School children in France head back to class on Thursday, faced with a raft of new changes. 

 

Here's a closer look in numbers at the state of French schools at the start of the new school year.

 

12.4 million

 

The total number of school kids this year. Of these, 6.81 million will be at primary school (école), 3.33 million at middle school (collèges), and 2.26 million at high school (lycée).

 

6,000 to 12,000

 

The average expenditure, in euros, for each student. This is broken down to €6,120 for those in primary school, €8,410 for middle schoolers, and from €11,190 to €12,230 for high schoolers. 

 

861,000

 

The total number of teachers across the 63,600 schools in France.

 

 

190.24

 

The average cost, in euros, of a getting equipment for going back to school. This includes things like books, paper, and sport uniforms, noted the organisation Familles de France.

 

42,338

 

The number of new jobs in schools created since 2012. This comes as part of the government's pledge to create 54,000 new teaching posts in state schools by 2017.

 

1,200

 

Teachers in elementary schools will see their ISAE allowance raised from €400 to €1,200 as part of the government’s efforts to boost teachers’ pay. This will match what teachers in primary schools get.

 

503

 

The number of new teachers starting in Seine-Saint-Denis, the department in the suburbs of Paris that will see the biggest increase in teaching staff this year. The area has been hit by chronic teacher shortages in recent years.