Northern Ireland's latest performance in the OECD's Programme for
International Student Assessment (PISA) has further underlined
the need for education reform, with declines in reading and
mathematics achievement recorded over the past decade.
PISA is the world's leading international benchmark of
educational performance, assessing the knowledge and skills of
15-year-olds in mathematics, reading and science.
Pupils in Northern Ireland took part in the PISA 2025 study
between September 2025 and October 2025.
Results show that whilst Northern Ireland continues to perform
well in comparison to many other countries, there has been a
significant downward trend in pupils' average reading and
mathematics performance since PISA 2015. There has also been
a worrying decline in the proportion of pupils in Northern
Ireland performing at Level 2 or above, the internationally
recognised baseline level of proficiency required for effective
participation in learning and life. This is particularly stark in
Mathematics, with 30% of pupils are now performing below baseline
Level 2 proficiency, compared with 19% in 2015.
Notably, pupils in Northern Ireland were outperformed across all
three areas by both England and the Republic of Ireland.
Education Minister said: I welcome the latest PISA
results for Northern Ireland. Whilst pupils in Northern Ireland
continue to perform well against other international education
systems, it is clear that education systems across the world are
facing significant challenges and Northern Ireland is no
exception.
These results should serve as a wake-up call. While Northern
Ireland remains a strong-performing education system by
international standards, we should not confuse relative success
with sufficient progress.
The measure of a successful education system is not simply how
well its highest achievers perform, but how effectively it
supports every child to succeed. On that measure, these results
show there is much more work to do.
If literacy and numeracy are the currency of opportunity, too
many of our young people are leaving education without the
knowledge and skills they need to thrive in a rapidly changing
world. This is not good enough, and it underlines the need for
the TransformED Reform Programme.
Key findings from PISA 2025 for Northern Ireland include:
- Northern Ireland performed above the OECD average in science,
reading and mathematics in 2025.
- There were, however, significant downward trends in pupils'
average reading and mathematics scores between 2015 and 2025.
- Socioeconomic status remains a strong predictor of
performance. Pupils in Northern Ireland who were eligible for
Free School Meals achieved average scores in science, reading and
mathematics significantly below scores for pupils who were not
eligible
- In the three PISA domains of science, reading and mathematics
Northern Ireland pupils' performance was significantly above the
performance of pupils in Wales, not significantly different to
the performance of pupils in Scotland but significantly below the
performance of pupils in both England and the Republic of
Ireland.
continued: Telling ourselves we
have a world class education system is no substitute for having a
world class education system. These results show that we cannot
be complacent. A highly educated population is critical to
Northern Ireland's economic prosperity and social wellbeing.
International companies often decide where to invest based on how
an education system performs, and we are not competing as well as
we should on the world stage.
As technology continues to reshape the labour market, it is both
possible and necessary to ensure more young people achieve at
higher levels than ever before. We cannot afford for any child or
young person to be left behind.
That is why my Department's TransformED programme is both
essential and unapologetically ambitious, delivering reform at
pace to drive higher standards, greater equity and improved
outcomes for all learners.
These results provide a clear call to action and a compelling
case for sustained reform and investment. There is a clear need
to support children from disadvantaged backgrounds more
effectively, close persistent attainment gaps and reverse the
decline in reading and mathematics outcomes.
The full national report for PISA can be found at: www.education-ni.gov.uk/articles/programme-international-student-assessment-pisa.
The full OECD international PISA report can be found at: www.oecd.org/en/about/programmes/pisa.html.
Notes to editors:
1. The PISA study was carried out for the Department of Education
by Pearson and the analysis and reporting for Northern Ireland
undertaken by University College London (UCL) Institute of
Education (IOE).
2. PISA 2025 involved 91 education systems, including Northern
Ireland.
3. In Northern Ireland, 3,445 15-year-old pupils from 104 schools
took part in PISA 2025.
4. Pearson, in collaboration with UCL IOE and the Oxford
University Centre for Educational Assessment (OUCEA), were
awarded the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)
2025 contract to operate as the National Centre for England,
Wales and Northern Ireland. Associate Professor Grace Grima,
Director of Research at Pearson, was the National Programme
Manager.
