Saudi Students Below OECD Average in PISA 2025

New international education findings released in September 2026 have highlighted how Saudi 15-year-olds apply what they learn in school to real-life situations, after the Kingdom took part in the 2025 round of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).

PISA measures how students aged around 15 use their knowledge in mathematics, reading, and science to solve everyday and unfamiliar problems, rather than simply recalling facts. Saudi students scored below the average of countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) across all three subjects.

The results also showed that almost no Saudi students reached PISA proficiency Levels 5 or 6, the highest bands, which measure the ability to apply knowledge to open-ended and unfamiliar challenges. Overall, Saudi performance changed little compared with the previous PISA 2022 cycle.

Why it matters

The Saudi Ministry of Education notes that PISA mainly targets first-year secondary students, generally aged 15, using assessments available in Arabic and English. The aim is to gauge whether young people can put school learning to use in daily life, in their communities, and in future work.

For families across the Kingdom, the findings offer a practical snapshot of where students stand internationally in core skills. They point to the value of building not just knowledge, but the ability to apply it — an area increasingly emphasised as the country invests in education and the development of its young population.

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