Education in America is quite different than in France. The school day is much shorter in our country starting typically at 7:30am and ending at 2:15pm. French schools start at at 8:00am and end at 4:00pm; definitely a longer day!. American students are given a thirty minute lunch whereas French students are given two hour lunch break due to their longer day.  School starts at the age of two in France and in America is starts at five or six years old. American schools are open Monday through Friday and French students go to school  from Monday through to Saturday having off on Wednesday and of course Sunday.

American students use the weekends (and even weekdays) to socialize while French students have no social life unless they have permission to go out after school on Saturdays. American schools offer many extra curricular activities whereas French schools rarely offer any.  To get into college, French students have to take the Baccalaureate and pass it in order to get into a college. American students tend to take the SAT if they are college bound and can take it multiple times until they get a score they are happy with. Unlike American teachers, French teachers often move rooms which causes classroom walls to be bare. As for American teachers, their rooms are usually decorated with posters, maps, pictures, etc.

There isn’t really a dress code in French schools. Clothing such as spaghetti straps are allowed but religious jewelry, head wraps, or tattoos need to be off or covered. Although it varies in America, in most schools there typically is a dress code. Any provocative clothing or clothing in general that may show too much whether it is for a male or female may be worn outside of school. As for religious purposes, there are no restrictions whether it may be inside or outside of school grounds.