Hong Kong secondary students have experienced a notable decline in international rankings for key academic subjects, according to the latest results from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). The triennial study, conducted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and released by the University of Hong Kong’s education faculty, revealed that the city’s science score fell out of the global top 10 for the first time since the assessment’s inception.

Administered between May and July 2025, the PISA evaluates 15-year-old students across 91 countries and economies on reading literacy, mathematics, and science. In the most recent assessment, Hong Kong ranked 17th in science with a mean score of 496, down from seventh place in 2022. By contrast, the top positions were secured by four Chinese mainland regions—Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang—which collectively scored 597 points.

In mathematics, Hong Kong placed seventh with a score of 522, a decline from fourth place in the previous cycle, though it remained significantly above the international average score of 463. The leading mainland Chinese regions held the top spot with a score of 612 in this category. Regarding reading literacy in the students’ mother tongue, Hong Kong’s ranking dropped from 11th to 15th place, with a score of 480, while Singapore led the field with 535 points. The reading literacy segment this year placed increased emphasis on students' ability to navigate multiple digital sources and critically evaluate online information.

Officials from Hong Kong’s Education Bureau, which commissioned the university for the assessment, cited the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as a partial factor contributing to the decline across all subjects. The bureau also noted a perceived discrepancy between the test outcomes and classroom observations of student capabilities, attributing differences to factors such as students' psychological states and concentration during testing.

Lam Wai-ip, associate professor at the University of Hong Kong and co-leader of the study, emphasized that the decline aligns with a broader global trend linked to pandemic-related disruptions. She pointed out that students have grown up in an environment dominated by rapidly consumed, fragmented digital content, which appears to have affected study habits and learning motivation. Lam also referenced OECD findings indicating reductions in curiosity, persistence, and the capacity to engage with complex texts since 2022.

Professor Nancy Law Wai-ying, also part of the study team, highlighted a shift in the science assessment framework as another explanatory factor. The latest PISA required students not only to recall scientific knowledge but to apply research, evaluate evidence, and justify decisions within uncertain scenarios—skills that represent a departure from traditional rote learning.

Despite declines in traditional subject areas, Hong Kong performed strongly in the assessment’s innovative domain for 2025, “Learning in the Digital World,” ranking sixth globally with a score of 545, well above the international average of 500. This segment tested computational problem-solving skills through tasks involving programming and computational modeling, evaluating students' ability to conduct experiments, analyze data, debug problems, and exercise self-regulated learning.

Data showed that 43.1 percent of Hong Kong students reached high proficiency in digital learning competencies, nearly double the global average of 25.7 percent, while only 12 percent demonstrated low proficiency, compared with almost twice that worldwide.

In response to the findings, the Education Bureau acknowledged the city’s strong showing in digital learning as evidence of progress through STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) promotion. It affirmed ongoing commitments to further develop artificial intelligence education, curriculum frameworks, teacher training, and students’ digital literacy skills.