Portuguese 15-year-old students once again worsened their performance in Math, Reading and Sciences in the 2025 edition of PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment), the largest international education study conducted by the OECD. The results from the tests taken by 6,945 students from 225 Portuguese schools returned to values close to those observed in 2006 across all three subjects, completely reversing the gains achieved over the past decades.
In Reading, students obtained 462 points, eight points below the score recorded in 2000, on a scale where 500 points represents the OECD reference average. In Math, the result was 460 points, a decline to levels similar to those of 2003, when Portugal participated in the study for the second time. Sciences was the subject with the least pronounced drop, remaining in line with the OECD average by reaching 482 points.
The study also reveals a brutal increase in students below level 2, which represents very basic knowledge, especially in Math and Reading, with 11 more percentage points in the last decade. Currently, 65% of students achieved at least level 2 in Math, 72% in Reading and 76% in Sciences. In the global ranking, Portugal appears in 29th place in Sciences, 26th in Reading and 30th in Math.
Portugal first participated in PISA in 2000, appearing among the worst countries and well below the OECD average. From then on, the country reversed its trajectory and consistently gained ground until 2015, being pointed out as one of Europe's greatest education success stories. PISA 2025 involved more than 760,000 students from 91 countries and economies.
