OECD PISA 2025 study records global drop in student test scores as Greece and Germany lag benchmarks

Global performance drop across 91 education systems

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) published the findings of its 2025 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) on 8 September 2026. The testing cycle evaluated 765,000 students representing 33 million 15-year-olds across 91 countries and economies, expanding participation by 10 countries compared to the 2022 edition. While natural sciences served as the primary subject of focus, participants also completed evaluations in reading comprehension, mathematics, and digital problem solving. Overall results across OECD member nations fell to the lowest levels recorded since the assessment began in 2000. Between 2015 and 2025, OECD average scores fell by 28 points in reading, 22 points in mathematics, and 7 points in natural sciences. Approximately 29% of 15-year-olds in OECD member countries failed to achieve baseline competency across all three core subjects. Reading comprehension showed the steepest international decline, with drops exceeding 50 points in Iceland and Slovenia, while only five educational systems (Qatar, Brunei, Cambodia, the Philippines, and Zambia) recorded improvements in reading.

Greek outcomes and post-pandemic learning gaps

In Greece, the assessment included 6,858 students from 229 schools, representing 95% of the target population of 101,850 teenagers. Greek students achieved an average of 434 points in natural sciences, 423 points in reading comprehension, and 424 points in mathematics. These results placed Greece below the OECD averages of 482 in science and 461 in reading, as well as below European Union averages of 476 in science and 451 in reading. Compared to the 2022 cycle, Greece saw scores fall by 7 points in science, 16 points in reading, and 6 points in mathematics. National evaluators linked these difficulties partly to schooling disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic, when current 15-year-olds were in fourth and fifth grade, alongside increased absenteeism and remote learning. Kostas Dimopoulos, national coordinator of the PISA programme in Greece, addressed the cognitive impact during the presentation.

The students in the 2025 study paid a heavier cognitive price compared to students who experienced the pandemic crisis in older grades and therefore had a more developed cognitive foundation.

Political response and international comparisons

Greek Education Minister Sofia Zacharaki stated that although gaps remain significant, the rate of divergence from OECD averages slowed in science and showed convergence in mathematics relative to steeper drops in other European countries.

We recognize weaknesses, build on positive elements, and move forward with planning, documentation, and measurable outcomes. We are not preparing students for an exam. We are building the knowledge and skills they need to understand, think, solve problems, and participate with confidence in modern life.

Domestic opposition representatives Stefanos Parastatidis and Sokratis Katsikas of PASOK-KINAL contested the government assessment, noting that Greek scores dropped by 35 points in reading, 28 in mathematics, and 17 in science between 2018 and 2025. PASOK cited Eurostat data showing Greece spent 3.9% of GDP on education in 2024 against the EU average of 4.8%, alongside per-student spending of $6,420. Similar downward trajectories occurred across other European nations, including Germany, where 6,700 students across 250 schools recorded their lowest scores since the study began. German pupils averaged 486 points in science, 465 in reading, and 464 in mathematics, with roughly one-third failing to meet minimum standards in mathematics and reading. Results for the optional English language assessment covering 22 countries will be published in May 2027.