French students' academic performance does not show a consistent decline from the earliest years of schooling, according to recent national evaluations. In 2025, sixth-grade students performed better in both French and mathematics than they did in 2017. In French, the share of students in the lowest performance group dropped from 31.7% in 2017 to 28% in 2025. However, this improvement does not continue through their education. In middle school, some performance indicators decline, and in the second year of high school, the decline in French becomes more pronounced. In eighth grade, performance in French decreased compared to 2023, with more students falling into the lowest performing group. In mathematics, the trend was different, showing that the education system cannot be described by a single downward trend. Between 2021 and 2025, the average score of students in general and technological high schools increased slightly from 260 to 251 points. However, the proportion of students in the least performing group rose from 12.4% to 20.2%. Academic challenges become more apparent at higher education levels due to the increasing complexity of the material. In middle school and high school, students are expected to understand more complex texts and work more independently. A learning difficulty that was not very noticeable in primary school can become more impactful at these levels. In 2025, 85.5% of students passed the national baccalaureate exam, a rate that remained almost unchanged. These figures do not contradict each other, as the baccalaureate and national evaluations measure different skills under different conditions. Social inequalities are a significant factor in the gaps in academic performance. Evaluations show that students' success varies greatly based on their social background and the characteristics of their schools. In 2025, the success gap between students in the most advantaged middle schools and those in the most disadvantaged schools reached 21.6 points in the general series. This highlights that while the national average may suggest stability, the reality varies widely, with students starting sixth grade with different levels of achievement and learning conditions. France is expected to have 1.68 million fewer students by 2035, with a 14.2% decrease in student numbers in both public and private schools under contract. For the 2026 school year, the Ministry of National Education expects 11.61 million students, about 161,000 fewer than the previous year. This demographic shift will significantly impact the French school system, potentially leading to smaller class sizes in some areas. However, the decline in student numbers will not be evenly distributed, with some schools continuing to face challenges while others experience notable decreases in enrollment.