In this paper, the authors describe a quantitative study comparing the mindsets of high school students in Costa Rica and Japan. The authors aimed first to find out whether students displayed a tendency towards a growth mindset in their English studies. Then, the authors looked for clear differences between the two nations. The results indicated that students appeared to have growth mindsets in both Costa Rica and Japan for studying English. However, when the two nations were compared, it was discovered that students in Costa Rica have significantly stronger growth mindsets for English (t(123) = 6.76, p <.001, d = 1.21), as well as in sports, and in general. Reasons for the Costa Rican students having stronger growth mindsets and pedagogical implications are also discussed