Australia’s performance in reading and mathematics on a significant international high school assessment has shown a continuing decline over the past two decades. The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) has evaluated Australian students aged 15 every three years since 2000, revealing that while local scores have dropped, the decline in other OECD nations has been more pronounced.
The latest PISA results indicate that Australian high school students have reached their lowest recorded scores in reading and mathematics. Although there was a marginal improvement in science scores since the previous assessment in 2022, the overarching trend of diminishing academic performance persists.
The 2025 results released recently indicate that Australia still performs above the OECD average, placing 10th in both science and reading, and 16th in mathematics among the 91 participating countries and economies. Jonas Bertling from the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), which conducts the PISA assessments, commented that the data reveals a long-term decline in reading and mathematics, despite a stabilization in science scores.
According to the OECD, a difference of 20 points in test scores equates to approximately one year of learning for an average student. This decline suggests that current science students are nearly one full year behind their peers from 2006, while reading scores indicate students are about two years behind the levels seen in 2000, and mathematics scores reflect a similar trend with students lagging over two years behind the 2003 benchmarks.
“PISA illustrates that we have not yet returned to the academic levels seen 10 or 20 years ago,” Bertling remarked. “Despite some declines, our country still maintains strong educational outcomes.”
Blaise Joseph from the Centre for Independent Studies expressed concern over the overall academic landscape. He noted a troubling trend of fewer high achievers and an increase in low performers across all three subjects. While Australian students reported improvements in classroom discipline compared to previous surveys, they still ranked 69th out of 80 countries in this area. The data revealed that 21 percent of Australian science students felt they could not work effectively in most lessons, slightly above the OECD average of 19 percent. Moreover, 41 percent of students reported experiencing noise and disorder in their classrooms, compared to an OECD average of 31 percent, aligning with a recent report indicating that one-third of class time is being lost due to disruptive behavior.
“Disruption remains a significant issue in our classrooms,” said Bertling. He emphasized the necessity of examining these disruptions within the broader context of the Australian educational system and identifying the resources needed to enhance classroom environments.
Joseph attributed the high levels of disruptive behavior to the stagnation in learning growth, asserting that students struggle to learn in environments plagued by interruptions. He stressed the importance of establishing clear expectations, teaching routines explicitly, and applying consistent behavioral approaches to facilitate effective teaching and learning.
Additionally, Australian students reported higher rates of absenteeism, with 44 percent indicating they had skipped school in the two weeks preceding the test, compared to the OECD average of 24 percent. Federal Education Minister Jason Clare highlighted the need for reforms in classroom practices and increased funding for public schools, emphasizing the UK’s similar reforms two decades ago that resulted in significant improvements in their PISA scores.
“The UK’s results demonstrate the importance of the reforms we are implementing,” Clare stated. “In schools that have adopted these changes, we observe similar positive outcomes. However, it is essential to continue these efforts nationwide.”
Clare also noted concerns regarding excessive screen time in Australian schools, suggesting that while technology has its place in education, there is a need to reduce overall screen exposure.
A notable highlight from the recent results was Australia’s performance in the “learning in the digital world” category, which assesses students’ abilities to thrive in technology-driven environments. Australian students achieved an average score of 532, surpassing the OECD average of 500, with 75 percent meeting the national proficiency standard. James Casey, a Year 10 student from Gymea Technology High School, described the test as a straightforward assessment of logic, reasoning, and critical thinking.
School principal Katherine Edwards emphasized that the results in the digital learning domain would better prepare students for future job markets, underscoring the importance of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) skills in their education.
