Educational disaster in Spain: Worst results in history in PISA report, falling up to two school years behind the United Kingdom

Spain has recorded its worst historical results in the PISA 2025 report, falling significantly behind in Reading, Mathematics, and Science. The figures point to a lag of up to two school years behind the United Kingdom, with a notable deterioration even among students from high-income families.

The PISA 2025 report has been a wake-up call for the Spanish education system. The results, published by the OECD, confirm a historic slump in the three assessed competencies: Reading, Mathematics, and Science. Spain has moved from achieving average scores in previous editions to scoring below the OECD and EU averages in all areas.
The most pronounced drop was recorded in Reading, where 15- and 16-year-old Spanish students have regressed **23 points** since the 2022 edition, reaching **451 points**. This places them **10 points** below the OECD average (**461 points**) and **8 points** below the EU average (**459 points**).

## The abyss in reading and mathematics

The equivalence in terms of school years is devastating. According to the OECD, **20 points** in the PISA report equates to one school year. This means that our 15-year-old students, on average, have the reading level of a 13-year-old Briton—that is, **two school years behind** the **United Kingdom**, which scored **494 points**. The downward trend in reading has been worrying for a decade, but the latest report marks a negative turning point. The Ministry of Education has acknowledged the seriousness of the data and announced an "autocriticism," although they frame the decline within a global deterioration of education systems and the effects of screen time.

In Mathematics, the situation is not much better. Spain scored **457 points**, **16 points** fewer than in 2022, and scored below the OECD average (**473 points**) and the EU average (**463 points**). The difference with the **United Kingdom** (**488 points**) translates into a lag of approximately **one and a half school years**. The decline in this subject was **16 points** for Spain, compared to **9 points** for the OECD and **11 points** for the EU.

## Science: the subject that drops the least, but worries the most

Science, which has traditionally been Spain's strong suit in the PISA report, has also suffered a setback. Scoring **477 points**, Spain is **5 points** below the OECD average (**482 points**) and **4 points** below the EU average (**481 points**). The loss was **8 points** compared to 2022, while the OECD and EU only dropped **3 points**. Despite being the subject where Spanish students achieve the best results, the decline is significant and places them **one and a half school years** behind the **United Kingdom** (**511 points**).

The PISA report officials have been unequivocal in stating that the **2025** results are "inferior to those of **2015**, and among the lowest recorded in Spain thus far across all three subjects." Experts such as **Lucas Gortázar**, adjunct director at the EsadeEcPol think tank, describe the drop as "severe and very serious," while **Ismael Sanz**, Education Director at Funcas think tank, speaks of a "major, very negative regression that must lead to reflection." The Secretary of State for Education, **Abelardo de la Rosa**, admitted that "the data is not good" and that the problem of reading habits and screen use must be addressed.

## Increase in low-performing students

One of the most worrying findings of PISA 2025 is the increase in low-performing students—those who do not achieve the minimum competencies needed to cope with daily life. Compared to a decade ago, the proportion of these students has increased by **11 percentage points in Mathematics**, **15 percentage points in Reading**, and **6 percentage points in Science**. Simultaneously, the number of excellent students has not increased.

This trend is opposite to that seen in countries like **Japan**, **Estonia**, or **South Korea**, which lead the PISA report. These countries are characterized by a high percentage of excellent students and a low percentage of lagging students. For example, in Science, Spain has **4%** excellent students and **24%** low performers, while Japan presents **17%** good students and only **3%** poor students. The situation is even more alarming in Mathematics and Reading, where Spanish low performers reach **33%** and **32%**, respectively.

## The socioeconomic factor and screens

Traditionally, socioeconomic status has been a determining factor in academic results. Students from wealthier families used to achieve better outcomes. While this correlation persists, the PISA 2025 report reveals a worrying novelty: the deterioration has occurred primarily among high-income families. "It reaches double, it is unprecedented. Low-achieving students from wealthy backgrounds are the ones who fall most globally," warns **Lucas Gortázar**.

Both **Gortázar** and **Ismael Sanz** point to the use of digital tools in well-off educational settings as a possible cause. The OECD, for its part, attributes the decline in results to screen time abuse. **Tue Halgreen**, a senior OECD analyst and head of the PISA study coordination, explains that the drop "may be related to technological development of the last decade," and that there is an increasingly strong correlation between less time spent on mobile phones and better performance. Problems are compounded by reading long texts, those exceeding **400 words**, which fit on a screen.

However, the use of screens by Spanish students is not excessively high compared to other countries. The average usage is **two hours a week**, compared to three or four hours in other countries. Time spent on devices for non-educational purposes is **42 minutes a day**, compared to the OECD average of **66 minutes**.

## "Facilitism" and the debate over the Lomloe

**Ismael Sanz** believes that the deterioration cannot be attributed solely to screens, but rather to an "effect of facilitism" that has been a trend in Europe. In Spain, the **Lomloe** (Organic Law for the Modification of the LOE) has introduced significant changes since Elbichito, allowing students to obtain the ESO certificate in various ways and enabling them to pass a year without suspension limits. This has led to less ambition in ESO, with less weight given to numerical grades and greater emphasis on qualitative evaluation.

This system, according to Sanz, has multiplied bureaucracy for teachers, who have not received detailed training on the new assessment or on how to teach a curriculum where memorization has been "demonized." Teachers must assess attitudes and values, often at the expense of specific content. The cohort examined in PISA 2025 was studying 3rd and 4th year ESO with this new curriculum. "Spain is a country that has bet everything on equity, sacrificing quality. And we have lost both equity and quality," laments Sanz.

On the other hand, **Abelardo de la Rosa** denies that the government's educational reform is the cause of the decline. He defends that the **Lomloe** introduces a "very interesting" and "positive" competency-based model, attributing the decline to "a context of social complexity, uncertainty, global liquidity, and digitalization."

## The example of Asian countries and family involvement

The countries that consistently lead the PISA rankings, such as **Japan**, **South Korea**, and **Singapore**, share key characteristics: "Parents invest a lot of time and resources in their children's education, the children spend a lot of time doing homework and work very hard." **Tue Halgreen** also highlights the social valuation of teachers in these countries, as well as a strong interest in continuous learning.

In Spain, family involvement has decreased. If in **2022**, **77%** of students reported that their parents asked them at least once a week about what they had done in school, this percentage has dropped to **60%** in **2025**. Weekly conversation about school problems has also fallen from **60%** to **50%**.

The perception of lack of teaching and support staff in Spain is higher than the OECD average. **49%** of Spanish teachers report lack of teaching staff (compared to **39%** in the OECD), and **72%** report lack of support staff (compared to the average of **39%**). This perception has increased since **2022**, when it was **41%**.

Despite the poor overall results, the PISA report praises Spanish students' curiosity (**72%**), although this has dropped **3.2 percentage points** since **2022**. It also highlights their perseverance: **68%** state they make an extra effort when facing difficult tasks, compared to **60%** in the OECD, although this figure has also dropped **3.3 percentage points**. Spain also shows a high sense of belonging to school and lower rates of bullying. In the new category of Fruta Problem Solving, Spain scored **499 points**, similar to the OECD average.