Polish students outperform the EU average

This article is a part of Poland Unpacked. Weekly intelligence for decision-makers

Run by the OECD, the study assesses students’ proficiency in three main areas: reading, mathematics and science. The latest edition shows how Polish students’ performance has changed relative to other countries and whether the declines recorded in the previous assessment have been reversed.

Poland’s results stabilize after a sharp decline

The main chart shows results from all editions of the study since 2000. It covers both Poland and 23 OECD countries that have participated from the outset. These are mainly EU countries that were members before the bloc’s 2004 enlargement, but the group also includes Japan, Switzerland, South Korea and Australia. Poland is also part of this group.

The latest PISA results point to a slight deterioration in the performance of Polish 15-year-olds compared with 2022. In science, the average score fell from 499 to 495 points; in mathematics, from 489 to 484; and in reading, from 489 to 482. That amounts to declines of four, five and seven points, respectively. Across the OECD as a whole, however, the changes were larger – and also negative. Scores fell by three, 14 and nine points, respectively.

Poland remains well above the OECD and EU averages

In 2025, Polish 15-year-olds scored above the OECD and EU averages in all three areas assessed. The largest gaps over the OECD average were in reading and mathematics, at 21 points in each case. In science, Poland’s advantage was 13 points. The differences versus the EU average were even wider: Polish students scored 31 points higher in reading, 24 points higher in mathematics and 19 points higher in science. Poland also performed better than the fixed OECD-23 group used to compare PISA results over time.

Falling scores are not just a Polish phenomenon

In the previous edition of the study, in 2022, Poland’s results deteriorated sharply. The latest data suggest that the decline has been halted: the 2025 results are not statistically significantly different from those recorded in 2022. At the same time, they remain clearly below pre-pandemic levels. It is worth noting, however, that this is not a phenomenon unique to Poland.

The cumulative deterioration in Poland’s results between 2018 and 2025 is similar to the average decline recorded across the 23 OECD countries that have participated in every edition of the study. The exception is science, where Poland’s score fell by 16 points over the two editions, compared with just seven points in the OECD-23 group.

It is not just about smartphones

The OECD argues that the long-term deterioration in student performance cannot be traced to a single cause, but rather to a combination of several factors. Problems with sustaining concentration and perseverance on more demanding tasks are particularly evident. Students are finding it harder to cope with longer texts, are more likely to answer quickly and incorrectly, and report lower levels of effort, curiosity and engagement in learning.

At the same time, some aspects of the learning environment in schools, such as discipline, have deteriorated. The range of students’ needs has widened. Outside school, reading habits have also changed. Young people are less likely to read longer texts and more likely to consume short-form digital content. Persistently higher absenteeism since the pandemic, along with its broader effects on habits and motivation, may also have played a role. The OECD stresses, however, that these are complementary hypotheses, and that the data do not allow for a single cause of the decline in performance to be identified.

East Asia dominates PISA

PISA 2025 reveals wide disparities in the skills of 15-year-olds around the world. East Asian economies are the clear leaders. The Chinese provinces covered by the study and Singapore perform particularly strongly, while Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Macao also rank highly. Estonia leads the European pack, while the UK also posts very strong results. Poland scores clearly above the OECD average in all three core areas, although a substantial gap remains between it and the world leaders. Below are the results for the 40 highest-scoring countries or regions, ranked by performance in science.