Saint Helena

The island of Saint Helena is 1,200 miles from the southwest cost of Africa in the southern Atlantic Ocean. The educational system there follows that of the United Kingdom, as the island is a British Dependent Territory. The academic year is broken up into three terms, and the primary language of instruction is English. Education is free and mandatory for children between the ages of 5 and 15. Students between the ages of five and eight attend one of the St. Helena four primary schools: Half Tree Hollow First School, Jamestown First School, Longwood First School, and St. Paul's First School. Three middle schools—Harford Middle School, Pilling Middle School, and St. Paul's Middle School—offer additional primary education to students ranging from 8 to 12 years of age. The island's sole secondary school, The Prince Andrew Central School, offers secondary education to 12- to 16-year-old students.

While each school is equipped with its own education materials, including textbooks, more specialized resources are shared among the schools. Limited vocational training for teachers is available from teaching specialists within the island's communities, as well as from guest teacher trainers. Most of St. Helena's teachers are residents of the island. Formal higher education is not offered on St. Helena; however, various scholarships to colleges, universities, and vocational schools in the United Kingdom are available to qualified students under programs such as the Training and Work Experience Schemes.