Full Breakdown
Israel’s PISA 2025 Scores Plunge Amid Ongoing Conflict
9/9/2026, 9:08:23 PM
Core Event – Record Low Scores
In the 2025 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), Israel’s 15-year-olds posted the steepest declines among OECD members. Average scores fell to 436 in reading (down from 474 in 2022), 433 in mathematics (down from 458) and 442 in science (down from 465). The country slipped to 43rd worldwide and 33rd among the 38 OECD members, its lowest ranking since joining the survey in 2000.
Background & Context – War, Pandemic and Disruption
The tests were administered in mid-2025 while Israel was engaged in the Gaza conflict and border fighting with Hezbollah. Education Minister Yoav Kisch noted that schools operated “at the height of war,” with many teachers and parents on reserve duty and frequent air-raid sirens. The National Parents’ Leadership Association linked the drop to the cumulative impact of COVID-19 lockdowns, the October 7 2023 Hamas attack and the ensuing war, arguing that students lost “study, social and emotional continuity.”
Data & Statistics – Point Losses and Comparative Benchmarks
| Subject | 2025 Score | 2022 Score | Point Loss | OECD Avg (2025) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 436 | 474 | -38 | 461 |
| Mathematics | 433 | 458 | -25 | 463 |
| Science | 442 | 465 | -23 | 482 |
| Computational problem-solving | 444 | – | – | 500 |
Official Statements & Responses
- Education Minister Yoav Kisch framed the results as evidence of “extraordinary resilience” given the wartime environment.
- “I would look at Canada as one of the success stories that we have, because academic outcomes remain strong,” — Andreas Schleicher, OECD director for education and skills.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- The Ministry’s analysis emphasized resilience, while the Ynet investigation alleged deliberate manipulation. No publicly released summary exists as of the report’s release, leaving a gap between official framing and investigative findings.
Verbatim Quotes
- “After nearly a year and a half of war, the evacuation of communities and profound disruption to the continuity of learning, these results are in my view evidence of the extraordinary resilience of the Israeli education system,” — Yoav Kisch, education minister.
What’s Next – Anticipated Responses
The Education Ministry will review the findings and consider policy adjustments, though no timetable has been announced. Stakeholders, including the National Parents’ Leadership Association and opposition politicians, have called for a comprehensive audit of the testing process and for targeted interventions to restore learning continuity after the prolonged conflict.
