THE Davao City Council commended the Philippine Science High School – Southern Mindanao Campus (PSHS-SMC) after it ranked first nationwide in the 2025 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), leading 208 participating schools in Mathematics, Science, and Reading.
The council recognized the school’s historic academic achievement during its 37th Regular Session on Tuesday, Sept. 15, and honored the collective efforts of its students, teachers, school leaders, and support staff.
“It is a source of pride not only for Philippine Science High School; it is also a source of pride for Davao City, Davao Region, for Southern Mindanao, for Mindanao, and for the entire Philippines,” said Councilor Antoinette Principe, chairperson of the Committee on Education, Science and Technology, during her privilege speech.
“Our children can learn. Our children can excel. Our children can compete with the world. What they need is the right environment, the right support, and people who will continue to believe in their potential,” Principe said.
She said the PISA results demonstrate what local learners can achieve when they receive adequate resources and sustained support.
The council honored PSHS-SMC learners, teacher-reviewers, administrative staff, and management committee members led by Campus Director Jonald Fenecios. They attended the session alongside representatives from the Department of Education Davao Region and the Department of Science and Technology.
Principe credited local government support as one of the factors that helped the school prepare for the assessment. She cited city-funded PISA mastery sessions, transportation assistance, power generators for testing centers, and student nutrition support.
Fenecios also acknowledged the city’s backing, particularly through the Special Education Fund and logistical assistance during the school’s PISA preparations.
Aside from PSHS-SMC, several public schools represented Davao City in PISA 2025, including Doña Carmen Denia National High School, Talomo National High School, Maa National High School and Victor Bernal Integrated School.
National gains, learning gaps
The 2025 PISA cycle, administered by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), recorded the Philippines’ strongest performance since the country joined the international assessment in 2018.
The Philippines posted mean scores of 373 in Science, 371 in Mathematics, and 367 in Reading, marking double-digit gains in all three areas from the 2022 results.
The country also recorded a 20-point improvement in Reading, making the Philippines the fastest-improving country in reading performance in the OECD’s 10-year trend analysis.
Despite the gains, the country’s scores remained below the OECD averages of 482 in Science, 463 in Mathematics, and 461 in Reading.
Only 32 percent of Filipino test-takers reached at least Level 2 proficiency in Science, while 21 percent met the baseline in Mathematics and 31 percent in Reading.
To sustain the gains and address learning gaps, the Department of Education is asking Congress to restore and approve a ₱16.03 billion supplemental budget for fiscal year 2027 to support the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program.
“These latest PISA gains are an encouraging checkpoint, not the finish line,” Education Secretary Sonny Angara said in a statement. “They prove that system-wide progress is possible, but they also highlight why sustained funding and structured interventions like ARAL remain non-negotiable.” GRS
