U.S. science scores improve in PISA, but reading falls 14 points from 2022

The United States improved slightly in science in the latest PISA assessment, but its reading performance fell sharply compared with 2022. American students scored 502 points in science, two points higher than three years earlier and above the OECD average of 484.

The report also showed a 14-point decline in reading, to 490 points, while mathematics fell by two points to 463, below the OECD average. In the newly assessed area of computational problem-solving, the United States scored 513 points, above the OECD average.

The results showed a wide gap between the highest- and lowest-performing students in science. In the United States and Luxembourg, the difference exceeded 290 points, the largest gap recorded in the subject and a sign of highly unequal learning outcomes, according to the report.

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reflecting highly unequal learning outcomes

The OECD warned that the U.S. figures should be treated cautiously. Student response rates in 2025 fell below the required minimum, and exclusions exceeded the tolerance allowed under PISA’s technical standards. More than 40% of participating U.S. students did not receive the student questionnaire because of state-level decisions and testing arrangements. The organization said that limited school participation and missing student responses could significantly affect the results.

More than 760,000 students from 91 countries and economies took part in the assessment, representing about 33 million 15-year-olds worldwide. The report said education systems are increasingly struggling to support all students as technology, artificial intelligence and automation make interpreting information, analyzing evidence and adapting to new challenges more important than memorizing facts.

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The lack of school participation and the absence of student responses could significantly affect the results.