Paris Municipal Elections 2026: What Are the Candidates’ Education Proposals? Who’s Saying What

Paris is gearing up to elect its next mayor in March 2026. The municipal elections are scheduled for March 15 and 22, conducted in a two-round system, but with a novel voting process for residents of the capital. For the first time, voters will need to cast two separate ballots: one to choose their district councilors and another to elect the Paris city councilors, who will then be responsible for selecting the mayor of Paris. This marks a significant change in how municipal votes are conducted in the city.

One of the key issues for Parisians is education, which ranks high on the list of concerns. This is no surprise, as the city is actively involved in the daily lives of Parisian families through the management of schools, after-school services, and local educational policies: cafeteria options, childcare services, academic support, and various modes of assistance and educational partnerships are all tools at the municipality’s disposal. These factors shape the organization of school schedules, support for parents, and student achievement, which explains why this topic features prominently in local political agendas.

The City of Paris has tangible responsibilities when it comes to education:

• She oversees the public nursery and elementary schools and is responsible for maintaining the buildings;
• She organizes and funds school meals and after-school care services;
• She implements extracurricular educational and sports activities, often coordinating with local districts;
• She may provide financial support for additional educational projects such as associations, workshops, and more.

These policies are reflected daily through access to family services, support for students before and after school hours, and budget decisions that directly impact the quality of facilities and educational programs.

So, if education is one of your top concerns, Sortiraparis invites you to explore a summary of the proposals from the leading candidates for the Paris mayoralty on this topic. This overview is based on publicly available information such as official campaign websites, press releases, and media reports. The goal: provide readers with factual insights to help them form their own opinions.

• To be read
• 2026 Paris Municipal Elections: Candidate Program Proposals by Theme
• Municipal Elections 2026 in Paris: Your FAQs Answered
• This Week’s Top Deals in Paris and Île-de-France, February 9-15, 2026

Proposals on Education for the 2026 Paris Municipal Elections:

Please note that these proposals are updated regularly as programs are released and candidates are announced. In some cases, detailed measures have not yet been specified in publicly available sources; such omissions are noted accordingly.

Pierre-Yves Bournazel (Horizons – Backed by Renaissance)

So far, there are few detailed proposals explicitly related to education in the available program outlines. However, a few ideas do stand out:

• Implementing background checks for activity leaders and after-school staff, along with creating paired supervision teams (Sources: Le Parisien and Citoyens.com)
• Widespread installation of video surveillance cameras outside schools and colleges (Source: Valeurs Actuelles)
• Installing emergency alert buttons connected directly to police stations in schools and colleges (Source: Valeurs Actuelles)
• Minimum service guaranteed during strike days, ensuring student care (Source: Citoyens.com)
• Adjusting the educational program to prioritize adolescent well-being: delaying the start of middle school classes to 9 a.m. to "respect teenagers' sleep cycles" (Source: Le Parisien)
• Redesigning after-school programs with staff training and certification (Source: France24)
  • Regular surprise audits of after-school staff.
  • Allocating €8 million for staff training programs.
  • Coloring staff employment with permanent positions and offering bonuses.
• Extending after-school care hours until 7 p.m. (Source: France24)
• Organizing green classes and summer camps for students (Source: France24)
• A comprehensive plan for renovating public schools (Source: France24)
• Introducing well-being initiatives for teenagers, such as collecting smartphones at the start of the day in middle schools (Source: Le Parisien)

Sophia Chikirou (La France Insoumise / Nouveau Paris Populaire)

Here are the candidate's detailed proposals:

• Make school meals free for families with the lowest household quotients and increase the progressive nature of tariffs. (Source: official candidate site)
• Ensure support for all children with disabilities, including the creation of specialized inclusion animators and comprehensive training for educational staff. (Source: official candidate site)
• Guarantee the systematic presence of an ATSEM (specialized municipal agent) in every preschool class and ensure staff are trained in hygiene for extracurricular periods. (Source: official candidate site)
• Strengthen school health services to enable annual medical check-ups for every student. (Source: official candidate site)
• Transform extracurricular activities into a true educational service, respecting national staffing ratios and hiring permanent staff. (Source: official candidate site)
• Stabilize extracurricular teams by reducing reliance on temporary workers and converting or contracting insecure staff into permanent roles. (Source: official candidate site)
• Create a dedicated vocational pathway within extracurricular services, with enhanced training programs and career advancement from entry-level to senior positions. (Source: official candidate site)
• Develop free tutoring services and strengthen educational, cultural, and sports workshops in collaboration with associations. (Source: official candidate site)
• Modernize school and sports facilities by improving accessibility and proximity. (Source: official candidate site)
• Adapt schools to health and climate challenges through renovations of sanitary facilities, improved ventilation, and redesigned playgrounds. (Source: official candidate site)
• Enhance cooperation with associations and social centers through dedicated governance and multi-year funding. (Source: official candidate site)
• Promote the use of public education by limiting municipal support for private schooling to legal obligations and increasing transparency in funding. (Source: official candidate site)
• Implement a permanent municipal anti-racism education program across extracurricular activities, leisure centers, and municipal facilities. (Source: official candidate site)
• Require regular training for municipal staff in contact with minors on identifying and addressing racist behaviors. (Source: official candidate site)
• Establish a municipal inquiry commission into Parisian extracurricular services to investigate dysfunctions, responsibilities, and supervision conditions, especially following reports of violence. (Source: Le Parisien)
• Make "Parisian municipal education" a core pillar of local government efforts, with an increased role for the City in education alongside the national system, focusing on extracurricular activities and local educational policies. (Source: RTL)

Rachida Dati (Les Républicains/MoDem/UDI)

So far, there are few detailed proposals explicitly related to education in the available program outlines. However, a few ideas do stand out:

• Implementation of a four-day school week
• Establishment of supervised after-school activities
• Hiring exclusively qualified, certified activity leaders
• Rigorous screening of all applicants: background checks, verification against the sexual offenders database (FIJAIVS), and thorough environmental and personal background investigations
• Reducing the involvement of subsidized organizations during after-school hours
• Mandatory ongoing training, with a special focus on preventing gender-based violence and sexual abuse
• Enhanced support for students with disabilities, including training some staff as auxiliary public educators (AESH) and streamlining procedures through a single point of contact with MDPH
• Launching a comprehensive renovation plan for Parisian schools to improve facilities and learning environments (buildings, equipment)
• Extending school and nursery hours—earlier openings and later closures—to better balance family and work commitments
• Establishing "parenting centers" by expanding the role of PMI as a resource for family support and information beyond early childhood care
• Prioritizing social housing for nursery staff

Emmanuel Grégoire (Center-left coalition: PS – Socialist Party, Communist Party, Greens, Place Publique, L’Après)

So far, there are few detailed proposals explicitly related to education in the available program outlines. However, a few ideas do stand out:

• Support robust public services "from early childhood to school"
• Establish free "Mothers of 1,000 Days" centers across Paris to support families from pregnancy up to a child's second birthday
• Transform urban spaces for children with the creation of 1,000 pedestrian-friendly streets that are "designed for children to learn, play, and thrive"
• Create a dedicated role for a Deputy for Parenthood and Families at city hall
• Expand library and media center opening hours
• Introduce a "1 Month, 1 Discovery" program to enable children aged 4 to 11 to participate in an arts or cultural activity each month
• Revamp school and neighborhood environments as part of broader ecological and social initiatives
• Fight against class size reductions imposed by the state
• Enhance social diversity in public schools and middle schools by improving their appeal and adjusting sector boundaries
• Adjust financial support to private schools based on criteria that promote social and educational mix, aiming to reduce segregation
• Demand from the State a proper status for Education Assistants (AESH) and ensure continuity between school hours and extracurricular activities for a genuinely inclusive education system
• Open 50 new adapted education units for children with disabilities and develop mixed-use structures
• Guarantee at least one experiential learning trip for every child during their schooling in Paris
• Create a "perimeter school" offering, including during school holidays
• Launch a citizens' convention on school hours, extracurricular activities, and children's rights
• Fully professionalize the children’s recreation sector by ending casual contracts and ensuring 100% ongoing contracts throughout the day

Sarah Knafo (Reconquête)

• Immediate creation of 7,000 additional nursery places by reactivating existing spots.
• Salary increase of 10% at hiring for municipal nursery staff.
• Centralized management of nursery staff to better handle replacements and absences.
• Purchasing places in private nurseries that meet quality standards set by the city.
• Implementation of a single digital platform for nursery place allocation, with publicly available and traceable criteria.
• Enhanced screening and regular checks of extracurricular activity staff (criminal background, periodic verifications).
• Recruitment of parents and grandparents as temporary staff for extracurricular activities.
• Abolition of the "plastering" rule imposed on private schools.
• Equal access to municipal sports facilities for both public and private schools.
• Permitting the expansion or establishment of private schools, including through the sale of municipal properties.
• Opposition to social diversity criteria embedded in the Affelnet algorithm for high school placement.
• Mandatory use of French-sourced produce in school cafeterias.
• Strengthening oversight and transparency in both school and extracurricular supervision.

(Source: Official Candidate's Website)

Thierry Mariani (National Rally - UDR)

• Introduce mandatory school uniforms starting from primary school
• Reinstate the four-day school week
• Enhance support and supervision to assist students facing difficulties
• Implement a comprehensive early childhood protection plan and enforce zero tolerance for abuse

Marielle Saulnier (Working People's Front)

As of February 9, 2026, there have been no concrete proposals or measures explicitly dedicated to education announced on the candidate's official website or in the press.

Regarding education for the 2026 municipal elections in Paris, candidates' programs remain only partially outlined. Some frontrunners, such as Sophia Chikirou, have begun specifying policies directly related to education, while others have yet to publicly release detailed proposals on the subject.

This dossier will be updated gradually as candidates reveal more details about their education proposals. To deepen your understanding, you can also explore the comprehensive thematic summary of each candidate's positions on other municipal issues such as housing, mobility, environment, and more.

To help clarify the issues that matter most to you regarding the management of Paris, we've put together a thematic overview. You can find all these topics summarized below!

2026 Paris Municipal Elections: Candidate Program Proposals by Theme
The municipal elections are just around the corner, and you're eager to learn more about the candidates’ platforms for the Paris city hall? We've got you covered. Explore their proposals by theme—security, housing, environment, education, culture—and see where each candidate stands! [Read more]

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