Dutch fifteen-year-olds are among the happiest with their lives and enjoy good relations with their parents and teachers, according to the first OECD report on teenagers’ well-being.

Among OECD members, Dutch teens are second only to Mexicans in terms of being happy, the new report, carried out by the Pisa organisation, shows.

On average across OECD countries, most 15-year-olds are happy with their lives, reporting a level of 7.3 on a scale of 1 to 10.

Over eight in 10 Dutch 15-year-olds feel that they are part of their school community and over nine in 10 say they do not feel like an outsider, well up on the OECD average of 82%. Over 95% said they felt their parents took an interest in their school activities.

The report also looked at how happy the children of immigrants are at school. It found 83% of students who were born in, or whose parents were born in, Arabic-speaking countries reported feeling that they belong at school, but only 67% of students from Arabic-speaking countries who settled in Denmark reported the same.

The challenges to students’ well-being are many, and there are no simple solutions. But the findings from Pisa show how teachers, schools and parents can make a real difference, said Pisa director Andreas Schleicher. ‘Together they can attend to students’ psychological and social needs and help them develop a sense of control over their future and the resilience they need to be successful.’