The 2025 Programme for International Student Assessment (Programa Internacional de Avaliação de Alunos or PISA) results show a significant decline in performance for Portuguese students in mathematics, reading, and science. Reading scores have reached their lowest point since 2006, leading education experts to call for urgent policy changes, including the potential reintroduction of national exams in primary grades.
Portuguese students see record decline in PISA results
Tuesday, 8 September 2026AI summary
Context & Explainers
The Programme for International Student Assessment (Programa Internacional de Avaliação de Alunos or PISA) is a worldwide study by the OECD that measures 15-year-old students' performance in mathematics, science, and reading. It provides a standardized benchmark for education systems, helping policymakers identify strengths and weaknesses in national curricula compared to other countries.
Portugal's recent performance in PISA assessments has trended below the OECD average in core subjects like mathematics and reading. While Portugal historically improved its rankings throughout the early 2000s, recent data shows a decline, placing it behind top-performing nations like Singapore and Estonia, and often trailing the performance levels of countries like Germany, France, and the UK.
9 sources
- "The decline in Portuguese students' PISA results was predictable," says researcher João Marôcoexpresso.pt ·
- PISA Report: 20 figures that help understand the state of Portuguese studentsdn.pt ·
- Portugal: Teachers concerned by PISA resultsMacau Business ·
- PISA 2025 Report: Portuguese students have their worst reading results everrtp.pt ·
- Portugal regresses 20 years in Mathematics and Reading. Alentejo and Setúbal at the bottom of the tablepublico.pt ·
- Higher education and science with new rules to boost innovationcmjornal.pt ·
- Portugal slips in PISA results. Experts warn of the impact of excessive screen time on young peopleTek Notícias ·
- A contribution to reading the PISA results, without oversimplifying or shirking responsibilityexpresso.pt ·
- Prime Minister wants to "reimplement a culture of high standards" and quality in Educationrtp.pt ·
