[2][3] During World War II, Cohn-Bendit's parents took refuge in Montauban, with his mother serving as treasurer of the Maison des enfants de Moissac [fr].

After secondary school, Cohn-Bendit studied philosophy, influenced by Jean-Paul Sartre, who also inspired him to join the French Communist Party.

In 1959, he moved to Saint-Nazaire after his wife obtained a job there, and he earned a degree in German, subsequently becoming a secondary school teacher of the language.

After the election of François Mitterrand in 1981, Cohn-Bendit successfully advocated for the opening of the Lycée expérimental de Saint-Nazaire [fr].

However, he was unable to settle into Burkina Faso and returned to France and founded the Groupement des retraités éducateurs sans frontières.