Israeli Students' PISA Scores Plummet to Record Lows

Israel's Ministry of Education has released the results of the PISA 2025 international student assessment, revealing a significant decline in performance across mathematics, science, and reading. The testing, conducted in March-April 2025, involved 7,330 students from 215 schools. The ministry acknowledged a substantial increase in the proportion of underperforming students and a decrease in those achieving top scores.

On the mathematics test, 46% of Israeli students failed to reach even the basic proficiency level, a rise from 37% in the previous assessment. In science, this figure increased from 32% in 2022 to 40%, and in reading, it climbed from 30% to 41%. These results mark the lowest scores for Israeli students since the country began participating in the PISA study 20 years ago, in 2006. The scale of the decline is reportedly the largest in Israel's history and among the most significant for OECD countries in the PISA study's history.

The sharpest drop was observed in reading, with scores falling by 38 points from 474 in 2022 to 436. Science scores decreased by 23 points (465 to 442), and mathematics scores by 25 points (458 to 433).

Notably, students from high socioeconomic backgrounds experienced a particularly steep decline in their average scores, dropping 29 points in science, 51 points in reading, and 37 points in mathematics. Conversely, students from low socioeconomic backgrounds saw slight improvements: a 7-point increase in science, a 1-point rise in reading, and a 4-point gain in mathematics.

Basic proficiency, defined as Level 2 on the PISA scale, is considered essential for full participation in society. In Israel, 46% of students did not reach this level in mathematics, compared to the OECD average of 35% across 38 countries. In reading, the figure was 41% versus an OECD average of 31%, and in science, it was 40% compared to 26%. These metrics place Israel in the bottom quarter of OECD countries. The proportion of students achieving the highest levels (5-6) also fell, now comprising no more than 5% in each subject area.