Australia Is Still Above Average in PISA. Its Own Trend Is the Worry.

Australian 15-year-olds ranked 10th in science and reading and 16th in maths in PISA 2025, released on 8 September 2026, remaining above the OECD average. But scores continued a 20-year decline, with Australia's worst reading and maths results on record.

Secondary school students in a classroom. Photo: Ente75, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

By the UISC BD Editorial Desk · United Information Service Center · Published 14 September 2026 · 5-minute read

"PISA results 2026" is among the fastest-rising searches in Australia on Google Trends this week — and in Germany, France, Spain and Mexico too, as the world's largest international education study landed.

What PISA Is

The OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) tests 15-year-olds on how well they apply reading, mathematics and science to real-world problems. The 2025 round, released on 8 September 2026, focused on science and also assessed computational problem solving in a digital environment.

More than 760,000 students in 91 countries and economies took part.

Australia's Results

Above the OECD average in all three core areas.
10th in science.
10th in reading.
16th in mathematics.

In Australia, 14,658 students in 766 schools sat the assessment, representing about 275,400 15-year-olds.

The Long Decline

Despite the strong international ranking, Australian students' PISA scores in maths, reading and science have continued a 20-year decline. The ABC reported that the 2025 reading and maths results were Australia's worst ever.

A Global Pattern

Australia is not alone. Across OECD countries, average performance fell to the lowest ever recorded by PISA in both mathematics and reading. Australia's relatively high ranking partly reflects declines elsewhere.

How to Read PISA Rankings

PISA results come from a sample of students, so every score has a margin of error. Countries whose averages are only a few points apart may not be statistically different, which is why the OECD often presents a country's position as a range rather than a single place. Trends over several cycles, and the share of students reaching basic proficiency, usually say more than a one-off rank.

What Could Help

Education researchers and the OECD commonly point to a set of priorities in response to results like these:

Strong foundations in early literacy and numeracy.
Evidence-based teaching and support for teachers.
Attendance and engagement, which affect learning time.
Targeted help for students who fall behind early.

What Parents Can Do

Read together regularly and talk about what you read.
Use everyday maths — budgeting, cooking and measuring.
Keep in touch with teachers about progress and any concerns.

How Other Countries Fared

See our country reports on Germany, France, Spain's regions and Mexico.

Sources

"PISA 2025: students' reading and mathematics performance declined sharply across the OECD," OECD — oecd.org
"PISA 2025 results (Volume I): Australia," OECD — oecd.org
"Australian students record worst-ever reading and maths results in international PISA test," ABC News — abc.net.au
"PISA 2025: Australian students perform above OECD average," Teacher Magazine — teachermagazine.com

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PISA 2025 Australia: Above the OECD Average, but Record Lows in Reading and Maths