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Reading and maths scores for 15-year-olds in France have fallen to their lowest levels since 2000, mirroring trends seen in comparable countries. Among the reasons cited to explain this global phenomenon are attitudes toward learning, the role of digital technology, the lasting effects of the Covid-19 crisis and a lack of parental involvement. In France, significant social and gender inequalities persist.
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The previous edition of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), published in 2022, which measures the skills of 15-year-olds, served as a wake-up call regarding the sharp decline in student achievement in France and worldwide. The latest findings from this flagship survey by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), published on Tuesday, September 8, are reinforcing that decline. France and the OECD averages have reached their lowest point in two decades in scientific literacy, mathematics andreading comprehension.
"We had already observed a drop between 2018 and 2022, which we partly explained by the effects of the health crisis," explained Eric Charbonnier, analyst at the OECD's education directorate. "This new decline should make us question what is happening – and not just in France."
The study was conducted in 2025 with 760,000 teenagers from 91 countries. A sample of 6,501 French students took part in this assessment, which tests the ability of 15-year-olds – regardless of their grade level – to apply their skills to real-life situations, rather than their knowledge of the school curriculum.
In mathematics, the average score for French students (458) dropped by 16 points compared to 2022 and by nearly 30 points since 2018, after having been stable before that. Since 2006, French students' results have fallen by 35 points – a significant decline, given that the OECD estimates one year of schooling equates to a score gain of 20 to 30 points in PISA.
A similar pattern appears in reading comprehension: The average score fell by 18 points and has dropped by more than 40 points over the past decade. By contrast, results in science – PISA 2025's main focus – have declined only slightly.
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