In a groundbreaking move to address educational challenges in a small-population county, Shengsi County, an island county in the easternmost part of Zhejiang Province and the northernmost part of the Zhoushan Archipelago, has abolished the selective function of its high school entrance exam (Zhongkao). This ensures that 100% of junior high school graduates who are either local residents or meet the criteria as migrant children can advance to regular high schools. On January 22, the Shengsi County Education Bureau published an article on the county government's official website detailing the local government's primary methods and achievements.
The article states that Shengsi has systematically reshaped the foundational education ecosystem within the county, driving a deep transformation of basic education from a model of "selection and competition" to one of "holistic student development," with significant阶段性成效 already apparent. These practices have been featured in the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee Reform Office's Major Reform Weekly Report. Specifically, to tackle the issue of allocating educational resources in a small island county with a declining population, Shengsi has downplayed the selective role of the Zhongkao and innovatively established a county-wide "universal high school admission" mechanism.
Regarding admission opportunities, starting from the Fall 2025 semester, the county will completely eliminate the minimum score threshold for admission into regular high schools. This guarantees that 100% of junior high graduates with local household registration (Hukou) and eligible migrant children can progress to regular high schools. In the 2025 academic year, all 266 third-year junior high students in the county who applied for regular high school were admitted, realizing the goal of "admission for all who wish to study," with the county's regular high school enrollment rate reaching 81%.
In terms of the educational environment, the coverage rate for migrant children to equally access regular high school education has surged from 43% before the reforms to 100%. This has achieved complete equality in schooling opportunities for both local and non-local students and has also prompted a fundamental shift in junior high educational philosophy from "teaching for升学" to "teaching for成长," effectively alleviating societal and parental anxiety about academic advancement.
Regarding educational confidence, the reforms have boosted local residents' confidence in the education system and enhanced the appeal of local schools. In the Fall 2025 semester, nine students who were previously studying outside the county returned, and the rate of students choosing to stay within the county for junior high school reached 93.99%. The outflow of student population has decreased by nearly 10 percentage points compared to five years ago.
In reshaping evaluation methods, the local authorities have shifted the academic assessment dimension from a single exam-based evaluation to a comprehensive evaluation that combines process-oriented and outcome-based assessments. A dual-track system of "academic proficiency examination + process performance" has been implemented, where the academic proficiency exam accounts for 70% and the evaluation of the learning process in subjects accounts for 30%. Academic evaluation results are presented on a grading scale and serve as a condition for junior high school graduation, guiding schools to focus on the entire process of student development.
For the comprehensive quality evaluation dimension, a "4+2+N" system tailored to the county's characteristics has been established. This consists of four basic evaluation indicators—"moral conduct, physical health, artistic literacy, innovation and practice"—along with two distinctive indicators—"interdisciplinary learning ability" and "understanding of marine culture"—complemented by N student-selected evaluation indicators. This framework promotes students' comprehensive and individualized development.
Furthermore, Shengsi is focusing on building a diversified development system characterized by "stratified teaching in high schools, two-way integration between general and vocational education, and specialized cultivation in science and innovation," breaking the limitations of a single path for student growth. The Shengsi County Education Bureau stated that at the regular high school education level, they are deepening the reform of educational methods, fully implementing stratified and flexible class grouping, and offering Science Innovation classes and regular classes to suit students' individualized learning needs.
At the level of vocational education integration, the county has formed its first "Vocational Integration Regular Class" with a core of "regular high school foundational courses + vocational awareness modules," enrolling 29 students. Simultaneously, they are actively exploring mechanisms for dynamically adjusting course pace and difficulty to reduce student burden and enhance academic confidence.
In terms of innovative talent cultivation, an integrated science and innovation education system spanning elementary, junior high, and high school has been established. The "Early Cultivation Plan for Science and Innovation Talents" is being implemented, with regular programs such as winter and summer science innovation literacy camps and weekend science academies, laying a solid foundation for the differentiated development and lifelong learning abilities of island students.
Regarding next steps, the Shengsi County Education Bureau outlined that it will establish a three-tier monitoring and evaluation system at the "county-school-class" level to dynamically track the effectiveness of the reform implementation. The focus will be on conducting regular monitoring of student academic quality, core competencies, physical and mental health, and long-term development potential, with an analytical report generated each semester. Supporting policies will be simultaneously refined; for shortcomings identified in evaluations, top-level designs in areas like admissions, teaching, and teaching staff will be promptly adjusted and optimized to ensure measures are effectively implemented.
Concurrently, high schools will be guided to develop differentiated curriculum implementation plans based on changes in the student population structure following "universal admission," and to construct a scientific curriculum system. Stratified and flexible class grouping will be fully promoted, with teaching classes organized according to subject ability levels. Personalized learning profiles will be created for each student ("one plan per student"), supported by dedicated tutors for ongoing guidance. The reform of comprehensive literacy evaluation in primary and secondary schools will be advanced, establishing an assessment mechanism that combines process and summative evaluation. Students' social practices, volunteer services, artistic and sports specialties, etc., will be incorporated into comprehensive quality files, fundamentally transforming the singular educational model focused solely on test scores.
Shengsi County, also known as the Shengsi Islands, comprises 630 islands of various sizes, governing 3 towns, 4 townships, 29 villages, and 8 communities. At the end of 2024, the county's permanent resident population was 64,000, a decrease of 1,000 from the end of 2023. The number of births in the county was 148, with a birth rate of 2.13‰; the number of deaths was 598, with a mortality rate of 8.59‰; resulting in a natural population growth rate of -6.42‰. According to Zhejiang Province's statistical yearbooks over the years, Shengsi ranks last in the province in terms of both registered population and permanent resident population. Nationally, Shengsi County is also one of the counties with the smallest total population.
