High school blockades are set to resume this Monday, November 2, 2026, the day students return from the Toussaint break. In Paris, Val-de-Marne, Seine-Saint-Denis and Hauts-de-Seine, high school and student organizations are calling for high schools and universities to be blockaded. The mobilization is expected to step up a notch on Tuesday, November 3, ahead of further blockades on Thursday, November 5, the day of a cross-sector strike. A student demonstration is also planned in the capital on Tuesday.
Blockades are taking place outside several schools this morning, called by the Les Lycéens! movement. Elsewhere, students are meeting in general assemblies to organize the rest of the week. The movement, which began in mid-September at Saint-Exupéry High School in Créteil, is now entering a new phase after a two-week break.
High school students have not changed course since September. They are calling for more teachers, replacements for absent teachers, smaller classes and a proper plan to renovate school buildings. Parcoursup remains the focus of much of the criticism, particularly among students in their final year.
The government tried to ease tensions during the school holidays. On October 26, Education Minister Édouard Geffray announced a two-stage overhaul of Parcoursup (initial improvements for the 2027 admissions cycle, followed by a new system in 2028), a €5 billion plan to renovate high schools and universities, smaller classes, and more places in higher education. Details of the measures are available on the website of the Ministry of National Education.
These announcements failed to convince. High school student organizations say the timeline is too distant and want concrete action now.
The Union syndicale lycéenne (USL) and the Union étudiante have jointly called for high schools and universities to be blocked on Tuesday, and again on Thursday. Ryad Rani, president of the USL, stands by a two-stage strategy: general assemblies on Monday, followed by blockades starting Tuesday, “for as long as necessary.”
The Les Lycéens ! movement, led by Pierre Sourzat, called for blockades starting with classes resuming this Monday, and blockades took place as early as this morning. It is expecting a much stronger turnout on Tuesday.
It is still difficult to predict how many schools will be affected. Before the holidays, more than 160 high schools in the Île-de-France region had to close entirely or partially on the busiest days. Neither the ministry nor the regional government has yet released official figures on the high schools blocked this Monday.
Alongside the blockades, Interfac Île-de-France, which brings together university general assemblies, has called a student demonstration for Tuesday. The march is due to set off from Place du Panthéon in the 5th arrondissement and head to the Medef headquarters on Avenue Bosquet in the 7th.
The planned route runs along Boulevard Saint-Michel, Port-Royal, Boulevard du Montparnasse, Boulevard des Invalides and Avenue Duquesne, covering around 5 km. The Latin Quarter, Montparnasse and the Invalides area will therefore be the most affected during the day. The route has yet to be confirmed by the Paris Police Prefecture.
In recent weeks, the Paris police prefecture has not hesitated to ban certain marches, prohibit unauthorized gatherings in several neighborhoods, or ban the carrying of dangerous objects in Paris and the inner suburbs. Further orders and metro station closures cannot be ruled out.
On Thursday, high school students won’t be alone in the streets. The inter-union coalition (CFDT, CGT, FO, Unsa and FSU) is calling for an cross-sector strike over wages, pensions and public services. The CGT is even calling for a general strike starting that day. USL and Union étudiante are planning new blockades of high schools and universities at the same time.
Schools risk being hit twice. The Snes-FSU, the main union representing secondary school teachers, is preparing a major mobilization in middle and high schools. In primary schools, teachers planning to strike must give 48 hours’ notice, and the local authority sets up a minimum childcare service whenever a quarter of them go on strike.
In the transport sector, the four representative SNCF unions have filed a joint strike notice. Traffic forecasts are expected on Wednesday, November 4, at around 5 p.m. on Transilien, and it’s also best to check the RATP website the previous evening. For all the details, see our article on the November 5, 2026 general strike.
The route of the Paris demonstration has not yet been made public. For the October 31 demonstration, the police prefecture had imposed a route along the outskirts of Paris, far from the city center.
Everything can change in a matter of minutes, often as early as 7 a.m. at the gates. A high school blockaded by students is not necessarily closed: an administrative closure is decided by the school administration or the regional education authority, while other schools remain open with classes disrupted. Messages sent via the school’s online portal or Pronote remain the most reliable source of information, particularly for finding out whether remote lessons are being organized.
The Île-de-France Region, which is responsible for lycée buildings, also regularly reports on schools that are closed or in poor condition. For this week’s journeys, our roundup of transport disruptions in Paris and Île-de-France is updated every week.
After these first blockades, Tuesday will serve as a barometer for gauging the scale of the mobilization. Thursday will show whether high school students, university students and workers can unite.
Dates and Opening Time
From November 2, 2026 to November 5, 2026
