French schools are set to see a growing number of structured educational initiatives over the coming academic years, ranging from biodiversity and sport to financial literacy. While regional authorities in western France are investing in ready-made teaching programmes for secondary schools, the national government is preparing to make financial education compulsory for all pupils in Year 9 (quatrième) from September 2026.
In the Pays de la Loire region, the regional council has allocated €870,000 a year to support educational projects in upper secondary schools. Until now, teachers who wished to benefit from this funding generally had to design and organise their own projects. From the 2026–2027 academic year onwards, that approach is due to change.
The regional majority plans to offer fourteen pre-approved educational programmes covering a range of themes, each accompanied by clearly identified partners and specialist organisations. According to those close to regional president Christelle Morançais, the aim is both practical and educational: to reduce the administrative burden on teachers while ensuring that schools work with experienced partners whose projects have already been assessed and validated from a pedagogical standpoint.
The subjects selected reflect some of the issues currently receiving particular attention within French education. Disability awareness, gender equality, biodiversity, participation in sport, the fight against bullying and the principles of secularism are all included among the proposed themes. The initiative, branded Élève, is expected to become operational in November 2026 and is intended as a ready-to-use resource for teaching staff.
At national level, another educational reform is taking shape. Beginning in September 2026, every pupil in Year 9 will receive financial education training. The measure effectively expands the existing Educfi Passport scheme, which was introduced on a voluntary basis in 2016 and reached more than 300,000 lower secondary school pupils in 2024.
The programme is built around three objectives: helping young people manage money responsibly and avoid excessive debt, teaching them how to plan and save, and providing basic protection against financial scams and misleading commercial practices.
The training will last at least three hours and will be delivered by teachers using educational materials developed jointly by the Banque de France and the Directorate General for School Education. Topics include household budgeting, how bank accounts work, different payment methods, saving, borrowing and recognising financial fraud.
The Ministry of Education argues that a better understanding of personal finance enables individuals to make choices that serve their interests and avoid common financial traps. It also maintains that citizens with a stronger grasp of economic concepts are better equipped to assess and participate in public debates on economic issues.
Yet not everyone is convinced.
Some critics question whether a three-hour course can realistically provide 13- and 14-year-olds with the tools needed to understand complex economic discussions. Others wonder how relevant personal financial management really is to pupils who, for the most part, have little direct responsibility for household budgets or financial products.
The debate also raises a broader question about educational priorities. Should schools devote additional time to financial literacy, or should greater effort be directed towards strengthening core academic skills?
For those who hold the latter view, the concern is straightforward. Reading, writing, clear expression and numeracy remain fundamental challenges for part of the education system. Against that backdrop, introducing new subjects may appear ambitious when some pupils continue to struggle with the basics.
Supporters of this argument frequently point to the 2023 TIMSS (Trends in Mathematics and Science Study) results, which placed French Year 9 pupils second from bottom among European Union countries in mathematics. If many students still find fundamental arithmetic difficult, critics ask, how effectively will they be able to grasp concepts such as interest rates, credit costs or long-term financial planning?
The expansion of both regional educational programmes and compulsory financial literacy training reflects a wider trend within French education: schools are increasingly being asked not only to transmit academic knowledge, but also to prepare young people for the practical, social and civic challenges of modern life. Whether these initiatives achieve that goal remains a matter of debate, but they are likely to become a visible part of the classroom experience from 2026 onwards.