Last verified: September 9, 2026. Australia’s PISA 2025 results present a mixed picture: 15-year-old students remained above the OECD average in science, mathematics and reading, but average reading and mathematics performance declined from 2022 and reached Australia’s lowest recorded PISA levels.
The results are useful for understanding broad education-system trends. They do not rank individual schools or universities and do not change student-visa, admission or scholarship requirements.
What is PISA?
The Programme for International Student Assessment is organised by the OECD. It examines how well 15-year-old students can apply knowledge and skills to real-world problems rather than testing a single national curriculum.
PISA 2025 covered science, mathematics, reading and computational problem solving, with science as the main assessment domain. Around 760,000 students participated across 91 countries and economies.
How many Australian students participated?
According to the OECD country note, 14,658 students from 766 Australian schools completed the assessment. They represented an estimated 275,400 students aged around 15. The OECD reported that Australia’s data met the required quality standards.
Australia remained above the OECD average
Australian students scored above the OECD average in all three traditional PISA subjects:
- science;
- mathematics; and
- reading.
Australia also performed above the OECD average in computational problem solving. This is important context because a decline over time does not mean Australia is below the current OECD average.
Reading and mathematics declined
Average Australian performance in reading and mathematics was lower in 2025 than in 2022. The OECD says the decline continues a longer downward trend and that the latest scores are the lowest measured for Australia in those two subjects.
Science performance was approximately stable compared with 2022 and remained close to Australia’s 2015 result.
Minimum proficiency levels
The share of Australian students reaching at least PISA Level 2 was:
| Subject | Australia | OECD average |
|---|---|---|
| Science | 82% | 74% |
| Mathematics | 71% | 65% |
| Reading | 77% | 69% |
Level 2 is used as a baseline proficiency indicator. It does not represent a school pass mark or an admission threshold.
Top-performing students
Australia also had a larger share of top performers than the OECD average:
- Science: 12% in Australia, compared with 7% across the OECD.
- Mathematics: 10% in Australia, compared with 8% across the OECD.
- Reading: 11% in Australia, compared with 6% across the OECD.
These results show that Australia continues to have many high-performing students even while policymakers confront the longer-term decline in reading and mathematics averages.
Equity and socio-economic background
Socio-economic status explained 9% of the variation in Australian science performance, compared with an OECD average of 12%. Advantaged Australian students outperformed disadvantaged students by 80 score points in science.
The OECD also identified academically resilient students: 13% of disadvantaged Australian students performed in the top quarter within Australia, close to the OECD average of 12%.
Digital learning and distraction
Australian students reported using digital devices at school for learning for an average of 2.6 hours per day, compared with an OECD average of 1.7 hours. At the same time, 39% said classmates were often distracted by digital devices during most or all science lessons, compared with 28% across the OECD.
The figures do not prove that device use alone caused the performance changes. They do highlight why schools need to distinguish productive digital learning from classroom distraction.
What the results mean for international students and families
PISA provides system-level context, but families should not use it as the only reason to choose a school or study destination.
- PISA does not rank Australian universities.
- It does not determine admission to a particular school or course.
- It does not alter Australian student-visa eligibility.
- It does not measure every subject, age group or feature of school quality.
Prospective international families should separately assess curriculum, school registration, tuition, location, student support, safeguarding, accommodation and visa sponsorship.
How to compare education options responsibly
- Use official school and government registers.
- Check results and support at the institution level.
- Compare total fees and living costs.
- Review the relevant student-visa requirements.
- Confirm whether the qualification supports your longer-term study goals.
- Do not treat one international ranking as a guarantee of individual outcomes.
Official sources
- OECD: PISA 2025 Australia country note
- ACER: Australian PISA reports and data
- Australian Education Minister’s statement
GlobalVisora provides general education information. Always verify admissions, fees and visa requirements with the responsible institution and government authority.
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