Full Breakdown
Israel’s PISA Scores Plunge to Historic Lows Amid Ongoing Conflict
9/10/2026, 9:44:29 AM
Core Event
The 2025 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results show Israel’s 15-year-old students scoring below the OECD average in reading, mathematics and science. The country fell to 43rd worldwide and to 33rd among the 38 OECD members, marking the steepest single-cycle declines since Israel joined the survey in 2000.
Background & Context
Israel has participated in PISA since 2000, typically ranking near the OECD median. The 2025 testing period coincided with intense military operations: schools in the north were evacuated, teachers performed reserve duty, and air-raid sirens sounded nightly. Earlier cycles placed Israel in the mid-range of OECD scores, making the 2025 drop unprecedented.
Data & Statistics
- Reading: 436 points (OECD average 461) – 38-point drop from 2022.
- Mathematics: 433 points (OECD average 463) – 25-point drop from 2022.
- Science: 442 points (OECD average 482) – 23-point drop from 2022.
- Overall ranking: 43rd of 91 economies; 31st-33rd among OECD members.
- Low proficiency: 29% of Israeli students failed to reach basic proficiency, versus an OECD average of 19.7%.
- Gender gap: Girls outscored boys in reading (455 vs. 417) and science (449 vs. 435); boys led in mathematics (435 vs. 432).
Official Statements & Responses
Education Minister Yoav Kisch framed the results as evidence of “extraordinary resilience” given the wartime environment. OECD education director Andreas Schleicher noted the “extraordinary pressure” on Israeli students, families and schools. The National Parents’ Leadership Association called the outcomes a “real warning alarm” and urged decision-makers to take responsibility beyond the pandemic and war explanations.
Criticism & Opposition
Critics said the ministry’s attempt to delay publishing a positive-leaning summary reflected a reluctance to accept accountability. The Parents’ Association warned that attributing the decline solely to external shocks would ignore systemic shortcomings.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Channel 12 reported that 7,330 students from 215 schools took the test in April 2025, yet the Education Ministry has postponed releasing its detailed national analysis. An investigation by *Ynet* and *Yedioth Ahronoth* uncovered a systematic effort by ministry officials to influence test preparation, but the scores still fell sharply.
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
- “We cannot say for sure, but declining levels of reading for enjoyment and the shift towards digital reading—skimming social media feeds and rapidly processing information—may be compromising the ability of students to engage with complex texts and data,” — Andreas Schleicher, OECD director for education and skills
Why It Matters
The Israeli case shows how acute crises can amplify pre-existing educational vulnerabilities, producing record-low outcomes that may affect long-term socioeconomic prospects. With nearly a third of students lacking basic proficiency, the gap threatens workforce readiness and social equity.
What’s Next
The National Authority for Measurement and Evaluation in Education is preparing a comprehensive summary, but no publication date has been set. Policymakers, including the newly appointed education minister from Yair Lapid’s party, face pressure to devise reforms that address both wartime disruptions and systemic shortcomings before the next PISA cycle in 2028.
