Preliminary results from the Sprix Education Foundation’s basic academic skills survey covering 10 countries. Japan had a high correct-response level on the calculation test, while differences between countries were observed in mental-calculation methods and ICT environments.
The Sprix Education Foundation published preliminary results from its 2026 International Basic Academic Skills Survey of 6,313 primary and secondary school students in 10 countries, including Japan. The survey was conducted from April to August 2026, and the results were published on 14 October 2026. Children and students took the TOFAS calculation test and a learning-attitudes survey, and calculation-test results were collected from 8 countries, including Japan.
Japan was among the group with a high average correct-response rate and a low proportion of blank responses, while Vietnam and Kyrgyzstan also showed relatively high accuracy. Kenya and Peru, by contrast, had lower correct-response rates and more blank responses. Based on self-reported methods for calculating 8+5, the immediate-response rate was 68.0% in Japan, compared with a combined 40.3% in the other 9 countries.
Regarding opportunities to use ICT in classes, the proportion who said they did not use ICT at all was higher among students who failed, and responses also indicated regional differences in device availability. A teacher survey found differences between countries in the availability of devices overall. Schools where each student could use one device accounted for 14.6%, while 23.1% of schools had no devices at all.
In response to questions for parents, the proportion who said they discussed the next learning plan with their child when the child had performed poorly was approximately 14 percentage points higher among parents of students who passed the calculation test. The results indicate a correlation only and do not establish causation, and caution was advised because the response sample was also subject to bias.