Singapore has recently been praised for its high-quality education (which ranked top for excellence in 2026 according to the National Center for Education and the Economy). These eight insights reveal the strategies and practices behind Singapore’s world-class schools – and what other countries can learn from them.

8 Facts About Education in Singapore

1. Singapore is among the best in the world for standardized test performance. In 2022, Singaporean students ranked number one in the world in all three subjects of the Programme for International Student Assessment test. In 2023, fourth and eighth-graders in Singapore outperformed the rest of the world in math and science in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study test. Singapore’s top performance on international standardized tests indicates that Singaporean children are educated very well.
2. Singapore has a very high literacy rate. Its overall literacy rate was 98% as of 2021, while the youth literacy rate (for Singaporeans aged 15-24) was 100% in 2021. 
3. Becoming a teacher in Singapore is a competitive process. Hopefuls must graduate from university in the top third of their class (with a major in the subject they want to teach if they want to teach secondary school). Then, they must pass an interview (which only 20% do), earn in-classroom experience (40% of the remaining candidates are cut at this stage) and finally complete a 16-month program to earn a Postgraduate Diploma in Education. All in all, only one in 12 applicants actually becomes a teacher. 
4. Students in Singapore spend more time in the classroom than students in the United States do. Students in Singapore go to school for 200 days every year, amounting to about a month longer than students in the U.S. Furthermore, the academic calendar is different: rather than having a long summer break, students in Singapore have four evenly spaced 10-week terms.
5. Education in Singapore is bilingual. English is the primary language used in the classroom, although there is also an emphasis on learning “mother tongue,” or commonly used, native languages. Therefore, Singapore’s bilingual education system can accommodate domestic and international students well.
6. Pre-university education in Singapore has three main levels. Primary school is mandatory and lasts six years, secondary school lasts four to five years, and two additional years of education come after secondary school. At the end of each level, all Singaporean students must take standardized tests as a way of measuring their aptitude.
7. Singapore has a robust tertiary education system. Students can attend junior colleges, polytechnics, and universities. The country is home to six public universities and sends the second-highest number of students to the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford. Thus, Singaporean students have many opportunities to pursue higher education.
8. Singapore restricts students’ device usage. Smartphones and smartwatches were already banned in class, but on November 30, 2026, the Ministry of Education announced a ban on phone usage throughout the entire school day. The Ministry of Education hopes that this policy will promote student health by lessening students’ dependence on screens.

These eight facts reveal the success of Singapore’s education system and the policies it has utilized to achieve this success. By implementing measures such as selective teacher recruitment and an efficient academic calendar, Singapore has helped its students perform among the best in the world and succeed in higher education both domestically and internationally.

– Luciana Schreier, Jackson Meyer
Photo: Flickr