In 1920 a new school was built. It was a girls’ school. It was in Suresnes near Mont Valérien. This is the Collége Emile Zola. The socialist mayor Henri Sellier wanted a school for girls. He wanted them to continue their education after primary school. The school offered home economics and sewing. It opened in 1921. The Collége Emile Zola was a small school. It had 125 students at first. There was a high demand. Such schools were rare in suburban Paris. The red brick buildings were built by architect Charles Demay. Construction finished in 1933. The school expanded. It bought an adjoining property. In 1932 the school had 148 students and five teachers. They prepared for the Brevet d’études supérieures. They studied typing shorthand business and gymnastics. World War II interrupted classes. Noor Inayat Khan was a student. She joined the Resistance.
After the war the school became a modern girls’ college. It had almost 400 students. This was compared to 250 before the war. They had twelve classes. These went from 5th grade to philosophy. There was also a business class. They had 17 teachers. A new building was constructed because of the baby boom. In 1955 the college went from municipal to national oversight. It started preparing students for the baccalaureate. In 1960 it became a municipal modern and technical girls’ lycée. It had over 900 students in 26 classes. Four of these were technical education classes. There were 45 teachers.
Françoise Le Blond-Zola taught literature. She was Emile Zola’s granddaughter. The college was renamed in 1966-1967. It was the first lycée in France to have his name. In 1992 a bust of Emile Zola was placed in the garden. In 1968 the college became coeducational. The lycée classes moved to the nearby Paul-Langevin lycée in 1969. The Emile Zola lycée became a municipal college again. In 1975 it became a state college. It was renovated in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1980 its management passed to the Hauts-de-Seine General Council. Juliette Noureddine studied there. She became a famous singer. She wrote a song about her youth in the neighborhood Rue Roger-Salengro. The college’s centennial was celebrated in 2021-2022. An exhibition was created using municipal archives and the Suresnes Museum of Urban and Social History.
The Collège Emile Zola is made of several buildings. The tallest are four stories high. It’s built of reinforced concrete and brick. It has a terrace roof. Part of it has been listed as a historical monument since 1996. The Collége Emile Zola has a rich history. It stands as a testament to the importance of education. It has served generations of students in Suresnes.