A global survey comparing the knowledge and skills of 15 year olds has ranked New Zealand third in science and with a higher percentage of science students at Level 6 than any other country.
The findings from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) survey, released earlier this week by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), also rank New Zealand as fourth in reading and eighth in mathematics.
The results confirm New Zealand as a high quality destination for school age international students, Stuart Boag, Communications Director for Education New Zealand, says.
“Some of the more specific results are even more impressive. When considering New Zealand against the 30 OECD countries, the rankings rise to second, third and fifth. In all three areas, New Zealand ranked at least two places higher than Australia. New Zealand also fares better than other traditional English speaking competitors UK and USA.
“International students at the school level are invariably high achievers. The fact that New Zealand is a top performer at the academically elite end of the scale is exactly what parents of those students need to know.”
The full report is available at http://www.pisa.oecd.org or from Education New Zealand.