Latin America falls back in PISA 2025 as Argentina posts its worst score since 2006

All 13 Latin American countries assessed in the PISA 2025 report, released Tuesday, scored below the OECD averages in the three subjects measured, in an edition marked by broad declines and by Argentina's worst performance since it began taking part in the test.

The assessment, which the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development administers every three years to enrolled 15-year-olds, was the largest in the series: more than 760,000 students from 91 countries and economies took part. OECD averages stood at 461 points in reading, 463 in mathematics and 482 in science, the lowest figures recorded since the test was first applied. This round also added computational problem-solving as a fourth domain.

Argentina scored 367 points in mathematics, 389 in reading and 393 in science, down 11, 12 and 13 points respectively from 2022 and its weakest results since the series began in 2006. Only 24% of Argentine students reached level 2 in mathematics, the threshold the OECD considers basic, against 65% across the organization. The report also records a widening gap between the country's highest and lowest performing students in mathematics and science between 2022 and 2025. Regionally, Argentina placed behind Uruguay, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Brazil and Peru.

Uruguay posted the strongest performance in the region. According to the national report released by the National Public Education Administration (ANEP), the country reached 444.5 points in science, some nine more than in 2022 and its best result on record, 423.2 in reading, seven below the previous round, and 404.9 in mathematics, a statistically stable figure. Uruguay led the region in science and mathematics and ranked second in reading behind Chile. Even so, it remains below the OECD in all three areas: 58% of its students fail to reach the minimum level in mathematics and 43% fall short in reading.

Chile fell twelve points in reading, to 436, and nine in mathematics, to 403, while science held steady at 442. Since 2015, the share of students performing below the basic threshold has risen ten percentage points in both mathematics and reading. Brazil was essentially unchanged from 2022, with 408 points in reading, 377 in mathematics and 409 in science. Mexico dropped to 388 in mathematics, its lowest mark since 2006, and to 408 in reading, with a slight improvement in science to 414.

The OECD added a caveat for reading the declines in Colombia and Costa Rica, where secondary enrollment expanded over the past decade. The organization said the apparent setback in mathematics and reading is linked to the integration of students from previously marginalized populations into the system. PISA assesses only young people who are in school, so countries with higher dropout rates are measured on a smaller share of the age cohort.

Outside the region, the United States recorded 490 points in reading, fourteen fewer than in 2022 and its lowest level since the assessment began in 2000. Mathematics also hit a record low, while science remained stable. The test's organizers cautioned that the US student response rate and the volume of exclusions fell below required technical standards, meaning bias in the results cannot be ruled out.

The main reasoin is - once again - the extreme inequality in the region. Private schools that cater for the richest 5% are generally good quality while state schools are poor, in part because of lack of meritocracy, clientelism and associated corruption with many teachers being less committed to a work ethic. The problem is that the ruling elite don't give a damn about raising the quality of state education because neither they nor their children attend. Nor do they have a 'one nation' mentality (as in South-east Asia) because of deep-rooted racism which they will always strongly deny.