More than half of Romanian 15-year-old students do not reach the basic level in mathematics, and almost half are in the same situation in reading and science, according to the PISA 2025 results published on Tuesday by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
The results have worsened in all three evaluated domains compared to the 2022 edition. Romania remains thus in the penultimate position in the European Union, ahead of Bulgaria and Cyprus, according to data presented by Edupedu.
In mathematics, 52% of Romanian students obtained results below Level 2, considered the minimum threshold of competencies necessary for the everyday use of knowledge acquired at school. Currently, students below this threshold are included in the functional illiteracy category.
The percentage increased by three points compared to PISA 2022, when 49% of students did not reach the basic level. Among those evaluated now, 30% achieved very poor results, below Level 1a, and another 22% were at Level 1a.
Only 48% of Romanian students have demonstrated at least basic competencies in mathematics, compared to the OECD average of 65%. At this level, a student can recognize and represent a simple mathematical situation, for example, to compare distances or convert a price from one currency to another.
Significant decline in reading
In reading, 48% of Romanian students do not reach the minimum level of competency, six percentage points higher than in 2022. Half of them have results below Level 1a, and the other half are at Level 1a.
Only 52% of Romanian students can identify the main idea from a medium-length text, find information based on clear criteria, or analyze the form and purpose of a text when explicitly asked. The OECD average is 69%.
The situation is somewhat better in science, but here too 46% of Romanian students are below the basic level, compared to 44% in the previous edition. At the OECD level, 74% of students reach at least the minimum threshold, compared to only 54% in Romania.
Viewed together, the results show that 38.5% of Romanian students have competencies below the basic level in all three domains - mathematics, reading, and science. The percentage has increased by over five percentage points compared to 2022 and is almost double the OECD average of 19.7%.
Issues also in the digital world
PISA 2025 assessed for the first time the ability of students to solve problems using digital tools and calculation methods.
In Romania, only 43% of students reached at least the basic level, meaning that 57% did not demonstrate the minimum competencies. The OECD average was 64%, and the best result, 93%, was achieved by students from Macao.
Students below the minimum threshold can use software interfaces only in a rudimentary or superficial way, without pursuing clear objectives. Those at higher levels can use more complex programming and modeling tools and can efficiently solve problems.
Romania, at the bottom of the EU rankings
Compared to the 2022 edition, Romania's scores have decreased in all three core domains:
- 425 points in science, 3 points less;
- 419 points in mathematics, a decrease of 9 points;
- 413 points in reading, 16 points less.
In problem solving with digital tools, a domain evaluated for the first time, Romanian students scored 442 points.
Out of the 91 participating countries and economies, Romania ranks 48th in mathematics, 53rd in reading, 55th in science, and 51st in problem solving with digital tools.
And the number of students with very good results is low. Only 4% reached higher levels in mathematics, 2% in science, and 1% in reading. Overall, the proportion of Romanian students with high performance in all three domains decreased from 5% in 2022 to 4.8% in 2025.
How does the Ministry of Education explain the results
The Ministry of Education argues that the results in science and mathematics are close to those from 2022, indicating a relatively stable evolution. However, in reading, Romania's score decreased by 16 points.
In the longer term, the situation is more serious. Compared to 2015, the proportion of students with results below the basic level has increased by 12 percentage points in mathematics, nine points in reading, and seven points in science.
The Ministry believes that the results need to be analyzed in the context of Romania's level of development and the gaps that the country still needs to bridge compared to OECD countries.
"In Romania, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita is approximately 71% of the OECD member countries' average, and the proportion of the population aged 25 to 64 with higher education is 19%, compared to 41%, the OECD member countries' average," the Ministry of Education stated.
What are the PISA tests
The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) tests are organized by the OECD, usually once every three years, and assess the competencies of 15-year-old students in reading, mathematics, and science. They do not test mere memorization of school-taught material but rather students' ability to use what they have learned to understand and solve real-life problems.
Over 760,000 15-year-old students from 91 countries and economies participated in the PISA 2025 evaluation, representing approximately 33 million adolescents. Romania participated with 7,725 students from 322 schools.
The report and the OECD note for Romania were published on September 8.