Peru Education Crisis: PISA 2025 Results Show Decade-Long Regression in Reading and Math

Perú has suffered a severe educational setback, sliding back to performance levels not seen in a decade according to the PISA 2025 results released by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Testing 15-year-old students across 91 participating nations, the international assessment placed the country in the bottom quarter globally, erasing hard-won gains from the previous decade in both mathematics and reading.

A Decade of Progress Erased in Core Subjects

The latest evaluation reveals a stark downward trajectory across fundamental disciplines. In mathematics, Perú registered 382 points—a drop of 26 points compared to the 408 points achieved in 2022, pushing national scores even lower than the 387 points recorded in 2015.

Reading literacy fared similarly poorly. Peruvian students scored 390 points, marking an 18-point decline from 2022 and sitting eight points below the 2015 baseline. Meanwhile, the sciences proved to be the lone exception to the downward slide, with the country recording 406 points—virtually unchanged from 2022’s 408 points and slightly above the 397 points of 2015, according to data covered by El Comercio.

Weighing Standardized Testing Against 21st-Century Skills

Beyond the numbers and international rankings, educational experts urge a deeper, more nuanced examination of what these metrics actually capture. Prominent educator León Trahtemberg points out that while standardized assessments provide vital data on specific competencies, they routinely fail to measure broader human capabilities essential for the modern century.

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“There is a risk of confounding what PISA can measure with what education should consider most important,” Trahtemberg noted in commentary provided to El Comercio. He emphasizes that the national conversation must expand to incorporate socio-emotional well-being, critical thinking, creativity, and collaborative problem-solving rather than focusing exclusively on test scores.

The Persistent Structural Gap with International Standards

The widening gulf between local learning outcomes and international benchmarks highlights systemic challenges that predate the COVID-19 pandemic. The OECD notes that while average scores across member nations have also dipped over the past decade—falling from 485 to 463 in math and from 489 to 461 in reading—Perú’s starting point remains critically low.

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The current score gaps are formidable: an 81-point deficit in mathematics, a 71-point gap in reading, and a 76-point shortfall in science when compared directly to OECD averages. As policymakers digest these sobering findings, the central challenge remains figuring out how to rebuild foundational academic skills while simultaneously fostering the dynamic competencies students need for the future.