In September 2026, the world's developed nations received a hard accounting of what years of disruption had cost their youngest learners. The PISA 2025 results revealed record-low performance in reading and mathematics across OECD countries, with the United States among the hardest hit. These are not merely test scores — they are a measure of how well a generation has been equipped to think, to reason, and to participate in the world that awaits them. The reckoning raises a question older than any standardized exam: what do we owe the young, and what happens when we fall short?
Global Student Test Scores Hit Record Lows in Reading and Math
Millions of students across OECD countries are experiencing educational setbacks that may affect their academic progression and future opportunities.