The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released the “PISA 2025 Results” report, highlighting the global standings of student achievement. The results placed American students below numerous other countries. The United States scored 490 in reading and 463 in math. Twenty-four countries outperformed the U.S. in math, and ten exceeded the U.S. in reading, according to Newsweek’s analysis. PISA evaluates 15-year-olds globally every three years. In 2025, over 760,000 students participated, representing approximately 33 million teenagers from 91 countries, including about 4,600 from the United States.

Global Rankings in PISA 2025

Singapore led with the highest reading score of 535, followed by China at 527. China’s math score reached 612, which is over 100 points higher than the U.S. Singapore scored 563 in math. Note that China’s results reflect only four regions: Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang. Taiwan, under “Chinese Taipei,” surpassed the U.S. in both subjects.

Countries like Japan, Korea, and Estonia outperformed the U.S. in both reading and math. Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand scored higher in reading but not math. Switzerland, Canada, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Finland, Italy, Sweden, and Germany exceeded U.S. math scores. Germany and Sweden were marginally ahead, each surpassing by one point.

Several Chinese jurisdictions joined by Estonia, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, and the United Kingdom were in the top 10 for science, math, and reading globally, based on OECD findings. U.S. students, however, still ranked above the average for the 38 OECD countries in science and reading but lingered near the median in math.

A Decade of Decline

The downward trend in achievement predated the pandemic. For years, students worldwide have slipped in reading, math, and science. Between 2015 and 2025, science scores among OECD countries decreased from 489 to 482, deemed mild compared to declines in other subjects. Math scores fell significantly from 485 to 463, equating to more than a year of learning. Reading saw the largest drop, sliding from 489 to 461 points across OECD countries.

Currently, 20% of 15-year-olds in the OECD are low performers in all three subjects, up from 16% in 2022. Such students lack essential skills required for further education and employment. Andreas Schleicher from the OECD noted the stagnation in learning outcomes and persistent achievement gaps tied to socioeconomic factors.

Between 2018 and 2025, three-quarters of education systems saw declines in reading, losing 25 points, more than a year’s worth of learning. The percentage of “hasty readers,” students who rush through texts and answer incorrectly, nearly doubled.

Interestingly, children from wealthier families experienced greater loss compared to poorer students, reducing the socioeconomic gap in scores.

U.S. Position in Global Rankings

Despite falling scores, the U.S. advanced in rankings due primarily to sharper declines in other countries. This relative rise is misleading, as U.S. reading scores are near a 25-year low, and math scores rank among the lowest since PISA’s inception in 2000. The improvement mirrors broader declines elsewhere.

In reading, 74% of U.S. teenagers achieved basic proficiency, compared to 69% across the OECD. U.S. math proficiency aligned with the OECD average at 65%. While American students remain distant from the top performers, only 8% reached the highest level in math, compared to 37% in Singapore and more substantial percentages in Korea and Japan. U.S. score disparities between top and bottom performers were more pronounced than in many other nations for both science and reading.

Notable Findings on AI and School Environment

Approximately 25% of students felt classmates were distracted by digital devices during science lessons. While moderate device use correlated with improved science scores, leisure usage had the opposite effect, indicating decreased performance.

AI was scrutinized in this cycle. Students using AI for learning had higher scores than those who did not, though heavy reliance on AI for drafting assignments often correlated with lower scores. The difference was attributed to how students utilized AI.

“Learning outcomes have stagnated or declined in many countries, in some cases for well over a decade, and gaps in achievement persist across socioeconomic groups,”

Bullying impacted scores negatively, with students experiencing threats or online embarrassment scoring lower. Only a minority faced such issues regularly.

Despite downward trends elsewhere, countries like Costa Rica, Slovakia, Türkiye, and the United Kingdom saw rising science scores. Türkiye, in particular, registered a near 70-point gain in science over a decade, translating to more than three years of learning.