As efforts to improve the education sector are still underway.
On Tuesday, September 8, Education Secretary Sonny Angara officially announced the results of the latest 2025 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) at the Caloocan City Science High School.
According to the official description in its website, PISA is the world’s largest international comparative survey of 15-year-old students.
It mainly assesses the “extent to which they have acquired key knowledge and skills essential for full participation in social and economic life.”
The survey has its core domains in mathematics, reading and science, with the focal core domain rotating with each PISA cycle—that also includes an innovative domain.
Angara revealed that the Philippines has shown progress in all three main areas of PISA in 2025, with the country scoring 373 in Science, 371 in Mathematics, and 367 in Reading.
The Philippines ranked 77th out of 91 countries in Science, 74th out of 90 countries in Mathematics, and 72nd out of 90 countries in Reading.
The scores in this cycle are a big jump from PISA 2022, where the nation got 356 in Science (up by 17 points), 355 points in Mathematics (up by 16 points), and 347 points in Reading (up by 20 points).
Moreover, there is also an increase in Filipino learners also reached Level 2 or higher—the basic level of skills measured by PISA.
In Science, it is 32 percent in 2025 (versus 23 percent in 2022), it is 21 percent in Mathematics (from 16 percent), and 31 percent in Reading (from 24 percent).
As a result, the Philippines has surpassed 14 countries in Science, 16 countries in Mathematics, and 18 countries in Reading, Angara said.
“This is an important achievement for our students, teachers, and the entire Philippine education system. But more than the numbers, we see clear evidence that our students can thrive and achieve real and meaningful progress,” the Education Chief said. “We should be proud of how far our students and teachers have come, but we must be more determined about how far we can go.”
Meanwhile, in the 10-year trend analysis by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), it also showed that the Philippines is the fastest improving country when it comes to reading performance.
The Philippines is also among the countries that have recorded significant improvements in Mathematics. In Science, the Philippines continues to improve in long-term performance even though Science performance has declined in many countries around the world.
OECD Director for Education and Skills Andreas Schleicher extended his congratulations to the teachers and school leaders of the country.
“My warmest congratulations to the teachers and school leaders of the Philippines because what you have achieved in this latest round of OECD’s PISA assessment is not just good news for the Philippines, it’s a story that deserves to be noticed far beyond your borders,” said Schleicher.
OECD Policy Analyst Rodrigo Castañeda Valle also shared his perspective on the Philippines’ performance and global education trends.
For the Department of Education (DepEd), the good results are the result of the collaboration of teachers, school leaders, learners, parents, local government units and other partners in education.
The department also said that it will continue to focus on improving learning outcomes, providing support to teachers and schools, and above all, ensuring that more Filipino children benefit from development.
For its part, the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) also welcomed the results.
“The PISA is an important international measure of learning outcomes, and this cycle’s data— together with our own national and classroom-based assessments— gives us a clearer, evidence-based basis for assessing progress toward the goals set out in EDCOM 2’s Final Report and the National Education and Workforce Development Plan (NatPlan) 2026–2035,” it said.
The committee also commended the Department of Education for its leadership and sustained efforts toward improving learning outcomes.
“At the same time, this progress belongs to the entire country. Over the past three years, teachers, parents, civil society organizations, volunteers, legislators, local government units, and communities have come together to confront the learning crisis and support every Filipino child. This step forward demonstrates what we can achieve when the nation works together with urgency, purpose, and resolve,” it added.
The committee also told that it will work with DepEd to examine the PISA data beyond the country’s ranking and draw lessons that can inform policy, such as how different groups of learners are progressing, the conditions that support learning, and what can be learned from other education systems.
“We are on the right track, and we are gaining momentum. Our task now is to sustain it,” EDCOM II emphasized, adding that reforms cannot begin again with a change in leadership and it must be continued.
“We must build on what is working, address the gaps that remain, and each do our part to ensure that today’s progress becomes lasting improvement for every Filipino child,” the committee concluded its statement.
