Singapore is considered the smartest country, but not without a price. Students in Singapore spend about 9.5 hours per week on homework!
Finland has some of the smartest students across the globe, despite the fact that they have less than 3 hours of homework per week and schools give no exams and no grades.
Costa Rica spends about 8% of GDP on education (compared to our 6.4%). Their reward is a 98% literacy rate for people ages 15 to 24.
Russia averages only 470 instructional hours per year, compared to the international average of developed countries at 790 hours. Despite that, their literacy rates are 99.7%.
US students spend between 900 and 1000 instructional hours in school each year, and in 2015, we got the best scores as a nation in 20 years.
The high school enrollment rate in Latin American countries is 94.98%, which is 26% more than the global average. However, the high school graduation rate is only about 45% in Mexico.
Time Spent in School
About 6 hours per day of instructional time is the international average.
American students spend between 6 and 7 hours per day in school, for an average of 180 days per year.
Brazilian students start school at 7 am but go home in time for lunch.
French students go from 8:30 until 4:30, but with a 2-hour lunch break in the middle.
British students go to school from about 9 am until about 3:30 pm.
South Korean students have the longest school day, usually from 8 am until 4 pm, with higher grade students returning to school after dinner for another 3-hour study block.
Most Mexican students attend school for just 4 hours a day, often working the morning and attending school in the afternoons.
Interesting Facts:
Bangladeshi schools sometimes take place on boats.
Chinese schools emphasize learning drills and memorization.
Japanese schools have classes on moral topics such as compassion, diligence, and endurance.
Most South African parents pay for their children’s primary and secondary education.
French students get Wednesdays off each week but may have extra classes on Saturdays.
97% of US schools have at least one instructional computer and 78% of elementary school students regularly use a tablet at school.
In 2014, nearly 30% of college students were enrolled in at least one online class.