Phoenix 24
Falling literacy and mathematics scores reveal a crisis extending beyond classrooms.
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
European governments are promising corrective measures after the latest Programme for International Student Assessment revealed historically weak performance in reading and mathematics across much of the developed world. The OECD evaluation, completed by more than 760,000 students aged 15, indicates that the educational decline recorded after the pandemic has not been fully reversed.
Reading produced the most troubling long-term result, falling by 28 points across OECD countries between 2015 and 2025. Spain, Croatia, Luxembourg, Malta, Greece, Romania, Cyprus and Bulgaria performed below the OECD average in reading, mathematics and science. Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Austria, Poland and the Czech Republic remained above that threshold in all three areas, demonstrating that the decline is widespread but not inevitable.
Spain recorded its weakest performance since joining PISA in 2000. Education Minister Milagros Tolón identified reading comprehension as the foundation of learning across every subject and defended programmes introduced since 2024 to strengthen literacy and mathematics. France is also preparing reforms centred on secondary education, while the Netherlands plans to introduce an autumn action programme after nearly four in ten children were identified as being at risk of leaving school with poor literacy.
Digital distraction has emerged as one possible factor, although the evidence does not support treating technology as the sole cause. More than a quarter of students in high-income countries reported that classmates were distracted by digital devices during most or every science lesson. Performance was sometimes stronger when devices were used moderately for educational purposes, but declined when exposure became excessive or primarily recreational.
The results also point to weakening family involvement. Students who said a family member asked about their school day at least once a week scored approximately 35 points higher in science than those receiving less attention, even after socioeconomic differences were considered. This represents an association rather than proof of direct causation, but it reinforces the importance of sustained contact between families, students and schools.
Europe’s challenge cannot be solved merely by prohibiting mobile phones or increasing testing. Teacher support, reading habits, classroom discipline, family participation and the purposeful use of technology must operate together. The deterioration is especially consequential in the age of artificial intelligence, when evaluating evidence, connecting different sources and distinguishing reliable information from persuasive misinformation are becoming essential civic and professional abilities.
The PISA results are therefore more than a ranking of national school systems. They are an early warning about Europe’s future productivity, democratic resilience and capacity for scientific and technological innovation. Promises of reform will matter only if they produce measurable improvements inside classrooms rather than another cycle of political concern followed by institutional inertia.
The future begins in the classroom.