Home education (IEF) refers to the fact that parents themselves ensure the compulsory education of their child outside of any school institution. Since the start of the 2022 school year, this mode of education is no longer accessible on simple declaration: it requires prior authorization granted by the academic director of national education services (DASEN).
This shift from a declarative regime to an authorization regime has profoundly changed the daily lives of the families involved, their access to educational resources, and the way they prepare for academic assessments.
Authorization regime IEF: the four reasons to know
The Education Code (articles L. 131-2 and L. 131-5) now limits home education to four categories of reasons. The DASEN examines each request individually, child by child.
- Health condition or disability of the child, justified by medical certificates or MDPH notifications.
- Practice of intensive sports or artistic activities, certified by a federal structure or a conservatory.
- Family itinerancy in France or geographical distance from any public school.
- Existence of a situation specific to the child motivating the educational project, the most frequently cited reason and also the most often denied.
The “specific situation” category concentrates the majority of disputes. The administration cannot refuse in a stereotypical manner without examining the actual situation of the child, and administrative courts regularly annul decisions based on insufficient motivations.
To browse all the content from Home Educ related to preparing the authorization file and suitable educational resources, the site map serves as a useful entry point.
Decrease in the number of children in IEF after the reform
The effect of the transition to the authorization regime is reflected in the figures from the Ministry of Education. For the 2024-2025 school year, 30,644 children were home educated, compared to 72,369 in 2021-2022, which was before the full implementation of the reform. The decrease exceeds half of the initial number.
This contraction does not mean that families have given up on all alternative projects. Some have turned to private schools, while others have enrolled in CNED programs with regulated registration. The pool of families truly committed to IEF has narrowed to those who meet a documented reason and who master the administrative procedure.
Appeal after a refusal of IEF authorization
A refusal from the DASEN is not final, provided that a strict timeline is followed. The mandatory prior administrative appeal (RAPO) must be submitted within fifteen days following the notification of the refusal. This appeal is examined by an academic commission chaired by the rector.
If the RAPO fails, the family can take the matter to the administrative court. Courts regularly annul refusals based on insufficient motivations, particularly when the administration relies on standard forms without analyzing the presented educational project.
Educational content to support home education
Once authorization is obtained, the central question becomes that of resources. The academic assessment verifies that the child is progressing in accordance with the expectations of the common core of knowledge. Having structured content is therefore not optional.
Several types of materials coexist. Institutional platforms like Lumni offer free videos and quizzes, from kindergarten to high school. The CNED provides a complete curriculum with monitoring but requires formal registration. Specialized tools (language apps, science kits, tutoring platforms) complement the offerings based on each child’s needs.
The choice of resources depends on the educational project declared in the authorization file. A project based on active pedagogies (Montessori, Freinet, autonomous learning) will not use the same materials as a project modeled on the national education programs. In any case, the traceability of learning (notebooks, portfolios, regular assessments) facilitates the annual review.
Academic assessment of IEF: what is actually evaluated
The pedagogical assessment occurs at least once a year. An inspector visits the home or summons the family to the academy’s premises. The evaluation focuses on the child’s progress, not on strict compliance with the school curriculum.
The inspector checks that the child acquires the competencies of the common core at a pace compatible with their age. Parents present the work completed, the materials used, and the objectives of the educational project. An interview with the child, appropriate to their age, is part of the process.
If results are deemed insufficient during an initial assessment, a second assessment is organized. If gaps persist, the DASEN may require the parents to enroll the child in a school. However, this procedure is still regulated: the family can contest the requirement and present contextual elements.
Preparing for the assessment is a major challenge for families in IEF. Documenting learning throughout the year, keeping the child’s work, and formalizing progress in writing are practices that protect both the child and the parents during the evaluation.
The current legal framework for IEF remains a point of tension between the freedom of education and compulsory schooling. For families who commit to it, mastering the administrative file is as important as the quality of the educational content. One does not work without the other.
