Portugal's PISA results decline: Students below 2022 in maths and reading

The mathematics and reading performance of 15-year-old students in Portugal decreased in the PISA 2025 results compared to 2022. According to the country report published by the OECD, performance in science remained close to the previous PISA period.

The results sparked a new debate on education policies, with former Education Minister João Costa arguing that the worsening could not be attributed to a single decision — specifically, the abolition of exams at primary school level.

OECD data shows that Portugal is still close to the OECD average in mathematics, reading and science. But the long-term trend is more striking: recent results are back to around 2006 levels in all three areas, and the gains made in previous years have largely been lost. citeturn3view0turn3view1

35 percent of students are below basic proficiency level in mathematics

According to PISA 2025 results, 65 percent of students in Portugal reached at least Level 2 proficiency in mathematics. This rate is the same as the OECD average.

But only 6 per cent of students achieved Level 5 or 6, the highest performance group in mathematics. The OECD average is 8 percent. citeturn3view1

In reading, 72 percent of students achieved at least Level 2; The OECD average is 69 percent. On the other hand, the rate of students with the highest reading performance remained at 3 percent in Portugal. The OECD average is 6 percent. citeturn3view0

longer term The comparison reveals the extent of the problem. According to the OECD, since 2015, the proportion of students below the basic proficiency level has increased by 11 points in both mathematics and reading, and by 7 points in science. citeturn3view1

Former Minister of Education: “We cannot say that the only reason is the removal of exams”

João Costa, who served as Minister of Education in the 2022-2024 period, admitted in his evaluation to Renascença that the results were bad and said that he did not escape political responsibility due to the period he served.

However, Costa argued that there was not yet enough data to conclude that the abolition of national tests in grades 4 and 6 was the main reason for the decline in PISA results.

According to the former minister, variables such as the impact of the pandemic period on students, teacher shortage, increased use of technology and the time families spend on children's education should be examined together. citeturn2search2

OECD data also point to a marked shift in family support. While 84 percent of students stated that their parents asked what they were doing at school at least once a week in 2022, this rate dropped to 73 percent in 2025. Talking about school problems with the family weekly decreased from 69 percent to 53 percent in the same period. citeturn3view2

Artificial intelligence entered the daily education life of students

PISA 2025 also provides remarkable data on the use of technology by students in Portugal Contains.

48 percent of Portuguese students said they use AI chat tools at least once a week to help them learn. The OECD average is 46 percent.

35 percent of the students stated that they used artificial intelligence tools to do preliminary research on a new topic, 32 percent to summarize a text they had to read, and 34 percent to prepare written assignments. citeturn3view2

Therefore, after the PISA results, the debate in Portugal is not only about the examination system; It turns into a broader education policy problem, from teacher shortages to family support, from post-pandemic learning loss to students' digital habits.

Resources

OECD — PISA 2025 Results, Portugal Country Note, 8 September 2026: PISA 2025 — Portugal

Renascença — Alexandre Abrantes Neves, 10 September 2026: João Costa não cola resultados do PISA ao fim dos exames