This report for Estonia forms part of the OECD Review of Policies to Improve the Effectiveness of Resource Use in Schools (also referred to as the School Resources Review, see for further details). The purpose of the review is to explore how school resources can be governed, distributed, utilised and managed to improve the quality, equity and efficiency of school education. School resources are understood in a broad way, including financial resources (e.g. expenditures on education, school budget), physical resources (e.g. school infrastructure, computers), human resources (e.g. teachers, school leaders) and other resources (e.g. learning time).

The Estonian school system is high-performing and has accomplished significant achievements. Coverage rates in pre-primary education are high and participation in schooling is almost universal. Secondary-school attainment of the adult population is among the highest within the OECD area while the proportion of adults holding a tertiary qualification is above the OECD average. Also, the performance of students in international assessments at the secondary level is among the best in Europe in reading, mathematics and science and has improved significantly in the last few years. However, a significant proportion of young adults do not have a professional or vocational qualification and rates of completion in vocational education are low. Also, while at the secondary level students’ socio-economic background has a smaller impact on performance in Estonia than in other OECD countries, there remain concerns about the performance of students in Russian language schools (in spite of some recent improvement).

The Estonian school system is high-performing and has accomplished significant achievements. Coverage rates in pre-primary education are high and participation in schooling is almost universal. Secondary-school attainment of the adult population (aged 25-64) is among the highest within the OECD area while the proportion of adults holding a tertiary qualification is above the OECD average. However, the gender gap in Estonia is among the widest in the OECD area, with a much greater proportion of women completing a tertiary qualification. Adults have literacy and numeracy skills above the OECD average and the performance of young adults is comparatively better. By contrast, the proportion of adults with high performance in problem solving in technology-rich environments is below the OECD average. The performance of students in international assessments at the secondary level is among the best in Europe in reading, mathematics and science and has improved significantly in the last few years. This goes alongside one of the smallest shares of low performers in mathematics, reading and science. However, a significant proportion of young adults do not have a professional or vocational qualification and rates of completion in vocational education are low. Also, while at the secondary level students’ socio-economic background has a smaller impact on performance in Estonia than in other OECD countries, there remain concerns about the performance of students in Russian language schools (in spite of some recent improvement) and some significant performance differences exist between schools depending on their location. Finally, the integration of students with special education needs into mainstream education remains limited.

School governance in Estonia is fairly decentralised and involves two levels of administration: the state and municipalities. While the government and the Ministry of Education and Research are responsible for national education policy and the overall strategy for the education system, three types of providers offer competing education services: the state (dominant in vocational education), the municipalities (dominant in pre-primary and general education) and private. The large majority of children attend public schools, although private providers receive public funding on a similar basis than public schools. The Estonian school system is high-performing. Coverage rates in pre-primary education are high, participation in schooling is almost universal, the performance of students at the secondary level is among the best in Europe and adults have literacy and numeracy skills above the OECD average. In addition, at the secondary level, students’ socio-economic background has a smaller impact on performance in Estonia than in other OECD countries. However, there are concerns about the performance of students in Russian language schools.

This chapter is about the governance of schooling, in particular the supply of school services and the organisation of the school network. The chapter places particular emphasis on areas of priority for Estonia such as the restructuring of the school network in light of demographic developments, better integrating students with special needs, improving the language support to Russian-speaking students and increasing efficiency in vocational education. It also reviews capacity and co‑operation at the local level for education provision as well as co-ordination for educational regional planning. The chapter further highlights the importance of increasing the externality of quality assurance processes and the need to review the regulation of the private school sector.

This chapter is about the funding of school education. It deals with the level of resources available for school education and revenue sources. Furthermore, it discusses budget planning, the monitoring of funds’ use as well as incentives for the effective use of school funding. The chapter places particular emphasis on areas of priority for Estonia such as the low levels of public expenditure on education, funding incentives to improve the effectiveness of the school network, equity implications of funding approaches, and the public funding of private schools. The chapter also reviews the autonomy of schools over the use of their funding, the management of school budgets and the use of EU structural and investment funds.

This chapter analyses how school organisation and the approach to operating schools in Estonia can contribute to the effective use of resources at the school level. It analyses the profile of school leaders as well as how responsibilities for school organisation and operation are distributed in Estonian schools. Furthermore, it discusses school quality assurance and development, outreach to parents and communities and the use of school facilities. The chapter places particular emphasis on areas of priority for Estonia such as the lack of feedback school leaders receive, the need to sustain capacity building for school development, and the lack of attractiveness of the school leadership profession. It also reviews the factors that constrain human resource management by school leaders.

This chapter is about policies to improve the effectiveness of the teaching workforce. It deals with the size of the teaching workforce and its geographical distribution. Furthermore, it discusses teacher preparation, recruitment, career development and use of time. The chapter places particular emphasis on areas of priority for Estonia such as the low status of the teaching profession, teacher compensation, teacher professional development and the career structure. The chapter also reviews the management of the teaching workforce, teacher appraisal processes and the use of teaching assistants.