Children in France have long school days, beginning at 8:30 in the morning. There is a two-hour lunch break, and then they resume classes until 4:30. They will also go to school on either Wednesday or Saturday morning, and then have the rest of the day off. The school schedule in Quebec, however, is similar to the schedule in the United States. Kids go to school from 8:30 to 3:30 and there is never any school on Saturday.

In France, up until the high school level (lycée), kids eat a hot lunch (un repas chaud) at school, served in the cafeteria. In general, this will be a hearty, French style meal, or in the case of many international schools such as the American School in Paris, there will be a combination of French and American cuisines. The students bring a sandwich or a piece of fruit or cookies from home for a snack (le goûter) at ten o'clock. In high school, students are allowed to have their lunch meal wherever they choose, off the school property. In Quebec, kids are allowed to bring their lunches to school.

The school year begins on September first in France and this is called la Rentrée (the return). The school year ends in June, with the summer vacation beginning on the first Friday or Saturday of July. In Quebec the dates are a little different, with the school year beginning around the third week of August and ending at the beginning of July.

Besides the two month summer vacation there is a one-week vacation at the end of October which includes La Toussaint (All Saints Day), a national holiday; a two week break at Christmas followed by two weeks in February (the winter break); two weeks in April and May which includes Easter (spring break). Some school vacations vary slightly in Paris, for example, so that all kids are not out at the same time

The vacation calendar for French-speaking Canada is similar to that of the United States, with Halloween being one of the most popular holidays in Quebec. Just as in the United States, kids dress up in costumes and go trick-or-treating for candy. Easter egg hunts are also popular in Quebec in spring.