Elementary and junior high school students in Akita and Fukui prefectures ranked top in terms of academic ability for the third straight year in the nationwide achievement test conducted in April, education ministry data showed Thursday.
The achievement test for the 2009 school year that began in April covered sixth-graders and third-year junior high school students nationwide.
In releasing the test results, the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry said students continue to experience problems in the utilization of knowledge — similar to analyses made in the previous two rounds, in the 2007 and 2008 school years.