Teacher Mahajera Armani and her class of girls pose for a picture at their study open area, founded by Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC), outside Jalalabad city, Afghanistan September 19, 2015. (Photo by Reuters/Parwiz)

Though schools around the globe have different start dates, calendars and traditions, the first day of a new term is an exciting time filled with the prospects of gaining more knowledge, making new friends and building community. Here: Schoolchildren attend their first lesson on Knowledge Day in the town of Turov, Zhytkavichy District, Gomel Region, Belarus on September 1, 2017. Knowledge Day marks the beginning of a new school year in Belarus and is celebrated on September 1. (Photo by Viktor Drachev/TASS via Getty Images)

Hunched at his desk and staring intently at the blackboard, Hu Yang looks like any other industrious schoolboy. But this ordinary eight-year-old finds himself in a unique position. He is the only pupil to attend his elementary school in, Fujian Province, China.

Santa Students practice dancing during the Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School workshop on October 16, 2008 in Midland, Michigan. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

Schoolchildren ride on a makeshift raft to attend the opening of classes at a remote Casili Elementary School in Montalban, Rizal northeast of Manila, Philippines June 13, 2016. (Photo by Erik De Castro/Reuters)

Luke Personius, 12, waits for a wave as he surfs before school at sunrise in Hermosa Beach, California April 2, 2015. The group of friends surf at sunrise most mornings, then shower outside and walk to school. (Photo by Lucy Nicholson/Reuters)

Saudi children of al-Fefi family walk up the stairs as they make their way to their schools through Fifa Mountain, in Jazan, south of Saudi Arabia, December 15, 2016. (Photo by Mohamed Al Hwaity/Reuters)

Students in Aone’s elementary school during break in between the class on April 9, 2015. The school has only six students, two of whom are from the same family. Similarly small schools can be found throughout Japan. (Photo by Ko Sasaki/The Washington Post)