collège
/kɔ.lɛʒ/
The French term for junior high school is collège.
The term collège is used to refer to both the institution and the level of schooling for children that have completed elementary school.
Meaning: school for children that have completed elementary school (noun)
Which one should you use?
In the French education system, collège refers specifically to the middle school level (ages 11, 15), whereas lycée refers to high school.
How do you pronounce it?
/kɔ.lɛʒ/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly assume collège means 'college' (university level), but in French, collège is for junior high students and université or faculté is used for higher education.
Did you know?
- In France, the final year of collège ends with a national exam called the brevet, which students study for throughout the year.
- The word collège comes from the Latin collēgium, which originally referred to a group of people with a common goal or a professional guild.
- While collège means 'middle school' in France, it can refer to a different level of schooling or a specific type of institution in other French-speaking countries like Belgium or Canada.
Examples in context
- Je suis au collège.I'm a junior high school student.This sentence is useful for saying you are a student at the collège.Tatoeba #3766282 by gillux, translation #252301 by CK
- Il est entré au collège.He entered junior high school.This sentence is useful for saying someone has entered the collège.Tatoeba #15479 by Julien_PDC, translation #301528 by CK
- J'ai commencé le français au collège.I started to learn French in junior high school.This sentence is useful for saying you started learning French at the collège.Tatoeba #8274167 by dolomitt, translation #8274144 by CK
- Mon frère aîné est élève au collège.My older brother is a student at junior high school.
- Elle étudie beaucoup pour réussir son brevet de collège.She is studying hard to pass her junior high school diploma.
- Je vais en sixième cette année, je rentre au collège !I'm going into sixth grade this year, I'm going to junior high school!
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Gabriel are talking about their children's education.
- EmmaTon fils est déjà au collège ?Is your son already in junior high school?
- GabrielOui, il a commencé le collège en septembre.Yes, he started junior high school in September.
- EmmaEst-ce qu'il aime ses nouveaux professeurs ?Does he like his new teachers?
- GabrielOui, il adore sa classe.Yes, he loves his class.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry collège, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries collège, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
