The 2026 French high-school protests are a student-led protest movement that began in September 2026 and developed into a nationwide mobilisation in October. The demonstrations originated in Créteil, in the Paris suburbs, and involved blockades of high schools, street gatherings and marches.

Students have cited shortages of teachers, crowded classes, long timetables, deteriorating school buildings, stress associated with the Parcoursup university application system and extreme heat in classrooms among their grievances. The movement later drew participation from teachers, parents and trade unions.

Some demonstrations escalated into confrontations with police and attacks on school management staff. The wider unrest resulted in large numbers of arrests and injuries and brought scrutiny to the French government’s use of riot-control policing against teenagers, including tear gas, projectiles and grenades.

The protests form part of France’s broader history of large youth and social protest movements, including the 2006 youth protests and the later yellow vests movement, although the 2026 demonstrations are specifically focused on education conditions and resources.