France’s 2027 budget increases overall education spending but secondary schools, universities and student programmes will lose hundreds of millions of euros when inflation is factored in, a Reuters analysis finds, despite a government post missing that context.

"Soyons Clair" ("Let's Be Clear"), the French government's newly launched social media fact-checking account, said on X in early October that opposition lawmaker Éric Coquerel was incorrect in claiming the proposed 2027 budget cut €840 million ($942 million) from schools and higher education budgets compared with this year.

“A €840 million cut to education and higher education? That’s false,” the account said on October 5, as violent protests by high school students swept across the country.

The day before, Coquerel had referenced French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu in an X post that said, in part, “Education and higher education budgets are declining! If we take 2.1% inflation into account, which makes sense, the secondary plus university budget … is down -840 M€.”The government’s fact-checking account disputed Coquerel’s post by citing the budget’s education spending increases, including an extra €1.1 billion for schools and an additional €423 million for higher education and research.

The Education Ministry says its total budget for 2027 will reach €89.1 billion, representing an increase of €1.2 billion, or 1.9% over 2026 spending.

However, the figures cited by the government refer to an increase in the ministry’s overall spend, whereas Coquerel focused just on secondary schools, student programmes and higher education, and used the government’s own latest 2.1% annual inflation measurement to calculate an effective cut in those categories for 2027.

Coquerel referred to three specific segments in the education budget: public secondary education, university education and research, and student life, while figures cited by the government’s fact-checking account refer to sectors that Coquerel did not mention, including primary schools.

The government's broader Education Ministry budget of €89.1 billion includes primary education, private schools under contract, agricultural education, central administration and other research programmes. Its largest headline figure – for a €1.2 billion overall increase - also includes state pension contributions.

Public secondary education, covering middle and high schools, is allocated €40.284 billion in 2027, up from €40.002 billion in 2026 - an increase of roughly €282 million, the draft 2027 budget shows. But adjusting for 2.1% inflation, the programme is about €558 million below the amount needed to maintain its 2026 purchasing power.

Likewise, the university education and research programme rises from €15.724 billion in 2026 to €15.786 billion in 2027 but remains about €268 million below its inflation-adjusted 2026 level. The student-life programme, which includes grants and support services, rises to €3.331 billion, from €3.275 billion, but is about €13 million short after inflation.

Together, the nominal budget for those three categories increases by €399 million, or about 0.68%. But the inflation-adjusted shortfalls total roughly €839 million, which is a close match to Coquerel's €840 million figure, Reuters found.

If the government’s 2027 official inflation forecast of 1.8% is used, instead of the July 2026 estimate of 2.1%, the inflation-adjusted decrease for those three categories in the 2027 budget is €662 million, Reuters calculated. A final vote on the draft budget legislation is expected in mid-November.

Missing context. French education spending rises in 2027, including a nominal increase of €399 million in three categories cited in Éric Coquerel’s social media post, however when the same budget figures are adjusted for inflation, spending in those categories falls by up to €839 million.