Research conducted alongside international maths tests showed Australian children in year 4 were the fifth most sleep-deprived in the world, of 50 countries studied.

Their teachers said 67 per cent of students were in classrooms where instruction was hampered by some students suffering lack of sleep.

Pupils in the US were the sleepiest, with 73 per cent of students in classrooms in which sleepy students held back learning.

Students in New Zealand, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait were slightly more likely to be sleep deprived than Australian students. The international average was 47 per cent of students being in classrooms where not enough sleep affected performance.

Teachers provided the information in questionnaires as part of international science, maths and reading tests taken by about 900,000 children in 2011. About 60,000 teachers participated.

The results, released last December, showed Australian year 4 students were outperformed in maths by peers from 17 countries. They were bettered in science by their counterparts in 21 countries and in reading in 26 countries.

The dismal results cast doubt on Julia Gillard's goal of Australian students being in the top five internationally in all three subjects by 2025. School Education Minister Peter Garrett described the figures as a wake-up call.

While a number of studies have linked sleep duration and quality to academic performance, this study showed the best-rested students did not always top the class.

The least sleepy pupils were in Azerbaijan but their performance was well behind that of students in Finland, where sleep deprivation was a much greater problem.

Australian Primary Principals Association president Norm Hart said teachers were concerned about children not getting enough sleep and disruptive behaviour could often be traced to a late night.

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