German students post worst PISA scores since testing began

Fifteen-year-old German students recorded their weakest results since the OECD launched its PISA tests 25 years ago, with about one in three students failing to reach basic levels in reading and mathematics, according to findings released on Tuesday.

Students scored 486 points in science, 465 in reading and 464 in mathematics. Average 2025 results in Germany were lower than in 2022 in mathematics and reading, and about the same as in 2022 in science. About one in four 15-year-olds lacked basic science skills.

“What we are seeing today is, without any doubt, an alarming finding,” Education Minister Karin Prien told reporters in Berlin. “Too many young people are failing to achieve the basic competencies required for their future educational paths,” she said, adding that social media, artificial intelligence, and the difficult circumstances of students from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds were major challenges.

The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) checks whether 15-year-olds can use knowledge in everyday tasks, such as understanding a longer email, comparing prices or reading a chart. About 6,700 students at some 250 German schools took part in spring 2025. Worldwide, some 760,000 students in 91 countries and economies sat the 2025 tests.

Despite the historic slump at home, Germany stayed close to the OECD average of 482 in science, 461 in reading and 463 in mathematics. Fourteen OECD countries, including Estonia, Canada, Switzerland and Austria, scored higher overall. The Netherlands and France were close to Germany.