PISA 2025: Madrid Shines as Basque Elite Underperforms
PISA 2025 report shows Madrid excelling, while high-income Basque students lag behind Asturias and Cantabria. Catalonia excluded.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
PISA Report: Madrid Rises, Basque Elite Falters
There's a buzz in economic circles, better illustrating the PISA 2025 report than any chart: two students left their ikastola (Basque school) due to language barriers, only to end up running coffee shops. Someone has to serve the coffee, the anecdote wryly suggests. Behind this quip lies an uncomfortable truth: Madrid ranks well in the latest OECD study, while the Basque Country, long proud of its educational system, performs below expectations for its income level.
What the PISA 2025 Report Says About Madrid and the Basque Country
This edition's most cited result breaks the link between wealth and grades: high-socioeconomic Basque students score worse than middle and lower classes in Asturias and Cantabria. The Basque elite underperforms compared to less affluent families in the northwest. Conversely, Madrid is among the top performers, alongside Castilla y León and Asturias.
The easy excuse—immigration and language—doesn't quite hold up: Madrid has a large immigrant population, bilingual schools, and international Italian, German, and French lyceums, yet still fares better. The prevailing argument points to methodology, not nationality.
Why Catalonia is Absent from the PISA 2025 Report
Catalonia's absence from the list is no mystery. Of the 2,545 students selected, 591 were excluded. This represents 23.2% of the sample, far exceeding the OECD's 5% tolerance. Reasons cited include physical disabilities, cognitive, behavioral, or emotional difficulties, and insufficient command of the test language.
Excluding one in four participants doesn't automatically invalidate the exam, but it does present an incomplete picture and fuels suspicion that those who might not perform well are being sidelined.
Native Language as a Usual Suspect
The diagnosis here splits. One view suggests that the burden of the co-official language—teaching hours, competitive exams, materials—hinders overall performance. Another counters that the issue isn't Euskera or Catalan, but a pedagogy that has abandoned rote learning and rigor. Both perspectives coexist without reconciliation.
From Classroom to GDP: The Debate Ends at the Register
The issue spills over into regional economics. "Madrid is much richer," some argue. "It depends on how you measure it," others retort: GDP per capita is distorted by corporate headquarters that bill nationwide but are registered in the capital, an effect that inflates the figures without improving residents' lives. Based on household income, they maintain, the Basque Country, Navarra, Huesca, Girona, and Barcelona surpass Madrid.
And then there's employment: in two decades, the Basque autonomous community has reportedly created more public sector jobs than private ones. Some see this as a safety net; others, as a sign of industrial decline.
Madrid leads Europe in a metric not measured by PISA: a life expectancy of 85.7 years, the highest in the continent. During the pandemic, it dropped by three years to 82; the Spanish average fell by 4.5 years, and Catalonia by 6.3. In Sweden, it didn't decrease. From school desks to hospital beds, Madrid's exceptionalism has multiple facets.
There's a buzz in economic circles, better illustrating the PISA 2025 report than any chart: two students left their ikastola (Basque school) due to language barriers, only to end up running coffee shops. Someone has to serve the coffee, the anecdote wryly suggests. Behind this quip lies an uncomfortable truth: Madrid ranks well in the latest OECD study, while the Basque Country, long proud of its educational system, performs below expectations for its income level.
What the PISA 2025 Report Says About Madrid and the Basque Country
This edition's most cited result breaks the link between wealth and grades: high-socioeconomic Basque students score worse than middle and lower classes in Asturias and Cantabria. The Basque elite underperforms compared to less affluent families in the northwest. Conversely, Madrid is among the top performers, alongside Castilla y León and Asturias.
The easy excuse—immigration and language—doesn't quite hold up: Madrid has a large immigrant population, bilingual schools, and international Italian, German, and French lyceums, yet still fares better. The prevailing argument points to methodology, not nationality.
Why Catalonia is Absent from the PISA 2025 Report
Catalonia's absence from the list is no mystery. Of the 2,545 students selected, 591 were excluded. This represents 23.2% of the sample, far exceeding the OECD's 5% tolerance. Reasons cited include physical disabilities, cognitive, behavioral, or emotional difficulties, and insufficient command of the test language.
Excluding one in four participants doesn't automatically invalidate the exam, but it does present an incomplete picture and fuels suspicion that those who might not perform well are being sidelined.
Native Language as a Usual Suspect
The diagnosis here splits. One view suggests that the burden of the co-official language—teaching hours, competitive exams, materials—hinders overall performance. Another counters that the issue isn't Euskera or Catalan, but a pedagogy that has abandoned rote learning and rigor. Both perspectives coexist without reconciliation.
From Classroom to GDP: The Debate Ends at the Register
The issue spills over into regional economics. "Madrid is much richer," some argue. "It depends on how you measure it," others retort: GDP per capita is distorted by corporate headquarters that bill nationwide but are registered in the capital, an effect that inflates the figures without improving residents' lives. Based on household income, they maintain, the Basque Country, Navarra, Huesca, Girona, and Barcelona surpass Madrid.
And then there's employment: in two decades, the Basque autonomous community has reportedly created more public sector jobs than private ones. Some see this as a safety net; others, as a sign of industrial decline.
Madrid leads Europe in a metric not measured by PISA: a life expectancy of 85.7 years, the highest in the continent. During the pandemic, it dropped by three years to 82; the Spanish average fell by 4.5 years, and Catalonia by 6.3. In Sweden, it didn't decrease. From school desks to hospital beds, Madrid's exceptionalism has multiple facets.
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (49 replies).
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