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Blake, Wm. Night VIII. 1795.

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An international ranking of national education systems has put Estonia as the leader in Europe, falling only behind a few Asian countries. The European nation has an incredibly innovative system, including free lunches, creative autonomy, and a digital emphasis.

In an Estonian public school, students in science classes learn from material like “Blade Runner” rather than a textbook. On Thursdays, students have “voluntary” lessons, where they can choose from a range of subjects, from politics to computer programming. Creative subjects like arts and music are valued just as much as math and language.

The country’s success is attributed partly to historical factors. According to one expert, Estonia had to be “smart” to survive being surrounded by powerful nations like Germany and Russia. “They understood that education would take them forward. It was the same when we were under Soviet occupation,” the expert said.

Along these lines, schools are given full autonomy to decide what is best for their pupils, and all students are given free school lunches to eliminate socioeconomic barriers.

“One of the key elements of the Estonian educational system is that schools and teachers have a lot of freedom,” said the head of a school. “As long as students are smiling and saying hello then everything is fine. If they stop doing that, I know I’m in trouble.”