The Guizot law is one of the first French national legislations on primary schooling. It made mandatory for each municipality over 500 inhabitants to open a fund primary school for boys. Teachers were to be paid by the municipal authorities, with a minimum remuneration of 200 francs per year.
After the passing of the law, in June 1833, François Guizot, Minister of Public Instruction, launched a vast survey to evaluate the state of primary education in France. In Fall 1833, about five hundred inspectors visited all boys' primary schools and mixed schools in all departments except Corsica. This survey was unprecedented in its scope, precision and reliability (although the data disappeared for Allier, Ille-et-Vilaine and Nord). It covers the administrative, financial, material and pedagogical aspects of the schools visited and provides information on each teacher.