Globally, student performance reaches record lows in reading and math as innovation and economic growth demand more sophisticated skills of young people; in the U.S., reading scores decline, while math and science hold steady.

WASHINGTON, D.C., Sept. 08, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The 2025 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results released today by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) point to a growing global challenge: student performance across much of the world continues to decline, even as economies increasingly depend on people who can think critically, solve complex problems, and adapt to new technologies. 

Across the 91 countries and economies assessed in the report, average scores fell to the lowest levels reported in PISA history. Reading saw the sharpest decline, falling 14 points on average since 2022, while math has declined sharply since 2018. 

The results are particularly consequential in a world shaped by AI and rapid technological change. PISA found declines in reading skills essential for navigating today’s information environment, including evaluating information and thinking critically about what is read. 

“At exactly the moment our economies and societies are asking more of young people, too many education systems are struggling to build the knowledge and capabilities they will need,” said Dr. Vicki Phillips, CEO of the National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE). “The ability to reason, evaluate information, solve unfamiliar problems and continue learning will increasingly shape individual opportunity and a country’s ability to innovate, adapt, and grow.”

Yet the scale of the decline varies significantly across systems, and several long-standing high performers continue to sustain comparatively strong results. Singapore and the Chinese jurisdictions of Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, reported as B-S-J-Z (China), were the highest performers across science, math, and reading. Estonia, Japan, Korea, Macao (China), Chinese Taipei and the United Kingdom were also among the strongest performers in all three domains.

NCEE benchmarks the world’s highest-performing and most rapidly rising education systems to understand the policies, practices, and system conditions behind their results. 

“PISA gives us an important signal, but the ranking is not the end of the story,” said Dr. Tracey Burns, NCEE’s Chief of Global Strategy and Research. “The useful question is what high-performing systems are doing differently, how they sustain those results over time, and what others can learn from them. For countries focused on innovation and economic growth, understanding those choices matters more than ever.”

The U.S. Picture

Overall, U.S. students performed significantly above the OECD average in reading and science and close to the OECD average in math. PISA 2025 also assessed computational problem solving for the first time, measuring students’ ability to use digital tools to conduct experiments, analyze data, and build and debug models. U.S. students performed significantly above the OECD average on this new measure. 

The United States also continues to produce significant numbers of students performing at the highest levels, particularly in reading and science. U.S. students also scored above average on measures of student agency and agility, including growth mindset and cognitive adaptability.

But the longer-term trajectory remains concerning. U.S. reading scores declined 14 points since 2022. Since 2018, U.S. math performance has fallen 15 points, equivalent to half a year of schooling. Across PISA cycles, U.S. performance in reading and math is now among the lowest levels PISA has recorded for the country. 

NCEE cautions against placing undue weight on small changes in U.S. performance in this cycle. The United States did not meet PISA’s minimum participation requirements for students or schools. 

The Overall Picture

Taken together, the 2025 PISA results show the scale of the global decline in performance across education systems around the world. At a time when significant advances in technology, shifts in economies, and the pace of innovation are placing ever-increasing demands on young people, the knowledge and skills PISA measures are foundational to young people’s ability to learn, pursue opportunity, and shape their futures.

In the U.S., the results reflect areas of relative strength and a concerning longer-term pattern. American students performed above the OECD average in reading, science, and computational problem solving. At the same time, looking across a longer horizon, both reading and math are below their 2018 levels and among the lowest results the United States has recorded in PISA history. 

Even amid widespread declines across countries, some education systems continue to sustain strong outcomes, giving us windows into what’s possible. Understanding what enables some systems to sustain stronger performance over time can reveal important lessons for improving student outcomes and helping young people develop the knowledge and capabilities they need for the future. 

About NCEE

NCEE is a global think-and-do tank at the intersection of education and the economy. NCEE studies the highest-performing and most rapidly rising education systems and partners with policymakers, educators, states, and districts in translating those lessons into stronger education systems. We deliver world-class leadership development through NISL NEXT. Learn more at ncee.org.  

CONTACT: Chelsea Kopta
National Center on Education and the Economy
+1 (202) 378-2216
ckopta@ncee.org