Japanese students earn top scores among OECD countries in PISA

Among all participating countries and territories, Japanese students ranked fifth in science with 538 points, down 9 points from the previous time, fifth in mathematics with 525 points, down 11 points, and fourth in reading with 503 points, down 13 points.

Singapore and the region grouping Beijing, Shanghai and the Chinese provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang dominated the top two positions in the three key domains.

In 2025, a total of about 760,000 students aged 15 from 91 countries and regions participated in the assessment, including about 6,500 Japanese high school students.

Japanese students also excelled in the innovative domain "Learning in the Digital World," ranking first among the OECD countries. 

A Japanese education ministry official attributed this result to "improvements in teaching based on the current curriculum guidelines and the development of a digital learning environment."

By gender, the proportion of male students with high scores in science and mathematics exceeded that of such female students. 

In a questionnaire about enjoyment of and interest in studying science, more male students also responded positively than female students did.