PISA, the Program for International Student Assessment, is a test given to 15-year-olds around the world in reading, math, and science. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) runs it and says it measures "15-year-olds’ ability to use their reading, mathematics and science knowledge and skills to meet real-life challenges." In the United States, the test is given by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).
The latest results, from PISA 2025, came out on September 8, 2026. According to the OECD, 760,000 students in 91 countries and economies took part, the largest round to date. NCES counts those 91 as 38 OECD member countries and 53 other countries and subnational systems, such as the four Chinese provinces reported together as B-S-J-Z (Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang).
U.S. students scored 490 in reading, 502 in science, and 463 in math, according to NCES. Reading and science were above the OECD average. Math was not: the U.S. average and the OECD average both rounded to 463, and NCES found no significant difference between them.
| Subject | U.S. score | OECD average | U.S. minus OECD | Systems measurably higher than U.S. | Not measurably different | Systems measurably lower |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 490 | 461 | +29 | 3 | 11 | 75 |
| Science | 502 | 482 | +20 | 7 | 13 | 70 |
| Math | 463 | 463 | 0 | 19 | 18 | 52 |
Source: NCES, Highlights of U.S. PISA 2025 Results. Counts compare the United States with the 89 other education systems reported in reading and math and the 90 reported in science. NCES did not discuss Uzbekistan's reading and math results because of data inconsistencies. "Measurably" means statistically significant at the .05 level.
Singapore posted the top reading score, 535. B-S-J-Z (China) had the top scores in math, 612, and science, 597, with Singapore second in both at 563 and 560. Japan had the highest average of any OECD member country in all three subjects: 525 in math, 503 in reading, and 538 in science, according to the NCES tables.
Reading is the strongest U.S. result. Only Singapore, B-S-J-Z, and Chinese Taipei (508) scored measurably higher, and no OECD member did. Canada also scored 490. Math is a different story. Nineteen systems scored measurably higher, and among the 38 OECD members, NCES said the United States scored lower than 14 countries and higher than 7. The United Kingdom (488) and Canada (485) were both measurably ahead. Singapore's math average was 100 points above the U.S. figure (563 minus 463).
How PISA is given and scored
PISA has run every three years since 2000, with one pandemic delay that pushed the 2021 round to 2022, according to NCES. After 2025, it moves to a four-year cycle. Every round tests all three subjects, but one gets most of the testing time. In 2025 that was science, as it was in 2006 and 2015.
Students take the test on computer. Each student sees only part of the question pool, so results are reported as scale scores built from statistical models, not as percent correct. PISA also sorts students into proficiency levels. NCES describes level 2 as the baseline students need to participate fully in society. In the United States, 26% of students scored below level 2 in reading, 22% in science, and 35% in math.
The U.S. numbers come with caveats. According to NCES's technical notes, 4,625 students in 144 schools took the 2025 test. The weighted school response rate was 45% before replacement schools were added and 54% after, against an international target of 85%. The U.S. exclusion rate was 6.9%, above the 5% limit in PISA's standards. NCES flags U.S. results with a note that "one or more PISA sampling standards were not met" and says caution is required. More than 40% of U.S. test takers were never given the student questionnaire, partly because some states chose not to administer it, so PISA's adjudication group recommended limiting results built on it, such as breakdowns by race and ethnicity or socioeconomic status.
For scale, 51,229 public schools in the 50 states and the District of Columbia served at least one grade from 7 through 12 in the 2024-25 school year, according to allk12's analysis of federal data. PISA's U.S. sample drew from public and private schools combined.
U.S. scores over time, and how PISA differs from NAEP
| PISA year | U.S. reading | U.S. math | U.S. science |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 504 | n/a | n/a |
| 2003 | 495 | 483 | n/a |
| 2006 | Not reported | 474 | 489 |
| 2009 | 500 | 487 | 502 |
| 2012 | 498 | 481 | 497 |
| 2015 | 497 | 470 | 496 |
| 2018 | 505 | 478 | 502 |
| 2022 | 504 | 465 | 499 |
| 2025 | 490 | 463 | 502 |
Source: NCES, Highlights of U.S. PISA 2025 Results, trend data. Math scores can be compared from 2003 and science from 2006, the first years each served as PISA's main subject. NCES trend data include no U.S. reading score for 2006.
The 2025 reading score of 490 is the lowest in the table and 14 points below 2022 (504 minus 490), a drop NCES found statistically significant. NCES also found it was not significantly different from the 2000 score of 504. Math sat 20 points below 2003 (483 minus 463), and NCES said the decline was concentrated among lower-scoring students. Science has barely moved; the 2025 score was not significantly different from 2022 or 2006. The OECD-wide slide in reading and math, and what PISA found about phones and AI, are covered in our September story on the 2025 results.
PISA is built differently from the tests American parents see more often. It samples by age, not grade, so any 15-year-old enrolled in grade 7 or higher can be picked. NCES says PISA measures proficiency broadly, while NAEP has stronger links to curriculum frameworks and measures mastery of specific knowledge and skills.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) tests samples of students in grades 4, 8, and 12 and reports state, district, and national results, according to NCES. State tests measure each state's own standards and usually give every student a score, but NCES notes they do not allow comparisons with other states. PISA reports national results only. No student or school ever gets a PISA score, and no state took part on its own in 2025, though Massachusetts, North Carolina, and Puerto Rico did in 2015.
For results at a single school, state tests are the only one of the three that report them. Our guide to reading your child's state test scores walks through those reports, and allk12 lists state test proficiency rates by state. The next PISA is scheduled for 2029, with results expected in 2030, according to NCES. The OECD says that round will focus on reading.
Sources
OECD: PISA 2025, Students' reading and mathematics performance declined sharply across the OECD
OECD: About PISA
NCES: Highlights of U.S. PISA 2025 Results
NCES: PISA 2025 Methodology and Technical Notes
NCES: PISA Frequently Asked Questions
NCES: NAEP Frequently Asked Questions
School counts from allk12's analysis of National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data, 2024-25.
