Israel's Education System Shows Stark Contrasts in Student Performance

In 2025, Israel's education system presented a contradictory picture: while high school students achieved record highs in advanced math, physics, and "high-tech" matriculation exams, 15-year-olds scored their lowest-ever results in the PISA international assessment for math, reading, and science. This simultaneous peak and trough occurred within the same year and the same educational framework, prompting an examination of the underlying causes.

Experts and educators offer various explanations for this divergence. Some point to the middle school years, characterized by age-related challenges, large class sizes, numerous subjects, and frequent transitions, which were significantly disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing war. In contrast, high schools offer specialized tracks, expert teachers, and clearer academic goals.

Other theories focus on the age of the students. The high school graduates of 2025 had established foundational knowledge before the pandemic and war, whereas the 15-year-olds faced these crises during more critical periods for knowledge acquisition and learning habits. There is also a suggestion that this disparity represents a wave of challenges moving up through the educational system.

Differences in testing methodologies are also cited. Matriculation exams are individual, high-stakes assessments that include accommodations and bonuses implemented during wartime, helping students stay on track. PISA, however, is a sample-based, anonymous test that does not affect grades, leading many Israeli students to treat it with less seriousness. Furthermore, PISA assesses the application of math in real-world scenarios, such as data analysis and statistical modeling, skills that may not have been sufficiently taught for years.

Statistically, matriculation exams assess an entire cohort, while PISA uses a sample, which can be significant in a country with vast educational disparities. The article concludes that both the success in advanced exams and the failure in PISA are real, and the gap between them represents the core challenge. The success in high-tech and advanced math is attributed to sustained policy, resources, and collaboration. The author argues that similar focused efforts are now needed to address the weaknesses in middle school, bridge gaps, and build a strong foundation for all students to prepare them for the future, emphasizing that educational recovery is crucial for the nation's future.