French classrooms are empty, but the streets are packed. Since late September, high schoolers across the country have walked out, blockaded doors, and marched in protest. What started as anger over school funding has quickly turned volatile. Classrooms have been blocked, clashes with riot police have broken out, and hundreds of students, teachers, and officers have been hurt. Thousands of people have been arrested, including outside agitators looking for a fight.
The Roots of Student Anger
The teens, aged 15 to 18, say they are simply fed up. They point to a crumbling system. Buildings are falling apart. Teachers vanish for weeks with no substitutes. One Parisian student, Madalena, told the BBC that her school becomes “boiling hot” during heat waves, while her classes are repeatedly disrupted by staff shortages.
Other students complain about grueling schedules. School days in France regularly stretch until 18:00. By the time they get home, they have no energy left for homework or sleep. Then there is Parcoursup, the national online platform that matches students with universities. In France, about 80% of students pass the high school exit exam, the baccalauréat. That pass gives them a ticket to higher education, but not to the course of their choice. The result is a frantic, anxious scramble for spots, governed by an algorithm many call confusing and unfair.
Does the Reality Match the Rage?
Yet, on paper, France does not look neglected. Data from the OECD shows the French government spends more per high schooler than the average European Union nation. Teacher shortages, while frustrating, are actually less severe than in neighboring countries. Even those long school hours are largely the result of extended lunch breaks and complex scheduling, rather than extra class time.
So why the extreme reaction? Why did Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez describe the current wave of blockades and violence as “unprecedented”? The answer lies in French history.
A Culture of Street Politics
In France, political power does not just live in parliament. It lives on the pavement. French youth have watched generations of adults use blockades to force the government’s hand. And it works. Students know the history of street victories:
- In 1990, mass rallies in the Seine-Saint-Denis area forced the government to inject the equivalent of €1.2 billion into schools.
- In 1998, half a million protesting pupils secured €1 billion in school renovation funds.
- In 2006, weeks of student-led blockades forced President Jacques Chirac to scrap a major labor reform.
More recently, the yellow vest protests of 2018 proved once again that the street could veto government policy. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has tried to calm the situation, insisting police are only there to maintain order, not to fight teenagers. But for the students holding the barricades, history suggests that making noise is the only way to get results.