CHAPTER 2: LENGTH AND ORGANISATION OF COMPULSORY SCHOOLING
This chapter provides an overview of different practices in OECD countries with regard to the overall
length and organisation of compulsory schooling. It then describes how instruction time is allocated at
different ages during compulsory schooling, presents a summary of research on children’s different levels
of alertness and fatigue at different ages and examines the cost implications of instruction time allocation
at different ages. The chapter then provides an overview of how different OECD countries organise the
school year. It provides a summary of research on the sequencing of instruction weeks and school holidays
and examines the impact this has on different student groups.
The length and organisation of compulsory schooling
In all but four OECD countries (Estonia, Finland, Sweden and some cantons in Switzerland), children
aged six have started compulsory education and by age seven, all children in the OECD have started
compulsory education. Although compulsory education only goes until age 14 in four OECD countries, in
all except Turkey and Mexico over 90% of 15 year-olds are enrolled in compulsory education (Table 2.1).
Table 2.1 End of compulsory education and actual enrolment patterns (2012)
Less than 90% of the
population is enrolled at
this age
Expected end
of compulsory
education
90% of the
population is enrolled
up to this age
90% of the population is
enrolled after this age
Turkey (13) Age 14 Greece (17), Korea (17),
Slovenia (18)
Mexico (13) Age 15
Austria (16), Czech
Republic (17), Japan
(17), Switzerland (16)
Luxembourg (15) Age 16
France, Iceland, Italy,
New Zealand, United
Kingdom
Canada (17), Denmark
(17), Estonia (17),
Finland (18), Ireland
(18), Norway (17),
Poland (18), Slovak
Republic (17), Spain
(17), Sweden (18)
Australia (16), Israel (16),
United States (16) Age 17
Chile (15), Germany (17),
Hungary (17), Portugal (17) Age 18 Belgium, Netherlands
Notes: Numbers in brackets indicate the age at which over 90% of children are enrolled in school. In Canada the
end of compulsory education varies among the Provinces from age 16 to 18. Over 90% of the population is
enrolled at age 17.
In Belgium and Germany, compulsory education at age 18 is part-time (15 to 18 years in Belgium; 16 to 19 years
in Germany).
In Luxembourg, the actual enrolment rate is underestimated due to the fact that many residents go to school in
neighbouring countries.
Source: OECD (2014b), Education at a Glance 2014: OECD Indicators, http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/eag-2014-en,
Table C1.1a.
EDU/WKP(2016)1
11
Different OECD countries organise compulsory education in different ways. The average duration of
primary and secondary education is 12 years in 17 countries, 12.5 years in 2 countries and 13 years in
10 countries (Figure 2.1). It is longest in Iceland (14 years) and Ireland (13.5 years) and shortest in the
Netherlands and Turkey (11 years). OECD countries organise this time in different blocks of primary
(5.9 years on average), lower secondary (3.2 years on average) and upper secondary (3.3 years on average)
education (OECD, 2014b, Table B1.3b). For example, in 2014 the average amount of intended instruction
time in public institutions for both primary and lower secondary education is 7 475 hours, but this ranges
from 5 304 hours in Hungary (8 years of primary and lower secondary education) to 10 120 hours in
Australia (10 years of primary and lower secondary education) (OECD, 2014b). The average duration is
one factor that influences the cost of primary and secondary education. However, the cumulative
expenditure per student varies among countries sharing the same average duration of primary and
secondary education
The OECD compiles international data on intended instruction time in public institutions and for the
vast majority of OECD countries this is based on policy documents or regulations related to curricula
(OECD, 2013a, Annex 3, Indicator D1). Data exclude hours lost when schools are closed for holidays and
celebrations. On average in the OECD, the intended amount of instruction time for 7 year-olds in public
institutions is 788 hours, although this varies considerably among countries and is over 900 hours in seven
OECD systems (Figure 2.2).
In the Netherlands, primary schools have to provide 7 520 hours of instruction over eight school years and schools are free to decide how they distribute these hours (a simple average of
940 hours is included in the international data)
The average amount of intended instruction time for 15 year-olds in public institutions rises to
939 hours, that is, on average 151 hours more than for 7 year-olds. In the majority of OECD countries with
a relatively higher amount of intended instruction time for 7 year-olds, there is not a considerable
difference in the amount of intended instruction time at age 15 (Figure 2.2)
. However, the notable
exceptions are Chile, France, Israel and Mexico.
Conversely, there are considerable increases in the amount of intended instruction hours in those
OECD countries where 7 year-olds have relatively fewer instruction hours compared to the OECD average.
Fifteen year-olds in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary and Poland have between 221 and 292
more hours of intended instruction time compared to their 7 year-old counterparts; and this is around
400 hours more in Korea (Figure 2.2)
