What was the school career of your ancestors?
Let it be said, retrace the life of our ancestors does not stop finding 3 acts in parish or civil status registers.
What matters, sometimes the most is to find moments of life, archives that allow you to immerse yourself in the daily lives of our ancestors. Today, focus on the school career of our ancestors and their diplomas.
Post-revolution education in France, in a few dates
• 5 nivôse year II (December 25, 1793): The Convention votes the text which makes teaching secular, free and compulsory in France. The teachers replace the priests and primary education is open to everyone. The Ministry of Public Education is created.
• 1794: Universities are replaced by professional and medicine professional schools. The Polytechnic School and the National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts were founded the same year.
• 3 Brumaire year IV (October 25, 1795): The Daunou law abolished the obligation of education and sets up central schools for secondary school (whose sciences are the main education).
• 1799: Napoleon Bonaparte restores religious schools.
• 1802: Foundation of the first high schools.
• 1808: Napoleonic decree on education → Schools must follow the "Principles of the Catholic Church".
• 1833: municipalities with more than 500 inhabitants must have a school for boys.
• 1834: Women can temporarily direct boys or mixed institutions.
• 1850: Falloux law → All municipalities must have a school of boys and a school of girls (if they can). Two lessons are possible: public and funded by the State or free and provided by the Catholic Church.
• 1882: Laws Jules Ferry → Education is compulsory from 6 to 13 years old (or until the certificate of primary studies established in the same year). The high schools remain paid and reserved for the bourgeoisie.
• 1904: Religious can no longer teach in Catholic schools.
• 1919: Astier law → Creation of specialized establishments for technical education.
• 1924: Girls can pass their baccalaureate to access universities.
• 1968 : la mixité devient la norme dans toutes les écoles et l’université est réformée vers plus d’autonomie dans son administration.
• 1971: The school is compulsory up to 16 years.
💡 Good to know:
Immerse yourself in your memories of the School of yesteryear thanks to the online site School of the past. We talk about material, diplomas, awards, lessons, recreation and much more!
Where to find information on the school career of our ancestors
• In the Departmental Archives (T series) : In theory, registers concerning French schools, colleges and high schools had to be paid to AD. But in many municipalities, the archives are stored in the granaries of schools rather than in the archives. The registers are interesting because it includes information on the student (dates, contact details, information on parents, etc.). Note that the communicability deadline for these archives is 120 years after the birth of the person.
• The old local press : At the time, local newspapers relayed the diploma discounts. It is therefore not uncommon to find your surname in the old press if an ancestor has received its primary study certificate, its baccalaureate or a university diploma. You can do this search in Gallica or on Ancient press line sites.
• In your family archives : a class photo, a diploma ... All documents that can give you tracks on the school career of an ancestor can be useful in your research.
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