Results still declining. The level of French students and those of the 90 other member countries and regions of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is declining, according to the latest ranking of the Program for International Student Assessment (Pisa) published Tuesday September 8. Through tests measuring "students' ability to solve complex problems, demonstrate critical thinking and communicate effectively", this ranking aims to evaluate the knowledge in mathematics, reading and science of students aged 15 based on data collected in 2025. It also takes into account other factors, such as students' attitude towards teaching (such as motivation or curiosity), their performance according to their social origins or the support provided to them, or no, their parents. It is published every three years.
In 2025, France obtains a score corresponding to the average score of OECD countries, despite a ranking in the first third, in 27th position. However, since the health crisis, specialists have observed a general decline in the level of students in all the countries and regions observed. “The scores are getting lower and lower,” notes Eric Charbonnier, education analyst at the OECD. “Even if we are not surprised, this must raise questions for us.” Ranking, inequalities, use of AI… Here is what to remember from this new ranking.
China tops the rankings
As in the two previous editions, Asia occupies the first places. Notably China, which appears three times in the ranking across three distinct zones. In first place, we find one of these Chinese zones, bringing together Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang. It is followed by Singapore and the Chinese autonomous region of Macau. Among the last countries in the ranking are several African countries, including Rwanda (which occupies last place), Kenya (89th), Zambia (88th) and Morocco (83rd).
France occupies 27th place in the ranking
Among the 91 countries or areas evaluated in the study, France has lost one place since the last ranking in 2023. The country is now in 27th position among OECD countries, just after Sweden and Slovenia and before Italy and Portugal. In 6th place, Estonia occupies the first place among European countries.
In detail, the authors of the ranking have developed three different rankings, in science, mathematics and reading comprehension. In all three cases, French students are within the average for OECD countries, with a score of 483 in science (compared to 482 for the OECD average, which places France in 24th place), 456 in reading comprehension (461 for the OECD, 25th) and 458 for mathematics (463, 31st place).
Social inequalities persist in France, despite an improvement
As in 2022, France is one of the countries with strong inequalities in performance depending on the social origins of students. “Even if we manage to eliminate [them], they are still there,” specifies Eric Charbonnier, education analyst at the OECD. To calculate this index, the authors of the ranking distinguish students into four categories, from the most affluent to the most deprived.
They thus observe that in science, the quarter of the most advantaged students are 100 points ahead of those of the least advantaged students. A value higher than that observed in other OECD countries, since on average, in the 91 countries and regions studied, this difference is 85 points.
Furthermore, French students from advantaged backgrounds are particularly affected by this drop in academic level, particularly in mathematics. The level in this subject fell by 38% among the most advantaged students, compared to 22% among the most disadvantaged. On the other hand, the authors note an improvement in science, where the gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students has narrowed. The latter “can be considered academically resilient because, despite their socio-economic disadvantage, they obtain excellent results compared to other students in their country,” note the analysts.
Lack of resources weighs on the results of French students
The authors of the Pisa ranking were also interested in the human and material resources allocated to students. It appears that in 2025, 45% of French students were educated in an establishment affected by a lack of teaching staff. This figure, higher than the OECD average (39%), has however decreased compared to the last assessment (67%), notes the report.
On the other hand, the situation has worsened with regard to material resources. In 2025, around 20% of French students attended schools whose heads reported that a lack of teaching materials, such as textbooks, computer equipment, library or laboratory equipment, "hindered teaching" (compared to 15% in 2022). In terms of infrastructure, 25% of the students evaluated were educated in establishments lacking space, a heating system, air conditioning or lighting. In 2022, this proportion was 19%.
Students who use AI less have better results
The OECD also warns about the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in education, denouncing a correlation between the increased use of AI and poor results in science. “Those who have better performance in France are those who never use AI,” observes Eric Charbonnier, education analyst at the OECD.
In France, only two in ten students say they never – or almost never – use AI-based chatbots to help them learn. In total, 37% say they use it at least once a week, compared to 46% on average in the OECD.
