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From:Department of Education and Youth

Minister Naughton welcomes the publication of PISA 2025 results, showing students significantly above EU and OECD averages in science, reading and mathematics

Minister for Education and Youth Hildegarde Naughton today (Tuesday 8 September 2026), launched the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2025 results which show that Ireland’s 15-year-olds continue to perform strongly across the domains of science, reading and mathematics compared to their OECD and EU counterparts. Irish students are first for reading, third for science and fourth for mathematics out of 27 EU countries

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a project of OECD, of which Ireland is a member. PISA has traditionally taken place every three years (but is now moving to a four-year cycle) and its aim is to measure how well 15-year-old students are performing in three core domains – science, reading and mathematics – plus an innovative domain, which in 2025 was computational problem solving.

Whilst students are assessed on each core domain in each cycle, one domain features as the major domain and this was science in 2025.  Students completed additional questions in science compared to reading or mathematics. This provides deeper detail on subscales, or areas of learning, within that domain.

2025 marked the ninth cycle of PISA. The main study was administered in 172 schools in Ireland between March and April, with 6,356 students participating. The number of participating countries/economies rose from 32 in 2000 to 91 for PISA 2025 (including 38 OECD countries and 27 EU countries), making it one of the largest studies of ‎its kind.

The key findings of the 2025 assessments include:

"PISA gives us a valuable insight into how our young people are applying the knowledge and skills they develop in school to real-world situations and challenges. The results published today show that Ireland continues to perform strongly on the international stage, with our students achieving above both OECD and EU averages in reading, science and mathematics.

"At a time when many countries are experiencing significant declines in educational outcomes, Ireland has maintained its position among the leading performers internationally. Irish students are first in the EU for reading, third for science and fourth for mathematics, demonstrating the strength, resilience and quality of our education system.

"I am particularly pleased that Ireland continues to have one of the lowest proportions of lower-achieving students across the OECD and EU. This reflects our commitment to an inclusive education system, where every child is supported to reach their full potential regardless of background or circumstance.

"Our reading performance remains a significant success story. Irish students continue to rank among the very best readers in Europe, maintaining first place in the EU. However, we cannot ignore the fact that reading achievement has declined internationally. We must continue to promote literacy, foster a love of reading and support strong reading habits both in our schools and in our homes.

"The stability of our science results is encouraging and reflects the positive impact of sustained investment in science, technology, engineering and mathematics education. Ireland performed above both OECD and EU averages across all science competency areas, providing strong evidence that our approach is delivering for students.

"While our mathematics performance remains above OECD and EU averages, the results also highlight a trend of decline that has been observed both here and internationally. We must carefully examine these findings and continue to strengthen our efforts to improve numeracy outcomes for all learners.

"It is also very encouraging to see Irish students performing strongly in computational problem solving, scoring above both OECD and EU averages. These skills will be increasingly important as young people navigate a rapidly changing, technology-driven world.

"I want to congratulate our students on these achievements and thank our teachers, school leaders, parents and wider school communities for their dedication and commitment. These results are a testament to their hard work and to the ambition we share for every young person in Ireland."

The national report on PISA 2025 in Ireland can be accessed atwww.erc.ie.

International reports on PISA 2025 can be accessed atwww.oecd.org/pisa.

Sample items from PISA mathematics, reading literacy and science and can be viewed interactively atwww.oecd.org/pisa.

For further information, contact:

Rachel Perkins, National Project Manager, PISA 2025

Anastasios Karakolidis, National Research Team, PISA 2025

*Countries whose mean score did not differ statistically significantly from that of Ireland

*Countries whose mean score did not differ statistically significantly from that of Ireland

*Countries whose mean score did not differ statistically significantly from that of Ireland