The Tuesday after the unofficial end of summer brought news that was on balance bad, but not wholly unexpected from the latest Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) results. The biggest headline was in reading. Between 2022 and 2025, US 15-year-olds’ reading scores dropped a precipitous 14 points.
This mirrors what we saw in the latest NAEP results, which found that eighth grade reading scores were still five points below their pre-pandemic level, and that about a third each of eighth graders (33%) and 12th graders (32%) were considered below NAEP Basic in reading. PISA math and science held relatively steady, with scores declining by two points (math) or increasing by two points (science).
The one consolation for the US may be that we are not alone in facing educational challenges. The OECD average decline in reading was also 14 points, but the declines in math (9 points across OECD countries) and science (3 points across OECD countries) were larger across the OECD countries overall than the US. The US now ranks 27th in math, an improvement over the last two PISA administrations. It ranks 13th in both science and reading, despite the big decline in the reading score. Other countries are struggling in reading, too.
But all that is small comfort for the fact that Singapore and China continue to outperform the US, particularly in math and science. By one estimate, American students are at least five years behind Chinese students in math and at least three years behind in science. Nor is it any comfort for the fact that in reading, the US achievement gap between the top 10% and the bottom 90% was the highest of any of the countries included in the report, or that the share of American 15-year-olds who lack the minimum proficiency in reading and math to be able to read a utility bill has increased over the last decade.
The results came as Gallup released its latest numbers on satisfaction with K-12 education in this country. Two-thirds of Americans (67%) are dissatisfied with the quality of K-12 education in the US, a record high over the 27 years Gallup has been asking the question. In a separate survey, Gallup also found that Americans gave schools their lowest marks on “preparing students to think critically and solve problems” compared to other skills required for college and the workforce. Almost half (47%) said schools do a poor job of teaching critical thinking and problem solving skills.
Critical thinking and problem solving skills require a strong foundation of background knowledge and subject matter proficiency — exactly what several tests over the last several years have found increasing shares of American students to be lacking. It is no wonder, then, that satisfaction with America’s schools has dropped to a new low.
