Reading scores among American 15-year-olds have declined sharply since 2022, reaching levels near the lowest recorded in the past quarter century, according to the latest results from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). U.S. students also posted some of their lowest math scores since the test was introduced in 2000, while performance in science remained relatively stable. The findings, released Tuesday, underscore persistent challenges within the American education system amid a global trend of declining scores.
The PISA test, conducted across 91 countries and economies with more than 760,000 participating students, measures reading, math, and science skills among 15-year-olds worldwide. In the 2025 assessment, American students ranked above the OECD average in reading and science but around the midpoint in math compared to 37 member countries. Despite this, the trend in the United States shows a marked deterioration, with fewer teenagers achieving even basic proficiency in reading and math—skills necessary for everyday tasks such as understanding utility bills.
Top performers in the tests included Singapore, Japan, and South Korea. China also dominated the rankings, but the assessment covered only four of its wealthier provinces—Shanghai, Beijing, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang—prompting some analysts to question whether the results represent the entire country. However, experts note these regions are populous and contain diverse socio-economic backgrounds. Tracey Burns, chief of global strategy and research at the National Center on Education and the Economy, highlighted that Chinese students tested were on average several years ahead of their American counterparts in math and science.
The decline in U.S. reading scores is part of a broader global trend. Many industrialized nations have seen reading abilities fall since reaching a peak in 2012, while math scores globally have been dropping since 2018. Experts attribute part of this decline to the increased usage of technology, such as smartphones, social media, and artificial intelligence, which may contribute to distractions and reduced reading for pleasure. The PISA results revealed that the proportion of students who skim text and answer incorrectly—so-called “hasty readers”—nearly doubled between 2018 and 2025.
Despite higher per-student education spending than many countries, the U.S. has traditionally struggled to compete with the world’s highest-achieving education systems. For instance, just 8 percent of American students reached the highest levels in math, compared with 37 percent in Singapore and over 20 percent in South Korea and Japan. Only a small percentage of U.S. students performed at similarly elite levels, while the share failing to meet basic proficiency has increased.
Observers point to several factors that differentiate top-performing Asian countries from the U.S., including strategic investments in high-quality teachers and principals, especially in disadvantaged schools. Andreas Schleicher, who oversees PISA for the OECD, emphasized that in countries such as Singapore and South Korea, resources often prioritize attracting top teaching talent over reducing class sizes. He also noted differing approaches to artificial intelligence, with Asian educators reportedly employing AI tools to challenge students more rigorously, while in the West they are more commonly used to simplify tasks for learners.
Researchers caution that the U.S. data may have limitations due to lower response rates and staffing cuts at the federal agency responsible for administering PISA tests domestically. However, educational experts widely agree that American students have lost ground in international comparisons in recent years. With no coherent federal education agenda currently in place, responsibility for addressing these challenges largely falls to individual states. Former Tennessee education commissioner Kevin Huffman, now leading an education nonprofit, stressed that “nobody is off the hook” when it comes to improving student outcomes.