This page is a list of French education ministers.
A governmental position overseeing public education was first created in France in 1802. Following the various regime changes in France in the first decades of the 19th century, the position changed official status and name a number of times before the position of Minister of Public Instruction was created in 1828. For much of its history, the position was combined with that of Minister of Public Worship, who dealt with issues related to the Roman Catholic Church, except in instances where the Minister of Public Instruction was a Protestant. The position has also occasionally been combined with Minister of Sports and Minister of Youth Affairs. In 1932, the office's title was changed to Minister of National Education, although it was briefly changed back in 1940–1941, and was renamed Minister of Education during the presidency of Valéry Giscard d'Estaing (1974–1981).
Administrators (various titles) of Public Instruction or the University, 1802–1828 MinisterBeganEndedAntoine François Fourcroy (Directeur général de l'Instruction publique)14 September 1802 17 March 1808Louis de Fontanes (Grand maître de l'Université)17 March 180817 February 1815Louis-François de Bausset (Président du Conseil royal de l'Instruction publique)17 February 181520 March 1815Bernard Étienne Germain de la Ville sur Illon (Grand maître de l'Université impériale)20 March 18159 May 1815Charles-François Lebrun, duc de Plaisance (Grand maître de l'Université impériale)9 May 181515 August 1815Pierre-Paul Royer-Collard (Président de la commission de l'Instruction publique)15 August 18151818Frédéric Cuvier (Grand maître de l'Université)13 September 18191 November 1820Élie Decazes (Président de la commission de l'Instruction publique)29 December 181821 February 1820Joseph Jérôme, Comte Siméon (Président de la commission de l'Instruction publique)21 February 18204 October 1820Joseph Louis Joachim Lainé (Président du Conseil royal de l'Instruction publique)4 October 182021 December 1820Joseph Louis Joachim Lainé21 December 182031 July 1821Jacques Joseph Guillaume François Pierre Corbière (Président du Conseil royal de l'Instruction publique)31 July 18211 June 1822Frédéric Cuvier (Président par intérim du Conseil royal de l'Instruction publique)1 June 182226 August 1824Denis-Luc Frayssinous (Grand maître de l'Université royale)26 August 18241 February 1828Denis-Luc Frayssinous (Ministre des Affaires ecclésiastiques et de l'Instruction publique)1 February 182810 February 1828
Ministers of Public Instruction, 1828–1932 MinisterBeganEndedAntoine François Henri Lefebvre de Vatimesnil10 February 18288 August 1829Guillaume Isidore, comte de Montbel8 August 182918 November 1829Martial, comte de Guernon-Ranville18 November 182931 July 1830François Guizot31 July 18301 August 1830Louis, baron Bignon1 August 183011 August 1830Achille Léonce Victor Charles, duc de Broglie11 August 18302 November 1830Joseph Mérilhou2 November 183027 November 1830Félix Barthe27 November 183013 March 1831Marthe Camille Bachasson, comte de Montalivet13 March 183130 April 1832Louis Gaspard Amédée, baron Girod de l'Ain30 April 183211 October 1832François Guizot11 October 183210 November 1834Jean-Baptiste Teste10 November 183418 November 1834François Guizot18 November 183422 February 1836Privat Joseph Claramont, comte Pelet de la Lozère22 February 18366 September 1836François Guizot6 September 183615 April 1837Narcisse Achille de Salvandy15 April 183731 March 1839Narcisse Parant31 March 183912 May 1839Abel-François Villemain12 May 18391 March 1840Victor Cousin1 March 184029 October 1840Abel-François Villemain29 October 18401 February 1845Narcisse Achille de Salvandy1 February 184524 February 1848Hippolyte Carnot24 February 18485 July 1848Achille Tenaille de Vaulabelle5 July 184813 October 1848Alexandre Pierre Freslon13 October 184820 December 1848Alfred Frédéric, comte de Falloux20 December 184831 October 1849Marie Louis Pierre Félix Esquirou de Parieu31 October 184924 January 1851Charles Giraud24 January 185110 April 1851Marie Jean Pierre Pie Frédéric Dombidau de Crouseilhes10 April 185126 October 1851Charles Giraud26 October 18513 December 1851Hippolyte Fortoul3 December 18517 June 1856Gustave Rouland13 August 185623 June 1863Victor Duruy23 June 186317 July 1869Louis Olivier Bourbeau17 July 18692 January 1870Émile Alexis Segris2 January 187014 April 1870Maurice Richard14 April 187015 May 1870Jacques Philippe Mège15 May 187010 August 1870Jules Louis Joseph Brame10 August 18704 September 1870Jules Simon5 September 187017 May 1873William Henry Waddington18 May 187325 May 1873Anselme Batbie25 May 187326 November 1873Oscar Bardi de Fourtou26 November 187322 May 1874Arthur de Cumont22 May 187410 March 1875Henri-Alexandre Wallon10 March 18759 March 1876William Henry Waddington9 March 187617 May 1877Joseph Brunet17 May 187723 November 1877Hervé Faye23 November 187713 December 1877Agénor Bardoux13 December 18774 February 1879Jules Ferry4 February 187914 November 1881Paul Bert14 November 188130 January 1882Jules Ferry30 January 18827 August 1882Jules Duvaux7 August 188221 February 1883Jules Ferry21 February 188320 November 1883Armand Fallières20 November 18836 April 1885René Goblet6 April 188511 December 1886Marcellin Berthelot11 December 188630 May 1887Eugène Spuller30 May 188712 December 1887Léopold Faye12 December 18873 April 1888Édouard Lockroy3 April 188822 February 1889Armand Fallières22 February 188917 March 1890Léon Bourgeois17 March 18906 December 1892Charles Dupuy6 December 18924 April 1893Raymond Poincaré4 April 18933 December 1893Eugène Spuller3 December 189330 May 1894Georges Leygues30 May 189426 January 1895Raymond Poincaré26 January 18951 November 1895Émile Combes1 November 189529 April 1896Alfred Rambaud29 April 189628 June 1898Léon Bourgeois28 June 18981 November 1898Georges Leygues1 November 18987 June 1902Joseph Chaumié7 June 190224 January 1905Jean-Baptiste Bienvenu-Martin24 January 190514 March 1906Aristide Briand14 March 19064 January 1908Gaston Doumergue4 January 19083 November 1910Maurice Faure3 November 19102 March 1911Théodore Steeg2 March 191114 January 1912Gabriel Guist'hau14 January 191221 January 1913Théodore Steeg21 January 191322 March 1913Louis Barthou22 March 19139 December 1913René Viviani9 December 19139 June 1914Arthur Dessoye9 June 191413 June 1914Victor Augagneur13 June 19143 August 1914Albert Sarraut3 August 191429 October 1915Paul Painlevé29 October 191512 December 1916René Viviani12 December 191620 March 1917Théodore Steeg20 March 191712 September 1917Charles Daniel-Vincent12 September 191716 November 1917Louis Lafferre16 November 191727 November 1919Léon Bérard27 November 191920 January 1920André Honorrat20 January 192016 January 1921Léon Bérard16 January 192129 March 1924Henry de Jouvenel29 March 19249 June 1924Adolphe Landry9 June 192414 June 1924François Albert14 June 192417 April 1925Anatole de Monzie17 April 192511 October 1925Yvon Delbos11 October 192528 November 1925Édouard Daladier28 November 19259 March 1926Lucien Lamoureux9 March 192623 June 1926Bertrand Nogaro23 June 192619 July 1926Édouard Daladier19 July 192623 July 1926Édouard Herriot23 July 192611 November 1928Pierre Marraud11 November 192821 February 1930Jean Durand21 February 19302 March 1930Pierre Marraud2 March 193013 December 1930Camille Chautemps13 December 193027 January 1931Mario Roustan27 January 19313 June 1932
Ministers of National Education, 1932–present MinisterBeganEndedAnatole de Monzie3 June 193230 January 1934Aimé Berthod30 January 19348 November 1934André Mallarmé8 November 19341 June 1935Mario Roustan1 June 19357 June 1935Philippe Marcombes7 June 193513 June 1935Mario Roustan17 June 193524 January 1936Henri Guernut24 January 19364 June 1936Jean Zay4 June 193610 September 1939Yvon Delbos13 September 193921 March 1940Albert Sarraut21 March 19405 June 1940Yvon Delbos5 June 194016 June 1940Albert Rivaud16 June 194012 July 1940Émile Mireaux (Minister of Public Instruction)12 July 19406 September 1940Georges Ripert (Minister of Public Instruction)6 September 194013 December 1940Jacques Chevalier (Minister of Public Instruction)13 December 194023 February 1941Jérôme Carcopino25 February 194118 April 1942Abel Bonnard18 April 194219 August 1944René Capitant19 August 194421 November 1945Paul Giacobbi21 November 194526 January 1946Marcel Edmond Naegelen26 January 194612 February 1948Édouard Depreux12 February 194826 July 1948Yvon Delbos26 July 19485 September 1948Michel Tony-Révillon5 September 194811 September 1948Yvon Delbos11 September 19482 July 1950André Morice2 July 195012 July 1950Pierre-Olivier Lapie12 July 195011 August 1952André Marie11 August 195219 June 1954Jean Berthoin19 June 19541 February 1956René Billères1 February 195614 May 1958Jacques Bordeneuve14 May 19581 June 1958Jean Berthoin1 June 19588 January 1959André Boulloche8 January 195923 December 1959Michel Debré23 December 195915 January 1960Louis Joxe15 January 196023 November 1960Pierre Guillaumat23 November 196020 February 1961Lucien Paye20 February 196115 April 1962Pierre Sudreau15 April 196215 October 1962Louis Joxe15 October 196228 November 1962Christian Fouchet28 November 19626 April 1967Alain Peyrefitte6 April 196730 May 1968François-Xavier Ortoli30 May 196810 July 1968Edgar Faure10 July 196823 June 1969Olivier Guichard23 June 19697 July 1972Joseph Fontanet7 July 197228 May 1974René Haby (Minister of Education)28 May 19745 April 1978Christian Beullac (Minister of Education)5 April 197822 May 1981Alain Savary22 May 198119 July 1984Jean-Pierre Chevènement19 July 198420 March 1986René Monory20 March 198612 May 1988Lionel Jospin12 May 19882 April 1992Jack Lang2 April 199229 March 1993François Bayrou29 March 19934 June 1997Claude Allègre4 June 199728 March 2000Jack Lang28 March 20007 May 2002Luc Ferry7 May 200231 March 2004François Fillon31 March 20042 June 2005Gilles de Robien2 June 200515 May 2007Xavier Darcos18 May 200723 June 2009Luc Chatel23 June 200916 May 2012Vincent Peillon16 May 201231 March 2014Benoît Hamon2 April 201425 August 2014Najat Vallaud-Belkacem26 August 201417 May 2017Jean-Michel Blanquer17 May 201720 May 2022Pap Ndiaye20 May 202220 July 2023Gabriel Attal20 July 20239 January 2024Amélie Oudéa-Castéra11 January 202408 February 2024Nicole Belloubet08 February 202421 September 2024Anne Genetet21 September 202423 December 2024Élisabeth Borne23 December 202412 October 2025 Édouard Geffray12 October 2025 -