Is Sharp even in the running.

[vaklaff]

They are pretty common here in Czechia. There are no lists of "recommended" or "approved" lists of calculators for education, exams, tests or whatever. I guess it's what makes the difference you observe in the US.

Trivia: Moravia (of the HP 15c Collector's Edition fame) is a long-time distributor of not only HP but Sharp as well.

Hmm, imagine collector's editions of EL-5150 or PC-1475 ;-)