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In June, the 92 ninth-graders at collège Mireille Choisy took their "brevet" exams. In Saint-Barthélemy, this ritual marks the end of the junior high school years and heralds the departure of the students to other climes to enter high school. At least for the majority of teenagers, since some of them prefer to stay on the island. This may be to enter the second year of secondary school or, alternatively, a course at the apprentice training center (CFA). For those who will be leaving in the next few weeks, the destinations are varied. However, one destination is clearly less popular than in the past: Canada.
Indeed, of the forty-nine students who have decided to follow a general second year, only three will take up residence in Canada at the start of the new school year. Three others will go to Portugal and one to Germany. For the majority of their fellow students (25 out of 49), their high school destination will be in France, spread across eleven different académies. It's worth noting, however, that among those who have chosen to enter their seconde générale in France, seven will join the permanent boarding school at Lycée Palissy in Agen. The quality of the school's welcome and supervision has made it a firm favorite with parents in Saint-Barth. But not all future high school students will go far away.
45% of students go on to vocational training
Indeed, two will continue their education in Guadeloupe, one in Martinique and another in Saint-Martin. As for the seconde générale offered at Mireille Choisy, it attracted 14 of the 49 students who recently graduated. For the time being, at least, the number of students has fallen sharply compared with previous years. In 2024/2025, the class welcomed 18 high school students. In contrast, the previous year, the Saint-Barth school had received authorization to open a second class to enable 36 students to remain on the island for their seconde. But the 14 seconde générale students won't be the only ones staying on Saint-Barth for the next school year.
Of the 92 ninth-graders enrolled this year at Mireille Choisy, 42 have decided to opt for a vocational course in September. Of course, not all of them will be staying on. In the vocational bac, one teenager will be going abroad, two to France (La Rochelle), two to Guadeloupe and one to Martinique. 16 will join Mireille Choisy's CFA.
For those who opted for the CAP (Certificat d'aptitude professionnelle) option, 14 were admitted to the CFA in Saint-Barth, four will go to France and two abroad. These trends demonstrate the success of the island's apprentice training center, where the teaching team strives every year to offer a virtually tailor-made range of courses. "It's all about lace," says Emmanuelle Dubois, principal of the Mireille Choisy college, on a regular basis.
Above and beyond all these figures, the departing students and their parents are preparing for the inevitable, and very early, separation.
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CAP students are a hit
On Monday June 30, the management of the Saint-Barthélemy Apprentice Training Center announced in an online publication that all CAP (Certificat d'aptitude professionnelle) students had obtained their diplomas. The 100% success rate is accompanied by honors for ten of the twelve graduates. Four were awarded "très bien", five "bien" and one "assez bien". These results are obviously a source of pride for the teaching staff, who emphasize not only the "commitment" of the apprentices, but also "the quality of the support provided". The management added: "Thanks to our apprentices, but also to the trainers, teaching teams and apprenticeship masters for their commitment throughout the year. "
