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🇵🇾 Paraguay /Health & Science

Salvadoran students improve science scores in international PISA test

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire From a news agency New plan
  • El Salvador's 15-year-olds scored higher in science in PISA 2025 while maintaining results similar to 2022 in mathematics and reading.
  • The assessment covered 7,073 students from 278 schools, representing about 77,000 15-year-olds, and said the results look more positive after the expansion of secondary education to previously marginalized groups.
  • President Nayib Bukele has also promoted an artificial-intelligence education pilot and a planned xAI program for more than 5,000 public schools.

El Salvador's students improved their science performance in the 2025 PISA assessment while holding roughly steady in mathematics and reading, according to the report released Tuesday.

The evaluation covered 7,073 students at 278 schools, representing approximately 77,000 15-year-olds. The report said the country's average 2025 results were practically unchanged from 2022 in mathematics and reading, but higher in science.

The results of the remaining students, who were more socioeconomically advantaged, have improved during this period.

· PISA reportThe report contrasted these students' progress with the broadly unchanged national results in mathematics and reading.

It described the results as more positive when viewed alongside the expansion of secondary education to young people from groups that had previously been marginalized. The report said the apparent stagnation in mathematics and reading was related to the inclusion of more 15-year-olds from those communities. Between 2017 and 2022, the number of Salvadoran 15-year-olds eligible to take PISA increased even as the country's population in that age group declined.

The students participating obtained results comparable with the averages of Sweden and Germany.

· World Bank Latin America accountThe statement referred to an AI-tutor pilot evaluated in 171 Salvadoran schools.

The report added that results among the remaining students, who came from more socioeconomically advantaged backgrounds and whose circumstances were not changed by the expansion, improved during the period. From 2022 to 2025, the gap between the highest-performing 10% and lowest-performing 10% did not change significantly.

President Nayib Bukele recently highlighted an international evaluation of 171 schools using a pilot program with artificial-intelligence tutors. The World Bank's Latin America account said participating students achieved results comparable to averages in Sweden and Germany. In December 2025, Elon Musk's xAI announced a partnership with the Salvadoran government to launch what it called the world's first national AI-powered education program. The company said Grok would be deployed in more than 5,000 public schools over two years, but the program's cost remains unknown.

Launch the world's first national AI-powered education program.

· xAIThe company used this description when announcing its partnership with the Salvadoran government.
About this summary

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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