire et professionnelle
Academic and professional guidance resources for students and families
Guidance Services3e, 2nde, 1ère, TerminaleOrientationCareer PlanningCurriculum-aligned
Curriculum
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Programmes scolaires officiels
Official school curricula for all educational levels from kindergarten through lycée
National CurriculumPS, MS, GS, CP, CE1, CE2, CM1, CM2, 6e, 5e, 4e, 3e, 2nde, 1ère, TerminaleFrançaisMathématiquesSciencesHistoire-GéographieCurriculum-aligned
Digital Learning
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Ma classe à la maison
Virtual classroom platform for distance learning and digital education resources
Virtual LearningCP, CE1, CE2, CM1, CM2, 6e, 5e, 4e, 3e, 2nde, 1ère, TerminaleCurriculum-aligned
Digital Resources
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LUMNI - Ressources pédagogiques
France's educational media platform offering teaching resources and educational content
Educational PlatformPS, MS, GS, CP, CE1, CE2, CM1, CM2, 6e, 5e, 4e, 3e, 2nde, 1ère, TerminaleCurriculum-aligned
Distance Learning
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CNED - Centre National d'Enseignement à Distance
National center for distance education providing online courses and resources
Distance EducationPS, MS, GS, CP, CE1, CE2, CM1, CM2, 6e, 5e, 4e, 3e, 2nde, 1ère, TerminaleCurriculum-aligned
Early Childhood
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École maternelle
Early childhood education framework and resources for ages 3-6
Early Years FrameworkPS, MS, GSMobiliser le langageAgir dans l'espaceArtsExplorer le mondeCurriculum-aligned
General
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Ministère de l'Éducation nationale et de la Jeunesse
Official French Ministry of Education portal providing comprehensive educational resources and policies
Ministry PortalPS, MS, GS, CP, CE1, CE2, CM1, CM2, 6e, 5e, 4e, 3e, 2nde, 1ère, TerminaleCurriculum-aligned
Primary Education
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École élémentaire
Primary education curriculum and resources for grades CP to CM2
Primary CurriculumCP, CE1, CE2, CM1, CM2FrançaisMathématiquesQuestionner le mondeEnseignement moral et civiqueCurriculum-aligned
Priority Education
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Éducation prioritaire
Priority education networks and resources for disadvantaged areas
Priority SupportPS, MS, GS, CP, CE1, CE2, CM1, CM2, 6e, 5e, 4e, 3eCurriculum-aligned
Secondary Education
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Collège
Middle school curriculum and resources for grades 6e to 3e
Secondary Curriculum6e, 5e, 4e, 3eFrançaisMathématiquesSciencesHistoire-GéographieCurriculum-aligned
Special Education
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École inclusive
Resources and support for inclusive education and students with special needs
Inclusive EducationPS, MS, GS, CP, CE1, CE2, CM1, CM2, 6e, 5e, 4e, 3e, 2nde, 1ère, TerminaleSupport ServicesCurriculum-aligned
Teacher Resources
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Éduscol - Portail national des professionnels de l'éducation
National portal for education professionals with curriculum guidance, teaching resources and official instructions
Professional PortalPS, MS, GS, CP, CE1, CE2, CM1, CM2, 6e, 5e, 4e, 3e, 2nde, 1ère, TerminaleCurriculum-aligned
Upper Secondary
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Lycée général et technologique
High school curriculum for general and technological tracks
Upper Secondary Curriculum2nde, 1ère, TerminaleSpécialitésTronc communOptionsCurriculum-aligned
All resources listed here are published by government departments, ministries, statutory examination bodies or public broadcasters and were free to access when last checked. OffLearn is not affiliated with any of them. Links open on the publisher's own site. Found a dead link? Tell us and we will fix it.
Other countries
United States
The United States has no national curriculum — standards and materials are set state by state, so the state page is the one that matters.
Canada
Canada has no federal education department at all — each province and territory runs its own curriculum, in English, French or both.
Australia
Australia teaches a single national curriculum that each state and territory adapts, so useful material sits at both the federal and state level.
United Kingdom
England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland run four genuinely different systems with different curricula and different exams.
New Zealand
New Zealand centralises its curriculum and qualifications nationally, so nearly all official material comes from two agencies.
Ireland
Ireland runs a centralised national curriculum with two high-stakes state examinations and an unusual optional transition year.