We often think that French schoolchildren have the most days off, but the figures prove the opposite. Because in this other European country, students literally spend a third of their time resting.
It is a persistent belief, and a political debate which comes back to the table with each new Minister of National Education: are school holidays too long? Many think that France is one of the countries offering the most holidays to its schoolchildren… Because with 112 days of rest each year, French students are still positioned in 7th place in the ranking of European countries with the longest school holidays, according to the latest Eurydice figures. But regarding the long summer holidays, France is among the least generous: we are in 35th place, out of a total of 41 countries.
But of course, vacation days are not distributed in the same way throughout the year. For example, Italy has 112 days per year, like us, but with much fewer short holidays: only a period of 15 days during the year, then 97 consecutive days during the summer holidays. Conversely, in France, our summer holidays are much shorter. With 56 days, we are therefore in the bottom of the European ranking. But French establishments offer in parallel four periods of leave, of two weeks each, over the rest of the year: All Saints’ Day holidays, Christmas holidays, February holidays, and finally the Easter holidays. Tied with French-speaking Belgium and Switzerland, we are at the top of the ranking for the duration of short holidays.
But which one will beat all the others in 2025? With 122 days, schoolchildren are on vacation for exactly a third of the school year! This is Moldova, a small country landlocked between Romania and Ukraine. Children benefit from 92 days during the summer break, and three other periods of 7, 15 and 8 days during the rest of the year. The country is closely followed by Latvia with 120 days in total, then by Malta, Estonia and Lithuania, tied for 3rd place with their 118 days each. Next come Cyprus and Romania (117 days), Greece (116 days), Georgia (114 days), and finally France and Italy with 112 days.
Conversely, the Netherlands and Denmark have the shortest school holidays in all of Europe, with 77 and 78 days respectively spread over the entire year. Their short vacations are divided into four periods, like us, but most only last a week. Their summer vacation, meanwhile, lasts a month and a half, which also makes it among the shortest on the continent. But let’s remember that, in the countries at the very bottom of the ranking, the organization of lessons is different: in the Netherlands as in Denmark, but also in Germany for example, students end the day much earlier. The little ones finish around 1:30 p.m., and the older ones around 3 p.m., which explains why their vacations are more limited. In France, primary school students are only released from 4:30 p.m., compared to 5:30 p.m. or even 6 p.m. for high school students.
In the end, the quantity of vacation time may matter less than its distribution. It remains to be seen whether the French model, with its regular breaks but longer days, is really the most beneficial for children’s learning and rest. One thing is certain, the question of the “good” school rhythm seems to be a universal puzzle without a miracle solution, which continues to divide parents and specialists.
