Estonia Tops PISA Standardized Test

Estonian high school students topped the latest PISA rankings for the European continent. (Estonian Ministry of Education)

Results of the 2018 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), released December 3, ranks Estonian 15-year-olds the most competent in Europe in reading, math, and science. 

Estonia has consistently scored highly among European nations on the standardized test, which has been conducted every three years since 2006. However, the 2018 iteration marks the first time Estonia has topped the continent in all three subjects, beating out nations such as Finland, Switzerland, and Ireland. These countries ranked higher than Estonia in at least one of the subjects in 2015. 

Mailis Reps, Estonia’s education minister, admits that the country’s educational model, formed after the breakup of the Soviet Union, was largely based on those of nearby Scandinavia. “Let’s try something like that because it works in Sweden or Finland” was a common sentiment during debates on educational policy, according to Reps. However, the 2018 results reveal that Estonia has surpassed the nations it once looked to imitate.

Mart Laidmets, the vice-minister of education and research, attributed the nation’s success to the effective distribution of resources. The nation’s education budget prioritizes teachers’ salaries as well as modern materials and buildings. Laidmets also cited the autonomy offered to teachers as a contributor to the country’s high performance. 

Experts have looked to widespread access to early childhood education as another important factor. Most Estonian children begin school at age three, and kindergarten emphasizes the preparation of students for compulsory schooling, which begins at age seven. The system works to place children on a level playing field as they enter school, encouraging uniform educational success regardless of background. This is reflected in Estonia’s gap in PISA performance based on socioeconomic status, which was lower than the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) average. 

Although PISA is intended as a tool for shaping education policy, experts have suggested that schools themselves do not have as much of an impact on results as is commonly thought. Cultural views of education play a prominent role. Laidmets pointed to the parental understanding that “education gives people the chance to move forward and to reach their potential” as an important component of students’ success.

One surprising factor is Estonia’s rapidly declining school population, caused by emigration and a low birth rate. Andreas Schleicher, the head of education at the OECD, observed that the situation fosters a “healthy degree of competition” between schools, as they vie for more students. In many rural schools, the low population means considerable personal attention for each pupil. According to Reps, classes can be as small as two or three students. 

High spending, however, has proven less essential to Estonia’s success. The nation’s educational spending per student is 30 percent lower than the OECD average. Meanwhile, even as OECD countries have increased their expenditures on schooling by 15 percent over the last decade, scores have largely stagnated. PISA results show a link between education spending and student performance at lower spending levels, but beyond a threshold of $50,000, increased expenditures show little effect. Estonia is a prime example of this phenomenon; although both Estonia and Latvia spend around $65,000 per student, Estonia’s PISA scores are significantly higher. 

While impressive PISA scores often lead to an influx of international researchers hoping to replicate the results in their home countries, critics warn against taking standardized test results too seriously. Many point out that Finland, whose high performance on the first PISA had nations scrambling to copy its nontraditional education system, has consistently seen drops in its scores ever since. 

Despite growing skepticism of the possibility of importing entire educational systems, Reps is enthusiastic about sharing Estonia’s journey with the world, pointing out that her own nation’s success began by imitating others: “We have become from students to teachers. Now it is our turn to share our expertise and know-how.”