For the first time, the students from Kazakhstan earned an international top-10 by performance in math and science, according to the Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). Kazakh eighth-graders demonstrated ability and knowledge comparable to their peers from countries like Russia, Canada, and Ireland, ranking higher than England, the United States, and Australia. However, regional inequality in terms of quality of education was also noticed within Kazakhstan. According to the results of the OECD’s Program for International Students Assessment (PISA) administered in 2015, 15-year-olds in the Western (Atyrau, Mangystau oblasts) and South Kazakhstan regions are at least two years behind their peers in Almaty city in reading, math, and science. Half of the 15-year-olds in Atyrau oblast are functionally illiterate in science and over 50 percent of students in South Kazakhstan and Mangystau oblasts are functionally illiterate in reading.