The essentials
French student performance hits historic lows across mathematics, reading, and science since 2022.
The OECD's 2025 PISA study reveals French student performance at historic lows across core academic subjects. Mathematics scores declined 16 points between 2022 and 2025, while reading comprehension fell 18 points over the same period. Science scores decreased 4 points from 2022 to 2025.
The decline reflects a long-term downward trend since 2012. France now ranks 27th globally in reading comprehension among 91 countries. Particularly concerning, high-performing mathematics students halved between 2015 and 2025, and one-third of French students struggle with reading comprehension.
These results indicate systemic challenges in the French education system across multiple competency areas.
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Widespread decline signals systemic education system challenges
Performance drops across all three core subjects—mathematics, reading, and science—suggest broad institutional issues rather than isolated subject problems. One-third of students struggling with reading comprehension indicates foundational skill gaps affecting overall academic progress. The halving of high-performing mathematics students signals potential inequities in educational access or quality.
Thirteen-year decline accelerates with steeper recent drops
The long-term downward trend from 2012 to 2025 shows persistent underperformance. However, recent declines are sharper: reading fell 18 points in just three years (2022-2025), compared to mathematics' 16-point drop. This acceleration suggests conditions worsened significantly after 2022, requiring urgent investigation into what changed in recent education policy or implementation.