Global test results released overnight show Australian 15-year-olds have recorded their worst-ever results in reading and maths.
The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) tracks global education outcomes based on data from more than 760,000 students globally.
The latest figures continue a downward trend in Australian results over the past two decades.
Science was the only subject not to fall in this round of tests.
Here’s what you need to know.
Background
PISA is a test run every three years by the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), a group of 38 mostly wealthy nations.
The test assesses 15-year-olds on their competency in reading, maths and science.
It does not assess standard school curricula.
Instead, students are given real-world problems.
In 2025, 760,000 students from 91 countries and economies took part.
Australia’s cohort had nearly 15,000 students at 766 schools.
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PISA results
PISA’s scoring system is too complex to explain briefly here.
For our purposes, you only need to know that 500 represents the average OECD result when each test was first introduced.
The ACT leads Australia in all three tests, followed by Victoria (tied second with WA in science).
Despite the falling results, Australia is above the OECD average in all three tests.
Govt response
Education Minister Jason Clare said the results did show Australian students performing above the OECD average.
Clare pointed to the Government’s education reforms, including rolling out phonics checks in Year 1, testing a child’s ability to mix sounds together and read words out loud.
