France’s results were the worst they had ever been. Germany’s were too. In the Netherlands, scores also fell to all-time lows. Even in Finland, long praised as Europe’s top performer in education and a global leader for decades, results dropped sharply.
The 2025 Pisa scores, which measure how well 15-year-olds can apply what they have learned in school to real-life reading, maths and science situations, have shaken some of western Europe’s education strongholds. While the UK went against the trend, results on the continent continued a decline that began in 2018. In France, Germany, the Netherlands and Finland, the share of 15-year-olds lacking basic literacy and maths skills rose to nearly one in three.
Pandemic learning losses sped up the drop, but education experts say the problem goes much deeper: long-running teacher shortages, repeated curriculum changes that have neglected basic skills, and growing inequality within increasingly segregated school systems. On top of that, constant smartphone use has sharply reduced attention spans, replacing “deep reading” with scrolling, and pupil motivation has collapsed.
Pupils in Germany received their worst-ever Pisa report card, reopening a decades-old debate about the country’s weaknesses in schools, integration and closing the wealth gap. Samuel Greiff, the German Pisa study coordinator, noted an alarming rise in young people who lack the basic skills needed for citizenship and employment, including the ability to understand a written text and do simple consumer maths.
The study found that in Europe’s largest economy, the link between academic performance and socioeconomic status was particularly strong: only 2% of pupils from low-income families reach high levels of competence, compared with 25% from higher-income families – a correlation twice as strong as in Denmark or Norway.
“Other countries are far more successful at separating educational success from family background,” Greiff told local media, noting that class had a much greater influence on teenagers’ academic success than whether their family had immigrated.
Germany experienced a first “Pisa shock” in 2000, when the report’s poor ratings triggered a nationwide effort to improve performance. The 2012 report showed significant improvement, putting the country above the OECD average. But the 2025 edition showed Germany slipping back to average, with about one in four pupils lacking competence in natural sciences and one in three in reading and maths. About one in five showed insufficient skills in all three areas.
The number of teenagers considered “at risk” because they lacked the reading and maths skills needed for further education has doubled over the past decade, and reading for pleasure has declined faster in Germany than in other industrialised countries: one in two 15-year-olds said they read only when required.
Strikingly, pupils from the most socioeconomically privileged neighbourhoods recorded the sharpest decline in reading comprehension. Education minister Karin Prien said the report required an urgent response, highlighting the negative influence of excessive social media use and pledging to present new measures to protect younger children by the end of the year.
In the Netherlands, the scores marked a historic low, setting troubling new records in reading literacy, where a record 39% of 15-year-olds now lack the basic skills needed to navigate modern society, evaluate the credibility of sources or process multi-page texts, up from 33% in the previous 2022 edition.
Researchers noted that the Dutch reading score has fallen by more than 60 points over the past decade, meaning today’s 15-year-olds are effectively reading at the level that 12-year-olds achieved 10 years ago. The decline was less marked in maths, where Dutch pupils once dominated the European rankings, but it still represented a record low only slightly above the OECD average, while the science score was also below its previous level.
The Dutch education ministry promised urgent action, acknowledging that the assessment“This confirms that our decline is not a temporary post-pandemic dip but a structural problem. We cannot accept a society where a third of our young people leave school unable to read well enough for everyday life.” Teachers’ unions and literacy advocates, however, responded with frustration. The AOb teachers’ union argued that reading levels would never improve as long as “classes are routinely cancelled, non-qualified staff are filling gaps, and the workload is driving experienced educators out of the profession.” The reading advocacy group Stichting Lezen added that the failure lay “not with pupils, but with an approach that has turned reading into a set of mechanical comprehension tricks rather than fostering deep reading habits.” In France, the scores were similarly grim. “It’s worrying, but it’s unfortunately not a surprise,” said Édouard Geffray, the education minister. Marine Le Pen, the far-right presidential candidate, called the outcome a “catastrophe” and a reflection of the nation’s decline. French education analysts have long warned of a lack of state investment, particularly in primary schools, as well as a highly unequal system where socioeconomic status dictates results, while governments have tended to approach education failings by debating timetabling and how many hours children sit at their desks. Over the past decade, a succession of eight different education ministers has resulted in constant policy changes and reversals, leaving teachers feeling more stressed by the avalanche of directives than by teaching in class. Mid-career salaries, meanwhile, remain below the OECD average, and another recent report found that just 4% of French teachers felt valued. Éric Charbonnier, an OECD education analyst, argued that the focus should shift away from debates over desk hours toward greater autonomy to explore teaching methods, and more method-focused training. In Finland, average results were lower than in 2022 in maths and reading, and stable in science. Dr Arto K Ahonen, Pisa national project manager at the Finnish Institute for Educational Research, said the results had prompted serious discussion over pupils’ perseverance and effort. “The goal remains to reverse the decline and return to a rising trend,” Ahonen said. “Meanwhile, we recognise the universal decline we are part of.” Ahonen noted that the Finnish system had seen “no major change in our education system in 50 years,” warning that “curricula must be renewed as times and society change. It’s unlikely that any school system could operate with the same curricula for decades, even a successful one.” In neighbouring Sweden, record-low results spurred heated political debate ahead of recent elections, with party leaders blaming everything from screens to immigration and insufficient teaching staff. But experts say there is no single explanation. In its report on the latest scores, Skolverket, the national education agency, said several changes were already under way aimed at reinforcing pupils’ knowledge and the classroom role of teachers in creating a “safer and more equal environment”.
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs European Education Leaders Shaken by Declining Scores in a Global Study
1 What global study are we talking about
Its the Programme for International Student Assessment run by the OECD It tests 15yearolds in reading math and science every three years across dozens of countries
2 What exactly happened
Many European countries saw their scores drop in the latest PISA results In some cases the declines were the sharpest since the study began
3 How big were the drops
It varies by country but several nations fell by doubledigit points in math and reading Some dropped to levels not seen in nearly two decades
4 Which countries were hit hardest
Countries like Germany France the Netherlands and Finland saw notable declines Even traditionally strong performers werent spared
5 Why are education leaders so worried
Because PISA scores are seen as a report card on how well a countrys schools prepare students for the future Big drops raise alarms about competitiveness and equity
6 Whats causing the decline
Theres no single cause Experts point to COVID school closures rising screen time teacher shortages and growing inequality among students
7 Did COVID really play that big a role
Yes its a major factor Extended school closures disrupted learning and many students never fully caught up
8 Is it just about the pandemic
No Some countries were already slipping before 2020 The pandemic made existing problems worse
9 What does declining scores actually mean for students
It means many 15yearolds are struggling with basic skills like understanding a text or solving everyday math problems
10 Are all students affected equally
No Disadvantaged students fell further behind The gap between top and bottom performers widened in many countries
11 What is PISA actually measuring
It measures how well students can apply what theyve learned to reallife situations not just memorized facts
12 How often does PISA come out
Every three years The most recent results reflect tests taken in 2022
13 Can we trust these results
PISA is widely respected but critics say it oversimplifies education and creates too much pressure to teach to the test
