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Summary and extracts
1 Market overview
1.1 Definition and scope of study
A private school in France is one that has not signed an agreement with the state to carry out its activities. The establishment receives no state subsidy, but receives private donations and charges admission to its school.the school's autonomy is symbolized by a high degree of autonomy in setting school curricula and freedom in teaching methods.
Non-contractual private education is a segment of private education in France, with just under three million students. Non-contractual private schools cover the whole range from nursery school to lycée, including primary and lower secondary schools. Three other segments are present, including private education under contract with the State, which is by far the largest in France, and is often linked to Catholic education.
In 2015, there were more than a thousand non-contracted schools, a third of which were religious in nature: the others were bilingual schools, schools following the Montessori method and schools using the Steiner method. the Montessori method encourages children's autonomy and initiative, with mixed ages and an educator as guide, while the Steiner method emphasizes creaativity and artistic activities, differing in its absence of academic knowledge before the age of seven and exclusively oral lessons, as well as in its division into age groups.. These fee-paying schools have a higher baccalaureate pass rate than public and contracted high schools (95% vs. 88%), and are mainly located in the Paris region. In 2024, Montessori schools accounted for more than 30% of all non-contracted schools.
Overall, there is a clear upward trend in the number of out-of-contract establishments, which are becoming an increasingly important part of the French educational landscape. In 2024, over the past 30 years, the number of establishments has risen from 40 to almost 2,600, a 65-fold increase. In 2024, these establishments represent 4.4% of the total number of French establishments.
Out-of-contract private schools declare their opening, but opposition is possible; they do not follow public curricula, manage the recruitment of their teachers, are inspected, and students must pass an exam to transfer to public education.
1.2 France's private school market builds on its success
Non-contracted education in France represents just *.*% of the total number of schools, yet this trend has been steadily increasing since ****.
Share of non-contracted/ contracted private schools France: (***) Source: ****
A good way to understand the trend in private schools in France is to look at the number of pupils enrolled in these ...
2 Demand analysis
2.1 Typology of demand
Elementary and pre-elementary pupils enrolled in non-contractual schools France, ****, in units and percentages Ministry of Education
This graph shows the number of elementary and pre-elementary pupils in France enrolled in non-contractual education in ****, in units and as a percentage. It can be seen that the proportion of non-contract pupils is highest ...
2.2 Trends in private non-contractual schooling
growth in pupil numbers in non-contractual pre-school and elementary education France, ****-****, in units Ministry of Education
The number of pupils in non-contractual education rose steadily between **** and ****, from ***** to ***** pupils, an increase of ***%. This growth is particularly marked between **** and ****, with an increase of **%, and between **** and ****, with an increase ...
2.2 Out-of-contract private schools as an alternative to a difficult school career
Non-contractual private schools have the advantage of being differently selective and welcoming students with learning difficulties or who have dropped out of school, offering them an alternative pedagogy.
At primary level, schools are chosen for their different pedagogical approach; on the other hand, "choosing a non-contractual secondary school is often the ...
2.3 Private schools by socio-professional category
Despite the possibility of obtaining a scholarship to study in a private school (***), there is little social mix in private schools. in Paris, only *% of schoolchildren from disadvantaged socio-professional backgrounds attend private schools, despite the fact that **% of them live in the capital.
At national level, the situation is less extreme, ...
3 Market structure
3.1 Growth in the number of non-contract private schools in France
Overall, there is a clear upward trend in the number of non-contracted schools, which are becoming an increasingly important part of the French educational landscape.
Trend in the proportion of private schools without contract among all schools France, ****-****, in percent Ministry of Education
Between **** and ****, the share of collèges/lycées ...
3.2 Bilingual and international schools
Bilingual schools are becoming more and more common in France, and this trend has not escaped the so-called alternative schools.
These schools offer language courses (***) alongside the French language, and welcome students from kindergarten to lycée. Most of the time, groups are small to give students personalized support and to ...
3.3 Non-contracted private religious schools
According to the chart below, the majority of private schools with no contract are secular schools, offering no religious education whatsoever. These schools may follow the Steiner or Montessori methods, or offer bilingual teaching.
Type of private school France, ****, as % of total Source: ****
Reviews:
The Comité national d'action laïque (***) has ...
3.4 Focus on the Montessori and Steiner methods
Among secular schools, the breakdown by type is as follows:
Number of non-contract secular schools by type France, ****, in Source: ****
* : The so-called active pedagogies correspond to the Nuyts, Freinet, positive discipline methods, or even the most famous Steiner method
** : Specific target groups include disabled, gifted and dyslexic pupils.
Breakdown ...
3.5 Geographical distribution
Non-contract private primary school enrollment by academy at the start of the **** school year
[***]
Enrolment in non-contract private education (***) in secondary education by academy at the start of the **** school year.
[***]
There is a particularly high concentration in the Paris region, especially in the Académie de Versailles.
4 Offer analysis
4.1 Typology of private non-contract schools in France
Number of non-contract establishments by type France, ****, in units Ministry of Education
The majority of these establishments are schools (***).
The higher the level, the fewer these establishments are found: they are mainly designed for younger children.
4.2 Non-contractual preparatory classes
in Paris, a number of non-contracted private prep schools, such as Intégrale, Ipécom Paris, Ipésup and Prépa Commercia, achieve excellent results in competitive business school exams. Although these schools do not recruit via Parcoursup and are expensive (***), they stand out for their freedom in organizing programs and ...
4.3 Prices for non-contracted private schools
In terms of price, there are several varieties linked to several criteria. Non-contracted private schools are companies (***), which means they are responsible for recruiting their own teachers and paying their salaries, and are therefore more expensive. [***]
It is possible for families to receive financial aid for their children's schooling. Similarly, schools ...
5 Regulations
5.1 Regulatory framework for non-contracted private schools
State contract
In France, it is only after five years of operation that a private school can become "sous-contrat". At the end of this period, a school may apply to remain "hors-contrat", but is free to teach in an alternative mode that allows it to choose its programs and timetables. [***]
Teacher ...
5.2 A few rules to follow
Non-contractual private establishments must declare their opening to the academic rector, but their opening is automatic after * months, unless the authorities object. Opposition to opening may be based on various criteria, including reasons of public order, the nationality of the person opening the establishment, criminal convictions, teaching capacity, and others. Non-contractual ...
6 Positioning the players
6.1 Market segmentation
- La maison des enfants
- International School of Nantes
- Diagonale
- Ma Kindy
- Institution Saint-Dominique (Association)
- Galileo Global Éducation System
- Le Permis Libre
- Ornikar
- Ecole Saint Pie X
- Hattemer
- Hautefeuille
- Les Pinsons
- Mère Teresa
- Open Sky International
- Globeducate
List of charts presented in this market study
- Percentage of schools in France not under contract
- Market size of non-contract private schools
- Growth in the number of students in the non-contractual sector
- Growth in the number of non-contracted private schools
- Pupil numbers in non-contractual pre-elementary and elementary schools
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Latest news
Galileo Education opens a campus in Dijon - 16/12/2023
- Private higher education group Galileo Global Education plans to open a new 1,800 square meter campus in Dijon, France
- Three schools will be present: Ersac, Ecole Supérieure de Gestion (ESG) and Digital Campus.
- 200 students will be enrolled from the start of the academic year, and the number of students is expected to reach 1,000 by 2027.
- Galileo Global Education's investment in the new campus amounts to 3 million euros.
- One hundred trainers will be hired, for an hourly volume of between 30 and 100 hours.
- The cost of tuition for non-rotating students is 7,800 euros for one year.
Driving schools: ten years on, Ornikar dreams of European leadership - 04/10/2023
- Ornikar is an online training company for the highway code and driving lessons created in 2013.
- By 2021, it expects to have 420,000 customers for the code and 80,000 for driving.
- The company claims 2,000 active instructors in 8,000 of France's 36,000 communes.
- These instructors are expected to deliver 2 million driving hours by 2021.
- Ornikar is based in Paris and generates sales of 80 million euros with 250 employees.
- The company offers packages starting from 799 euros, i.e. 40% cheaper than traditional driving schools.
- Ornikar has raised 100 million euros in 2021.
- The company has a subsidiary, Onroad, in Spain. Ornikar has diversified its offer to include car insurance, with rates advertised as 25% cheaper than the average for traditional insurance.
Lepermislibre goes public - 01/02/2023
- Company founded in 2014
- Raised €6 million
- sales of €14.8 million by 2022
- 80 employees
- 900 freelance teachers
- 110.000 candidates in 2022
- Tariffs 30% lower than those of a driving school
- Commission between 18 and 25%
Grandes Ecoles: Galileo takes a stake in EMLyon and goes back on the offensive - 19/12/2022
- Galileo Global Education: 200,000 students trained every year on 106 campuses in 15 countries
- Galileo, Europe's leading private education group
- EMLyon aims to accelerate its international expansion and plans to buy other schools
- Galileo joins supervisory board with €50 million capital increase
Galileo Global Education invests 1.5 billion euros to expand its network of schools - 21/02/2022
- with a network of 55 schools on 85 campuses in some 20 countries, the Paris-based group has recently become the world leader in private education, ahead of the American Laureate Education.
- It has also taken over a school of applied arts in England, a design school in Madrid and IPETH, a training school for physiotherapists and nurses in Mexico.
- The originality of Galileo's offer is to cross-train within its network of 55 schools, so that a student from the Institut Culinaire de France in Bordeaux (recally acquired by Galileo) is also trained in stage direction by a teacher from the Cours Florent (to work on room service), in design by a teacher from Strate and in digital by Hétic.
- 5.000 employees
- Creation of four Eva Santé schools for care assistants, in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Hauts-de-France, Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Centre-Val de Loire,
- Creation of a medical school in Germany, in Frankfurt in 2022
- Galileo is backed by the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), Téthys Invest, the Bettencourt Meyers family investment fund, the British fund Montagu Private Equity and Bpifrance
- Galileo is valued at 5 billion euros, and its sales, kept secret, are expected to exceed one billion euros, half of which will be generated outside France.
- Within five years, the aim is to reach one million students, compared with 200,000 today.
With 100 million euros in its pocket, Ornikar is seeking to assert itself in the car insurance market. - 22/04/2021
- Online driving school Ornikar offers car insurance and new services such as additional training.
- More than 35% of driving test candidates in France use Ornikar's services.
- To diversify its business, the company has inaugurated a car insurance service.
- The start-up has raised a total of 146 million euros since 2013.
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the private school market | France
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