Latin America falls back in PISA 2025 as Argentina posts its worst score since 2006

After PISA 2025 results were released on Tuesday, Latin American countries fared poorly in comparison to the OECD averages. All 13 assessed countries, including Argentina, scored below the OECD averages in reading, mathematics, and science. This round saw the addition of computational problem-solving as a fourth domain.

Argentina's performance was particularly poor, with scores dropping to 367 points in mathematics, 389 in reading, and 393 in science, marking its weakest results since 2006. Only 24% of Argentine students reached the basic threshold in mathematics, compared to 65% across the organization.

Regionally, Argentina lagged behind Uruguay, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, and Peru. Uruguay had the strongest performance in the region, scoring 444.5 points in science, 423.2 in reading, and 404.9 in mathematics. However, it still fell below the OECD averages in all three areas.

Chile and Brazil saw slight declines, with Chile's reading score falling to 436 and mathematics to 403, while Brazil remained essentially unchanged from 2022. Mexico's scores dropped to 388 in mathematics and 408 in reading, marking its lowest marks since 2006. Science scores remained steady for Chile and improved slightly for Mexico to 414.

Outside the region, the United States recorded a low score of 490 points in reading, a 14-point decrease from 2022, and a record low in mathematics. The test's organizers warned that the US student response rate and the volume of exclusions fell below required technical standards, potentially introducing bias into the results.