Germany's PISA 2025 Results: A Wake-Up Call for Basic Skills

German 15-year-olds scored 486 in science, 465 in reading and 464 in maths in PISA 2025 — Germany's lowest results ever. Reading fell 15 points and maths 11 points since 2022, and about one in three students is below the minimum level in maths and reading.

Pupils in a school classroom. Photo: Badisches Landesmuseum Karlsruhe, via Europeana (CC0 1.0)

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

"PISA-Studie 2026" is one of the fastest-rising searches in Germany on Google Trends this week, after the OECD published the new international comparison on 8 September.

Germany's Scores

Science: 486 — rank 23.
Reading: 465 — rank 24.
Mathematics: 464 — rank 25 (joint with Sweden).

All three are the lowest scores Germany has ever recorded in PISA.

How Much Has Changed

In PISA 2022, Germany scored 480 in reading and 475 in maths. That means a fall of 15 points in reading and 11 points in maths in a single cycle.

Perhaps most concerning, roughly one in three students in Germany did not reach the minimum proficiency level in maths and in reading — the basic skills needed to take part fully in further education and everyday life.

About the Study

Around 6,700 students at about 250 schools took part in Germany. Worldwide, more than 760,000 students in 91 countries and economies sat the tests. The 2025 round focused on science.

Not Just a German Problem

The OECD reported that average performance across member countries fell to the lowest level ever recorded by PISA in both mathematics and reading. Germany's decline is part of a wider international trend — but that makes it no less important for German schools.

What Could Help

Education researchers, including the team responsible for PISA in Germany at the Technical University of Munich, commonly highlight priorities such as:

Early language support, especially for children who need help with German before starting school.
Strong foundations in reading and arithmetic in primary school.
Regular diagnosis of learning gaps and targeted support.
Teacher recruitment and training.
Reducing the link between family background and achievement.

What Families Can Do

Read together daily, in any language the family speaks well.
Make maths practical — shopping, recipes, travel times.
Talk to teachers early if a child struggles.

Other Countries

Compare with France, Spain, Australia and Mexico.

Sources

"Die zehn wichtigsten Ergebnisse der PISA-Studie 2025," Das Deutsche Schulportal — deutsches-schulportal.de
"PISA 2025 results (Volume I): Germany country note," OECD — oecd.org
"PISA scores at a new low," Technical University of Munich — tum.de
"PISA 2025: students' reading and mathematics performance declined sharply across the OECD," OECD — oecd.org

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PISA 2025 Germany: Record Low Scores and What the Study Shows