Scotland's education system has reached a new low in international rankings for reading and mathematics, with pupils performing more than a year behind their peers in England, according to the 2025 Programme for International Student Assessments (Pisa) study. The findings, released by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), indicate a decline in Scotland's performance since the last assessment in 2022.

While performance in science saw an improvement, it remains significantly lower than in earlier years of the study (2006, 2009, and 2012) and has only returned to pre-pandemic levels. In mathematics, Scotland scored 467 points, a record low compared to 471 in 2022 and 492 in England. In reading, the score fell to 488, down from 493 in 2022 and lower than England's 497. The science score improved to 491 from 483 in 2022, but still lags behind England's 516.

These scores place Scottish pupils more than a school year behind English pupils in both mathematics and science. The Pisa study assesses how 15-year-olds apply their knowledge to real-life situations.

Opposition parties criticized the ruling Scottish National Party (SNP), with Scottish Labour leadership contender Michael Marra calling the situation an "unacceptable betrayal of our children." Scottish Conservative education spokesman Meghan Gallacher stated that "two decades of SNP government has resulted in its destruction."

Analysis by Lindsay Paterson, emeritus professor of education policy at Edinburgh University, found that Scottish pupils are now 14 months behind their 2010 science levels, eight months behind in reading, and 19 months behind in mathematics. He noted that attainment in England has remained broadly stable over the same period. If England and Scotland were independent OECD members, England would rank among the top five economically developed nations in science, reading, and mathematics, while Scotland would be considerably lower.

Paterson observed that while there was some recovery from COVID-19 between 2022 and 2025, it was limited and did not translate into long-term improvement for Scottish attainment. He also noted that inequality was reduced by lowering the attainment of students from high-social-status families.

The Scottish Government's own analysis acknowledged a "longer-term decline in performance remains an important challenge," with substantial proportions of pupils performing below baseline proficiency, particularly in mathematics. However, the government analysis also stated there was "no statistically significant change in Scotland’s mean performance in science, mathematics or reading between 2022 and 2025," suggesting a stabilization rather than a continuation of the decline.

Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesman Duncan Dunlop remarked, "Once the best in the world, Scottish education just isn’t what it used to be." Scottish Labour education spokesman Katherine Sangster urged the SNP to heed the figures, stating, "For Scottish young people to be lagging so far behind their English counterparts – over a year behind – should be a wake-up call."

Education Secretary Màiri McAllan highlighted "real strengths" in Scottish education and ongoing improvement efforts, including the Curriculum Improvement Cycle. She asserted that Scotland's education system is "competitive by international standards, performing above the OECD average on four measures out of five." First Minister John Swinney described the results as indicating a "stable position" and emphasized the government's focus on improvement work, noting that the Pisa study is only one data point alongside other indicators like increasing exam pass rates.