This page compares the education systems of South Korea and New Zealand.
Education System Overview
| Category | South Korea | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| System Type | Public/private mix; mixed governance combining national policy and standards with decentralized local education administration. The Ministry of Education operates at the national level, while 17 Metropolitan and Provincial Offices of Education oversee local education. [Korea MOE] | Public/private mix; mixed governance. National legislation, funding and curriculum settings are combined with governance by individual state-school boards. [Ministry of Education] |
| Governing Body | Ministry of Education (MOE); 17 Metropolitan and Provincial Offices of Education; and local Offices of Education. [Korea MOE] | Ministry of Education; Education Review Office (ERO); New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA); Tertiary Education Commission (TEC). From 1 September 2026, ERO regulates early childhood education licensing and certification, private-school registration and school-hostel licensing, while the Ministry retains state-school regulation, policy, funding and curriculum responsibilities. [Ministry of Education] |
| Government Expenditure on Education (% of GDP) | 5.4% (2022). [World Bank] | 5.2% (2023). [World Bank] |
Education Structure & Compulsory Schooling
| Category | South Korea | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Compulsory Age Range | Approximately age 6 to age 15, covering six years of elementary school and three years of middle school. [Korea MOE] | 6 to 16 years. Most children begin school at age 5. [Ministry of Education] |
| Total Compulsory Duration (Years) | 9 years: 6 years of elementary education plus 3 years of middle school. [Korea MOE] | 10 years. [Ministry of Education] |
| Pre-primary Education (ECE) Access | Optional; enrollment among children aged 3–5 was 95.7% in 2023. [OECD] | Optional. In 2025, 77% of 3-year-olds and 83% of 4-year-olds attended ECE for at least 10 hours per week; 96.8% of children participated in ECE during the six months before starting school. [Education Counts] |
| Primary + Secondary Education Structure (Years) | 6 + 3 + 3: six years of elementary school, three years of middle school and three years of high school. The broader system is commonly described as 6-3-3-4 when the standard four-year university stage is included. [Korea MOE] | 8 + 5 years: Years 1–8 primary/intermediate and Years 9–13 secondary, across 13 school year levels. [Ministry of Education] |
| Vocational vs. General Upper Secondary Split (%) | 14.9% Vocational / 85.1% General (2023). [OECD] | — |
Academic Calendar & Instruction Time
| Category | South Korea | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Academic Year Start (Typical Month) | March. The first semester begins in March. [Korea MOE] | February; for 2026, Term 1 could begin between 26 January and 9 February. [Ministry of Education] |
| Academic Year End (Typical Month) | February, following the second semester and winter vacation period. [Korea MOE] | December; schools in 2026 must finish no later than 18 December. [Ministry of Education] |
| Instruction Weeks per Year | — | — |
| Instruction Days per Year | At least 190 days per school year for elementary, middle and high schools, subject to limited statutory reductions in specified circumstances. [Korean Law] | — |
Grading System
| Category | South Korea | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Primary/Secondary Grading Scale | Assessment varies by school level. Middle-school achievement commonly uses A–E achievement levels. For students entering high school from 2025, the former nine-grade internal ranking system was replaced by a five-grade system under the 2028 university admissions changes. [Korea MOE] | No single national numerical grading scale applies across Years 1–13. NCEA achievement standards use Not Achieved (N), Achieved (A), Merit (M), Excellence (E). [NZQA] |
| Higher Education Grading Scale | Institution-specific; 4.5 and 4.3 GPA scales with letter grades are commonly used. | — |
Language of Instruction
| Category | South Korea | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Instruction Languages (K–12) | Korean is the main language of instruction in the national school system. | English; te reo Māori in Māori-medium education. Māori-medium education enrolled 28,382 students, or 3.3% of the school population, in 2025. [Education Counts] |
| Other Official / Minority Instruction Languages (K–12) | — | Pacific languages are used in some bilingual and immersion provision. [Education Counts] |
School Provision & Access (K–12)
| Category | South Korea | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Public School Enrollment Share (K–12, % of Students) | Primary: approximately 98% / Secondary: approximately 72% (2024). [World Bank] [World Bank] | 95.98% in state and state-integrated schools as at 1 July 2025. [Education Counts] |
| Public School Tuition Fee (Annual, Local Currency) | $0 standard tuition for public elementary and middle education; nationwide free high-school education was extended to all grades from 2021, covering admission fees, tuition, school operation support fees and textbooks within the statutory scheme. [Korea MOE] | $0 tuition for eligible domestic students at state schools; other costs such as uniforms, stationery and trips may apply. [Ministry of Education] |
| Public Schools Nationwide Availability | Yes. Public schools operate nationwide under the metropolitan, provincial and local education administration system. [Korea MOE] | Yes. State and state-integrated schools operate nationwide, with local enrolment schemes used by some schools. [Ministry of Education] |
| Private School Enrollment Share (K–12, % of Students) | Primary: approximately 2% / Secondary: approximately 28% (2024). [World Bank] [World Bank] | 3.99% in fully registered private schools as at 1 July 2025. [Education Counts] |
| Private Schools (Geographic Concentration) | — | — |
International Schools (K–12)
| Category | South Korea | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Number of International Schools (Total) | 45 government-listed foreign/international K–12 institutions: 38 foreign schools, 3 foreign educational institutions at elementary/secondary level and 4 Jeju international schools. [ISI] | — |
| Number of IB World Schools | 134 schools are listed by the International Baccalaureate school finder for the Republic of Korea. [IB] | 20. [IB] |
| Main International Programmes Offered | International Baccalaureate (IB), American, British, Canadian and other authorized foreign curricula, depending on the school. [ISI] | IB Primary Years Programme, Middle Years Programme and Diploma Programme; Cambridge Primary, Lower Secondary, IGCSE and International AS & A Level. [IB] [Cambridge International] |
Resources & Learning Environment (K–12)
| Category | South Korea | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Teacher Qualification (Public Schools) | A recognized teacher qualification certificate is required. Standard Grade 2 regular-teacher routes are completed through approved university-level teacher education with prescribed major and teaching coursework; public-school recruitment also follows the applicable appointment process. [Korean Law] | Approved Initial Teacher Education qualification, Teaching Council registration and a current practising certificate. [Teaching Council] |
| Average Class Size (Primary) | 18.6 students (2026). [KEDI] | — |
| Average Class Size (Lower Secondary) | 24.5 students (2026). [KEDI] | — |
| Average Class Size (Upper Secondary) | 23.1 students (2026). [KEDI] | — |
System Performance & Learning Outcomes (OECD/PISA)
| Category | South Korea | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| PISA Participation Years | 2000, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2022, 2025. [OECD] | 2000, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2022, 2025. [OECD] |
| PISA 2018 Scores (Mathematics / Reading / Science) | 526 / 514 / 519 [OECD] | 494 / 506 / 508. [OECD] |
| PISA 2022 Scores (Mathematics / Reading / Science) | 527 / 515 / 528 [OECD] | 479 / 501 / 504. [OECD] |
| PISA 2025 Scores (Mathematics / Reading / Science) | 522 / 501 / 526 [OECD] | 480 / 497 / 509. [Education Counts] |
| PISA Performance Trend 2000–2025 | Korea has participated in every PISA cycle since 2000. Between 2022 and 2025, mathematics and science performance was about the same, while reading was lower. Compared with a decade earlier, mathematics and science were about the same in 2025, while reading was lower. [OECD] | Reading in 2022 remained below results observed in 2000–2009, while mathematics and science declined over 2012–2022. In 2025, mathematics and reading were similar to 2022; the 2025 science score was not statistically different from New Zealand's 2012–2022 science scores. [OECD] [Education Counts] |
| Strongest Subject Area (PISA 2025) | Science — 526 points. [OECD] | Science — 509. [Education Counts] |
Higher Education System
| Category | South Korea | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Higher Education Institutions (Total) | 416 higher education institutions (2026). [KEDI] | — |
| Number of Universities (Research Universities) | 188 general universities in the official 2026 higher-education classification. [KEDI] | 8. [Universities NZ] |
| Number of Universities of Applied Sciences / Colleges | 126 junior colleges (2026). [KEDI] | 10 stand-alone polytechnics operating from 1 January 2026; four additional polytechnic business divisions remained within NZIST during the 2026 transition. [TEC] [TEC] |
| Main Institution Types | General universities, universities of education, junior colleges, graduate-school universities, cyber universities and other specialized higher education institutions. [Korea MOE] | Universities; polytechnics and institutes of technology; wānanga; private training establishments; government training establishments. [NZQA] |
| Tertiary Enrollment Share by Ownership | Public: 20.3% / independent private: 79.7% (2023). [OECD] | 85.5% public providers / 14.5% private training establishments by EFTS in 2025. [Education Counts] |
| English-Taught Degree Programmes (Bachelor + Master, Total) | — | — |
| Share of Tertiary Programmes Taught in National Languages (%) | — | — |
| Share of Tertiary Programmes Taught in English (%) | — | — |
| Main Global Ranking Used | QS World University Rankings 2027. [QS] | QS World University Rankings 2027. [QS] |
| Universities in Top 100 (Selected Ranking) | 4 in QS 2027: Seoul National University (#38), Yonsei University (#42), Korea University (#=52) and KAIST (#65). [QS] | 1 — University of Auckland (#67), QS World University Rankings 2027. [QS] |
| Universities in Top 500 (Selected Ranking) | 17 South Korean universities are ranked within the top 500 in QS 2027. [QS] | 8, QS World University Rankings 2027. [QS] |
| Universities in Top 1000 (Selected Ranking) | 31 South Korean universities are ranked within the top 1000 in QS 2027. [QS] | 8, QS World University Rankings 2027. [QS] |
| National Accreditation / QA Agency (Higher Education) | Korean University Accreditation Institute (KUAI), affiliated with the Korean Council for University Education, is the recognized institutional accreditor for four-year universities. [KCUE] | NZQA quality-assures non-university tertiary providers. Universities New Zealand — Te Pōkai Tara is the statutory body responsible for quality assurance of the eight universities, with institutional review carried out through Matatāhuna-Universities Quality Assurance Agency. [NZQA] [Universities NZ] |
| International Students (Total) | 307,464 foreign students in higher education (2026), including 223,191 degree students and 84,273 non-degree students. [KEDI] | 59,890 tertiary students in 2025. [Education Counts] |
| International Students Share of Total Tertiary Enrollment (%) | 10.0% in 2026 (307,464 foreign students among 3,072,261 higher-education students). [KEDI] | 15.2% of tertiary headcount in 2025 (59,890 of 395,095 students). [Education Counts] |
Education Costs (Indicative)
| Category | South Korea | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Public University Tuition Fees – Domestic / Regional (Annual, Local Currency) | Approximately $3,180 average annual undergraduate tuition at national/public universities, based on the official national/public average of KRW 4,265,841.8. [Study in Korea] | 2026 University of Auckland full-time undergraduate reference range: $4,321–$11,081, converted from published NZD 7,616.40–19,531.20 fees using the 23 September 2026 NZD/USD exchange rate; Student Services Fee excluded. [University of Auckland] |
| Public University Tuition Fees – International / Non-EU (Annual, Local Currency) | — | 2026 University of Auckland full-time undergraduate reference range: $22,821–$49,110, converted from published NZD 40,225–86,561 fees using the 23 September 2026 NZD/USD exchange rate; Student Services Fee excluded. [University of Auckland] |
| Typical Tuition Fees for English-Taught Programmes (Annual, Local Currency) | — | — |
| Language School Costs (Monthly, Local Currency) | — | — |
Major Education Updates & Policy Changes
| Category | South Korea | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| 2000–2010: Key Updates & Reforms | ||
| 2010–2020: Key Updates & Reforms | ||
| 2020–2024: Key Updates & Reforms | ||
| 2025–2026: Key Updates & Reforms |
General Overview (Narrative)
| Category | South Korea | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | South Korea uses a 6-3-3-4 education structure with national policy led by the Ministry of Education and local administration carried out through 17 Metropolitan and Provincial Offices of Education and their local offices. Elementary and middle school provide nine years of compulsory education, while free high-school education has applied nationwide across all grades since 2021. The school year begins in March, and elementary, middle and high schools normally provide at least 190 instructional days. Korean is the main language of instruction. The system includes general and vocational high-school pathways, with vocational programmes accounting for 14.9% of upper-secondary enrollment in 2023. In PISA 2025, Korea scored 522 in mathematics, 501 in reading and 526 in science, with science recording the highest of the three scores. Higher education included 416 institutions in 2026, while the number of foreign students reached 307,464. Current school changes include the High School Credit System, the five-grade high-school internal ranking system for cohorts entering from 2025 and revised credit-completion rules from 2026. The Ministry is also expanding AI-related teaching support in schools and funding general AI curricula at selected universities. | New Zealand has a public/private education system with national legislation, funding and curriculum settings alongside local governance by state-school boards. The Ministry of Education retains responsibility for policy, funding, curriculum and state-school regulation, while ERO carries review functions and, from September 2026, specified regulatory duties for ECE, private schools and school hostels. Schooling is compulsory from ages 6 to 16, although most children begin at age 5. The 13 school year levels comprise Years 1–8 primary/intermediate and Years 9–13 secondary; ECE is non-compulsory. Most students attend state or state-integrated schools. English and te reo Māori are the main curriculum languages, and NCEA is the main senior secondary qualification. In PISA 2025, New Zealand scored 480 in mathematics, 497 in reading and 509 in science. Tertiary education includes eight universities, polytechnics, wānanga and private training establishments. In 2025, tertiary headcount was 395,095, including 59,890 international students. Current structural changes include the charter-school model operating from 2025, the redesigned VET system operating from January 2026 and the September 2026 transfer of specified regulatory functions to ERO. |