THE Philippines recorded improvements in the 2025 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), with the Department of Education (DepEd) citing the results as a sign of progress in efforts to strengthen basic education.
In the latest assessment, the country ranked 72nd in Reading and 74th in Mathematics out of 90 participating countries, and 77th in Science out of 91 participants.
Despite remaining below the average of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), DepEd said the results show notable gains compared with previous PISA cycles.
The Philippines posted a mean score of 371 in Mathematics, lower than the OECD average of 463. In Reading, the country scored 367 against the OECD’s 461, while in Science, it registered 373 compared with the OECD’s 482.
Based on mean scores, the Philippines outperformed 14 countries in Science, 16 in Mathematics, and 18 in Reading.
The improvement is significant compared with the country’s performance in PISA 2018, when it ranked at the bottom among participating countries. While results in 2022 showed gains, the Philippines remained within the bottom 10.
The Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) said the country posted its best PISA performance to date, with average scores increasing by 16 points in Mathematics, 17 points in Science, and 20 points in Reading from the previous cycle.
EDCOM 2 also noted that the Philippines recorded the biggest improvement in Reading among participating countries and was among the most improved in Mathematics.
However, the commission emphasized that while gains are encouraging, sustained reforms are needed to address persistent gaps in foundational learning and ensure long-term progress.
DepEd said the latest results indicate that ongoing efforts to improve reading comprehension, critical thinking, problem-solving, and analytical skills are beginning to yield results.
Among these is the ARAL program, which targets Grades 4 to 10 learners whose proficiency levels fall below minimum standards based on the Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (Phil-IRI). The program includes ARAL-Reading Basic for foundational literacy and ARAL-Reading Plus for fluency and comprehension.
Another initiative, the Literacy Remediation Program (LRP), focuses on Grade 3 learners identified as low-emerging readers through the Comprehensive Rapid Literacy Assessment (CRLA), providing structured and intensive instruction.
The PISA 2025 assessment in the Philippines covered 208 sampled schools and 8,072 learners, offering a snapshot of learning outcomes nationwide.
In Davao Region, 11 schools participated with a total of 441 examinees. Five schools were from Davao City, three from Davao de Oro, and one school each from Davao Oriental, Digos City, and Mati City.
DepEd earlier said the assessment serves as a benchmark for policies and programs aimed at improving the quality of education in the country.
PISA is a worldwide study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) that evaluates educational systems by measuring 15-year-old students' scholastic performance and real-world application skills. RGL
