U.S. Reading Scores Hit 25-Year Low on PISA Exam as Global Averages Plunge

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which sets the benchmark for international student achievement, released the 2025 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results on Tuesday. The data hands state and federal education officials a complex mandate: while U.S. students climbed the global rankings in math and science, domestic reading scores plummeted 14 points to a near-25-year low. Education departments now face a tight window to adjust curriculum and funding before the next testing cycle.[4]

The actionable takeaway for educators and policymakers is a stark divergence between relative rank and absolute performance. American 15-year-olds ranked 13th globally in reading and science, and 27th in math, moving up the international ladder. However, this climb occurred largely because the 23-country OECD average dropped 16 points in reading, masking the domestic decline.[2][3][4]

"The U.S. has steadily moved up largely because other countries' scores have deteriorated faster than ours over the last decade," noted Tracey Burns, chief of global strategy and research at the National Center on Education and the Economy. The 14-point drop in U.S. reading scores equates to roughly seven months of lost learning, according to U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon.[2][3]

The data reveals a widening achievement gap that districts must address. While 13.3 percent of U.S. students were flagged as top performers in reading, 26 percent fell below the baseline proficiency level. "Looking across all 90 participating countries, there was not a single country with significantly wider inequality in reading scores than the US," said Michael Kieffer, a professor of literacy education at New York University.[4][5]

Researchers are also examining the role of digital learning and artificial intelligence in the global reading decline. The OECD questionnaire revealed that students who do not use AI for schoolwork scored on average about 20 points higher than those who do, a gap equivalent to an entire school year. While the pandemic initiated the downward trend, analysts suggest the proliferation of screen time and AI tools may be accelerating the drop in sustained reading comprehension.[2]

Math and science outcomes remained relatively stagnant for American students, avoiding the sharp declines seen elsewhere. The average U.S. science score of 502 was not significantly different from the 2022 results or the 2006 baseline. In math, U.S. proficiency held at 65 percent, matching the OECD average, though performance remains 18 points below the 2003 baseline.[2][3]

The OECD flagged the U.S. results with a caveat regarding response rates. Student and school participation fell below PISA's minimum targets, meaning the OECD could not rule out bias in the performance data or break out the results by race and family income. Despite the sampling issues, researchers maintain the data is robust enough to guide policy decisions.[3]

The results arrive as the Trump administration pushes for a transition toward school choice models. The administration has cited the slipping test scores as justification for restructuring federal education oversight and redistributing responsibilities to the states. Critics and advocacy groups counter that the performance gap requires targeted investment in public schools rather than deregulation, warning that the literacy crisis disproportionately impacts underfunded communities.[4][5]

The OECD's policy recommendations focus on depth over breadth. "The most successful education systems focus on fewer areas in greater depth, invest in teachers, engage parents and provide targeted support for the students and schools that need it the most," said OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann. For U.S. districts, the immediate task is translating these global metrics into local interventions before the next cohort of 15-year-olds sits for the exam.[4]