Paris: French students recorded some of their lowest-ever results in mathematics, science, and reading comprehension, according to the OECD's PISA 2025 survey published Tuesday. Despite remaining close to the OECD average overall, France saw a sharp deterioration in student performance over the past decade, French broadcaster BFMTV reported.

According to Anadolu Agency, Eric Charbonnier, an analyst at the OECD's Directorate for Education and Skills, emphasized the decline over the past ten years. "When we look at student performance, there has really been a significant drop in 10 years," Charbonnier stated. Between 2015 and 2025, French students' scores fell by 40 points in both mathematics and reading comprehension. Charbonnier explained that "forty points represents the equivalent of two years of learning," highlighting the broader issue of declining student performance in France and other European countries.

The decline also impacted students from more privileged backgrounds, whose scores dropped by 50 points in reading comprehension and 28 points in mathematics over the same period. Only 5% of French students reached the highest performance levels in mathematics, compared to the OECD average of 8%. Furthermore, the proportion of struggling students increased by four percentage points in science, 11 points in reading comprehension, and 12 points in mathematics compared with 2015.

The survey also noted a widening gender gap in reading, with girls scoring 32 points higher than boys, while boys continued to perform better in mathematics, albeit with a narrowing gap. Socioeconomic background remained a strong predictor of performance, as the most advantaged French students scored 100 points higher in science than disadvantaged students, surpassing the average OECD gap of 85 points.

The report highlighted declining parental involvement as another concern. Only 34% of French parents regularly inquired about their children's problems at school, while 60% showed interest in their school day once or several times a week. Charbonnier pointed out that "all the PISA results show that when families get involved in their children's schooling, the results and performance are significantly better."

Teacher shortages and classroom disruption were identified as additional issues affecting student performance. In 2025, 45% of French students attended schools where principals reported that teaching was hampered by staff shortages, compared with an OECD average of 39%. Nearly half of French students reported that noise and disorder disrupted most or all of their science classes, against an OECD average of 31%.