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First Official Report Released on France’s School Uniform Experiment
The first official assessment of a two-year trial launched by then Education Minister Gabriel Attal in 2023 found modest and mixed impacts. The study, covering about 100 schools including Bordes School in Metz, highlighted significant differences in perception between adults and students. The measure was intended to strengthen cohesion and create an atmosphere of equality.
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The first official assessment of France's "standard uniform" experiment concluded that the measure had limited effects on student behavior and learning. Released on Tuesday, May 12 by the ministry's statistics department in collaboration with the independent group FORS-Social Research, the report also found impacts were modest and mixed on the school environment.
The experiment was launched in 2023 by then Education Minister Gabriel Attal.
It has involved about 100 elementary, middle and high schools and was rolled out in about 100 schools since the start of the 2024 academic year for a trial period set to last two years. Wearing a uniform became mandatory at the Bordes School in Metz on September 2, 2024 as part of the experiment.
Le Monde reported that the first study on the measure highlights significant differences in perception between adults and students.
Le Monde reported that these were the main aims of the measure. The report is not final, but it is nonetheless critical of school uniforms. The assessment comes as the trial continues through its full two-year period.
