Officials Overstep Their Bounds, Families Threatened in France, Austria
July 6, 2012: Families in France and Austria are fighting back against authorities’ attempts to deny their legal right to homeschool in those countries.

International Homeschooling—Watch Video from a Dozen Countries
January 2, 2012: Homeschoolers from across Europe gathered for a meaningful time of sharing experiences and learning about the homeschool laws in other countries.

French National TV Showcases Homeschooling in America
December 5, 2011: HSLDA Staff Attorney Michael Donnelly and his family were featured recently on a national French television broadcast about homeschooling in the U.S.

French Homeschoolers Resist Political Agenda
December 2, 2011: Homeschool organizations in France continue to resist the agenda of French legislators to modify the education law.

Homeschool Leader Interviews
November 16, 2011: Hear about the current homeschool situations in a number of European countries, recorded at a recent European conference.

French Legislators Seek to Make Schooling Compulsory
September 30, 2011: French homeschoolers work against four proposed bills on education.

Bills Threaten Home School Freedom in France
June 11, 2011: Although one bill has been defeated, French homeschoolers continue to contact their representatives, urging them to oppose three other proposed bills that seek to increase the compulsory attendance age and make school attendance mandatory. (In French)

German Homeschooled Children Return Home under Court Supervision
October 13, 2009: The Wunderlich family were delighted that a local juvenile court decided to return custody of their four children after they were seized in a surprise visit by French social workers on September 28.

German Homeschooled Children Seized by French Social Workers
October 6, 2009: French authorities took four children from a German family who had fled to France to escape persecution against homeschoolers.

French Victory: HSLDA Helps Defeat 'Draconian' Legislation
French homeschooling families won an important legal battle for their rights when two amendments to limit homeschooling were withdrawn from a bill in the French Parliament in early January.

Homeschooling on the Rise in France
Thousands of French children are staying home because their parents have opted out of a system they claim no longer adequately teaches basic skills.

Compulsory Attendance Ages: 6-16

Legal Status: Homeschooling is legal and is governed by the Education Code, Article L. 131, a supplemental decree and a circular. Families must annually notify the appropriate authorities of their intent to homeschool. Although the law only gives school inspectors the authority to “verify” the teaching in a homeschool each year, the reality is often quite different. Many times, officials conduct these inspections in an arbitrary and negative manner toward homeschooling. Officials may require homeschooled students to be tested, order children back to school after only one negative report instead of two, or threaten to declare children in danger of mistreatment to coerce parents to accept the inspector's demands.

Estimated number of homeschoolers: 2000-3000 private homeschoolers and 10,000-20,000 homeschoolers enrolled in correspondence schools

Study on homeschooling in France, conducted by LEDA, CISE, and LAIA: http://laia.asso.free.fr/etcont.pdf (French)

Contact Information