"Republican schools are built on very strong values and principles, notably secularism… I have decided that the wear of abayas in school will no longer be allowed," he told TF1 television on Sunday.
Attal argued that secularism was "not a restriction but a freedom, a freedom to form your own opinion and emancipate yourself through school."
The minister said he would meet with educational authorities this week to instruct them on new guidelines regarding this type of Muslim clothing, which covers the entire body from head to toe.
A 2004 French law banned religious clothing in schools, including large crosses, Jewish kippas and Islamic headscarves.
The French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM) previously argued that clothing alone is not necessarily "a religious sign."