The 2025 Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) results, released Tuesday by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), reveal that Australian public school students are more than two years behind their independent school counterparts, and the nation's classroom disruption remains among the worst globally. The tests assessed the literacy of 15-year-olds in 91 countries, continuing a triennial cycle that has run since 2000.
Declining Performance in Maths and Reading
Australia's year 9 students are experiencing a long-term national decline in performance, particularly in mathematics and reading, despite maintaining results above the OECD average. The report also highlights persistent gender divides, with more female students reaching proficient standards in reading, while males outperform in maths. Science performance was similar across genders.
ACER research director Dr Jonas Bertling described Australia as a “strong international performer” placed “well above the OECD average,” but noted the overall picture is “a little mixed.” He cited “persistent challenges,” including a steadily falling trend in mathematics, reading, and science, as well as inequalities based on gender and socioeconomic background.
Classroom Disruption and Digital Distractions
Australia's disciplinary climate has improved since a record low in 2015 but remains poor, ranking behind 68 countries and better than just 11. Noise and disorder in classrooms were reported by 41% of Australian students as occurring often, compared with the global average of 31%. Additionally, 39% of students said peers were distracted by digital resources, versus the OECD average of 28%.
Australia is among the 58% of countries that have banned smartphones in schools, suggesting that other digital tools, such as laptops and tablets, are contributing to distractions. Federal Education Minister Jason Clare called for a “digital detox” in schools, stating, “These results and Pisa over the past show us students who use screens a lot score lower than those who don't.”
Funding Gap and International Rankings
Students in government schools recorded a mean score about 50 points lower than independent schools across science, reading, and maths—equivalent to two and a half years of study behind. The federal government has reached a deal with states and territories to fully fund public schools by 2034, a move aimed at addressing low funding, which has been blamed for a steady exodus from the public sector.
Australia is ranked 11th for science and reading and 17th in mathematics, largely stable compared with 2022 results. The OECD gap between Australia and other nations has widened in all domains, with Australian students around a year ahead of the average in science and reading and six months ahead in mathematics. The 2025 tests introduced a new category, learning in the digital world, where Australia ranked lower than seven countries but 32 points (about one and a half years) above the OECD average.
East Asian nations, including Singapore, Japan, South Korea, and participating Chinese regions, performed best globally, with Estonia also ranking highly. Australia scored higher than the US in all three domains but below the UK and New Zealand, and above Canada in reading.
Political Response
Shadow education minister Julian Leeser called the results a “wake-up call” for the federal government, noting, “This is the sharpest drop in maths and reading scores in a decade. What we need is a rigorous curriculum, effective teaching methods and discipline in the classroom.” The findings underscore ongoing challenges in Australian education, with calls for action to address declining performance and classroom disruptions.
