Germany Records Lowest Ever PISA Scores in 2025 Study Highlighting Worsening Student Performance

The recently published PISA 2025 results reveal a continuing decline in German students' educational performance, marking the lowest scores Germany has recorded since the study's inception. The assessment, conducted by the OECD and involving over 760,000 students across 91 countries, included around 6,700 German 15-year-olds from roughly 250 schools. Germany's results place students near the international average but reflect a significant downward trend over the past decade.

In the core subjects assessed—science, reading, and mathematics—German students scored 486, 465, and 464 points respectively. Science scores have notably dropped from more than 500 points ten years ago to 486, indicating a marked learning loss. Meanwhile, reading and math scores remain at the OECD average but have fallen steadily since 2015, with mathematics declining from over 500 points to 464.

A particularly worrying finding is that about one-third of students struggle to meet basic competency levels in reading and math, and roughly one-quarter fail in science. Prof. Samuel Greiff, scientific director of the German PISA study, emphasized these skills involve practical, everyday tasks like understanding official communications and making simple financial decisions. The study underlines a strong link between students' social backgrounds and their educational success: only 2% of disadvantaged students achieve high competency levels, compared to 25% from privileged families.

The OECD expresses concern over declining reading comprehension globally, noting the rise of “hasty readers” influenced by social media habits who skim texts and often misinterpret them. OECD expert Andreas Schleicher warns this decline risks eroding critical thinking and analytical abilities, crucial in an AI-driven world. Comparatively, countries such as Singapore and Canada present successful continuous reforms emphasizing targeted support for struggling pupils, a model suggested for Germany to emulate.

Germany has launched initiatives like the Startchancen program, which plans to invest 20 billion euros over the next decade to support roughly 4,000 schools in socially challenging areas. Experts advocate for early educational interventions, particularly in language development, such as Germany's new law mandating standardized assessments for four-year-olds.

Despite these struggles, about 75% of German students report feeling comfortable and a sense of belonging at school and demonstrate strengths in digital skills, offering hope for future progress. The challenge remains in effectively implementing existing evidence-based strategies to reverse the decline and bridge social disparities in educational outcomes.