Overview
- The OECD’s PISA 2025 results show average scores in reading, mathematics and science across participating countries have fallen to their lowest level on record, confirming a downward trend seen since the 2015–2018 peak.
- PISA analysts point to reduced willingness to exert effort, weaker concentration and heavy use of mobile devices and related AI effects as important contributors to the drop in reading and other skills.
- Countries are responding unevenly: Mexico’s president and the federal education ministry defended the Nueva Escuela Mexicana and emphasized a teacher‑led internal evaluation called EIA while independent experts and NGOs warned the EIA lacks outside oversight and comparability with international measures.
- National results show deep underperformance in several Latin American systems and large falls in Europe: Argentina scored very low in mathematics with only 24% reaching the basic level, Peru has most 15‑year‑olds below basic in math and reading, and Spain recorded steep drops across all three subjects.
- Analyses of PISA data link low results to socioeconomic disadvantage, absenteeism, grade repetition and student work, and experts say policy focus must shift to targeted recovery programs, better use of resources and independent measurement to track progress.