Risky behavior rises when students feel unsafe or disconnected at school. Teens with strong school ties are about one-third less likely to commit offenses than those who feel excluded, according to the report out this week.

Most youth violations occur on school days — especially Fridays — between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., when school is out but many parents are still at work.

"During that time, a teen's schedule could be filled, through nonformal education, with activities that fit their interests and social needs, which would also help prevent potential offenses," the authors of the report write.

Conventional wisdom says learning happens in the classroom, yet research cited in the report suggests the opposite: lasting interests are often sparked outside school. Informal settings such as museums and extracurricular clubs can more easily get students hooked — even in traditionally harder subjects like math and science

Yet only one in four 16- to 19-year-olds is involved in organized extracurricular activities. Access to these activities is also inequitable, with lower-income families facing greater barriers despite their children facing higher risks of dropping out of school or breaking the law.

"Extracurricular education can effectively prevent teen offenses if it is easily accessible to as many youth as possible on school days between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.," the report states, calling it a "socially cost-effective preventive measure."

Research cited in the report suggests that every euro invested in youth sports and programs for at-risk teens can return up to €44 in long-term social savings. The authors call it another example of how public safety is directly linked to education and youth policy.

The authors also urge local governments to be bolder in experimenting with new ways to expand access to extracurricular activities, noting that investing in extracurricular education is necessary to ensure a safer and healthier future generation.

Inequality begins early

The report also warns that childhood inequality often persists for life. In Estonia, the gaps are widening in general, adult and extracurricular education.

Editor-in-chief Eneli Kindisko highlights what the report calls "educational aspiration" — the drive to keep learning. If this fades after a student completes compulsory education, continuing education is unlikely to follow.

Parental income is also increasingly tied to students' academic results. From 2017 to 2021, the link between parents' earnings and average math scores strengthened, signaling the growing impact of family economic background.

In Tallinn, where one-third of Estonia's students attend school, educational inequality is twice as high as in the rest of the country.

By making math, Estonian and foreign language exams legal requirements for graduation, the Estonian state has set a national standard, the report acknowledges. Along with it, however, it has also taken on the responsibility to ensure a strong education in those subjects nationwide.

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