Key takeaways
France used to let families homeschool their children without much difficulty. Submit a declaration, show up for an annual inspection, keep records. Since 2021, that changed fundamentally. Today, home education in France – l'instruction en famille – requires advance authorization from the state. Denied applications are not unusual. And the rules haven't loosened since.
- Home education in France (IEF / instruction en famille) requires prior authorization from DASEN, effective from the 2022-2023 school year
- Families must apply annually before the school year begins; authorization is not permanent
- Families not meeting French homeschooling requirements face sanctions, including mandatory school enrollment
- Expat families in France using an international online educational institution operate under different – but not automatic – rules
Contents
The Legal Framework: What Changed and When
The French homeschooling framework was transformed by Law 2021-1109, signed by President Emmanuel Macron and officially entering force for the 2021-2022 school year (with authorization requirements enforced from 2022-2023). The law’s full title references “reinforcing respect for the principles of the Republic” – and the education provisions were explicitly designed to bring children educated outside French schools back under state oversight.
The old system was a simple notification. A family notified their local mairie and the education authority that they intended to educate their children at home. That was the threshold. Annual inspections existed, but entry into home education was easy.
Under article L131-2 of the French education code as amended, home schooling is now a conditional right. Families must obtain prior authorization (autorisation préalable) from the DASEN (Direction des services départementaux de l’éducation nationale – roughly equivalent to a local inspection académique) before withdrawing their child from school.
The Four Authorized Grounds of Home Education
To receive authorization to educate children at home, families must qualify under one of four grounds:
- The child’s health condition or disability making school attendance difficult or impossible
- Intensive practice of a sporting or artistic activity
- Family circumstances of a particular nature (itinerant family, geographic isolation, etc.)
- The existence of a suitable educational project meeting the child’s needs
The fourth ground is the broadest and most contested. It requires families to submit an educational project to the DASEN for evaluation. Inspectors assess whether the proposed plan addresses the child’s knowledge and skills development, their social development, and their socialisation – not just academic content. A Montessori-influenced home curriculum can qualify, but it must be explained and justified in writing.
The DASEN has discretion to refuse authorization even on educational project grounds if it is not satisfied the plan meets the required educational standards.
What Happens If Authorization Is Refused or Not Followed
Failure to obtain authorization before the school year – or continuing home education after a refusal – is a legal violation. French authorities, including the local inspection académique, can intervene and require children in France to return to a recognized school. Continued non-compliance carries sanctions: fines and, in persistent cases, enforcement through family courts.
The 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 years saw a significant reduction in officially registered homeschooling families in France, partly due to refusals and partly because many families who had been homeschooling under the old declaration system did not qualify under the new authorization grounds.
The legal mechanism behind this is straightforward. Under article L.131-10 of the Code de l’éducation:
“Lorsqu’elle constate qu’un enfant reçoit l’instruction dans la famille sans l’autorisation mentionnée à l’article L. 131-5, l’autorité de l’État compétente en matière d’éducation met en demeure les personnes responsables de l’enfant de l’inscrire, dans un délai de quinze jours à compter de la notification de la mise en demeure, dans un établissement d’enseignement scolaire public ou privé. (When it finds that a child is receiving instruction at home without the authorization referred to in article L.131-5, the competent state authority for education shall formally require those responsible for the child to enroll them, within fifteen days of notification, in a public or private school).»
— Code de l’éducation, article L.131-10, Légifrance (Loi n° 2021-1109 du 24 août 2021)
Annual Inspections: What They Cover
Homeschooled children in France remain subject to annual inspections regardless of whether they receive initial authorization. Inspections are conducted by academic inspection officers and cover:
- The child’s educational progress against national standards
- The child’s socialisation and social development
- Verification that the educational plan submitted at authorization stage is being followed
A successful inspection requires demonstrating progress of the child across core subjects and evidence that the child is not being educated in social isolation. A guide published for families by the Ministry of National Education (guide 2025) provides general criteria, but the specific standards applied vary by académie – Montpellier, for example, has a reputation for stricter inspection standards than some other regions.
“Le droit de l’enfant à l’instruction a pour objet de lui garantir […] l’acquisition des instruments fondamentaux du savoir […] et, d’autre part, l’éducation lui permettant de développer sa personnalité, son sens moral et son esprit critique […] de s’insérer dans la vie sociale et professionnelle, de partager les valeurs de la République et d’exercer sa citoyenneté. (The child’s right to education is intended to guarantee the acquisition of fundamental knowledge […] and, moreover, an education enabling the child to develop their personality, moral sense, and critical thinking […] to integrate into social and professional life, to share the values of the Republic, and to exercise their citizenship).”
— Ministère de l’Éducation Nationale, Code de l’éducation, article L.131-1-1
What About Expat Families in France?
The law was primarily designed to address French national families. Expat families in France on temporary visas, diplomatic assignments, or short-term postings have different considerations. Some expat families use an internationally accredited online school as their primary educational provider without registering as homeschoolers under French law.
This is not a guaranteed or automatic exemption. Whether it applies depends on the family’s specific residency status, visa type, and the nature of their stay in France.
The Lemaire-Owens family – a Franco-British couple in Montpellier – applied for IEF authorization in April 2024 under the educational project ground. Refusal came in July. With la rentrée six weeks away, they enrolled their daughter in Legacy’s online middle school within 48 hours. She started the school year on time. No gap, no lost semester.
What a recognized international online private school can provide in these situations: an Enrollment Confirmation Letter, academic transcripts, and documentation of enrollment for use with authorities or visa services. Legacy Online School provides these documents to all enrolled families.
Online School as an Alternative
Some families homeschooling in France – or those who cannot obtain IEF authorization – look at international online schools as an education option that sits outside the French homeschooling framework while providing structured, accredited education.
Legacy Online School is a WASC-accredited private online school with live daily classes, qualified teachers, and a full K-12 curriculum developed by FlexPoint Education Cloud. We offer elementary, middle school, and online high school programs, plus 19 AP courses and summer school. We operate in 30+ countries and have since 2023.
Whether Legacy satisfies French compulsory education requirements for a specific family depends on that family’s situation. We are not lawyers and this is not legal advice. What we can say: many expat families in France use Legacy as their primary school provider. Contact our admissions team to understand what documentation we provide and how other families in France have navigated the enrollment process.
The Nakamuras – a Japanese-American family in Paris on a three-year corporate assignment – never applied for IEF at all. Their son had been following a US curriculum in Tokyo; switching to a French collège mid-cycle wasn’t viable. They enrolled him in Legacy’s online high school from day one. Two AP courses in year one. College Board transcript building from Paris. No interruption to his academic track.
Top Tips from Our Expert
Maya Robinson, College Prep Advisor at Legacy Online School
- Apply for IEF authorization early – the DASEN deadline is typically mid-June for the following September. Missing it means your child must attend school at la rentrée.
- Document your educational project thoroughly. Generic descriptions of “personalized learning” are not enough. Inspectors want to see a structured plan with subjects, resources, and assessment methods.
- Check which académie your family falls under. Inspection standards for home-educated children vary across France – Montpellier and a few other regions are known for more thorough evaluation processes.
- Socialisation is not a soft criterion. The 2021 law explicitly added social development and integration as mandatory components of the IEF evaluation. Document extracurriculars, group activities, and community involvement.
- If your child is following an international curriculum – through Legacy or another accredited school – keep records that demonstrate alignment with national educational standards, even if the curriculum itself is American or British.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice. The home education framework in France is subject to ongoing policy changes and local variation. Families should consult a qualified French education or immigration lawyer before making any decisions about withdrawing a child from school or pursuing home education in France. Legacy Online School does not provide legal or immigration advice.
