French students closed some high schools on Monday after returning from their autumn break, seeking to revitalize the protest movement despite concessions made by the government during the holiday.

The closures came after hundreds of thousands of people, including students, took to the streets across France on Saturday, marking the third consecutive weekend of protests.

The demonstrations against the high cost of living began after high school students launched protests in September against educational conditions and social inequality.

The government announced measures including reforming university admissions, ensuring more teachers, and capping class sizes.

But some students say these steps are not enough.

In the southern French city of Marseille, protesters placed several garbage containers in front of a high school entrance on Monday morning.

"We resumed our action because we were told we received some answers, but... it's clearly not enough," 16-year-old Miriam told AFP, sitting on one of the containers.

Education Minister Edouard Jeffrey said that only a small number of France's 3,700 high schools had been closed, mostly in the Paris region, as well as in areas in the north and south of the country.

He told France Inter radio that students must return to classes to avoid failing their exams.

"I have students who will be taking the baccalaureate exam at the end of the year, and several hundred thousand of them haven't been in class for four or five weeks," he added.

President Emmanuel Macron called for a calm return to school, saying that "young people have been heard."

With the EU's second-largest economy nearing the brink of recession, and under pressure to curb public debt, the government has little room to appease protesting students by increasing spending.