Student groups alarmed by Austria’s falling PISA scores

Austria’s 15-year-olds have performed worse in reading and mathematics, despite the country ranking above the OECD average for the first time, ORF reported. The Schülerunion called for more individual support and a school system adapted to modern needs, while Progress Steiermark said the results showed that isolated measures were insufficient.

The PISA 2025 results, released on Tuesday, assessed the skills of around 7,000 Austrian students in science, mathematics, reading and, for the first time, learning in the digital world. Austria recorded declines in reading and mathematics performance.

The Schülerunion said the results showed that Austria’s education system faced major challenges, particularly because of continuing differences between students with different social and family backgrounds.

“Not all students start under the same conditions. That is precisely why we must provide support where it is needed,” said Irma Fejzic, deputy state student representative for vocational and upper secondary schools. The results showed the need for equal opportunities and schools that placed greater emphasis on developing each student’s individual abilities, she said.

Although Austria was above the OECD average, the Schülerunion attributed this partly to a deterioration in the overall performance of other countries. It called for targeted support, individual learning guidance and fair educational opportunities instead of assessing students solely against a uniform standard.

The organization said the results should lead to discussions with students about what schools needed to achieve today and what changes were required. It also called for better preparation for life after school, including financial education, digital skills and the responsible use of artificial intelligence. The Schülerunion welcomed announced reforms to financial education and changes to curricula by the Education Ministry.

Anni Chen, chairwoman of the Schülerunion in Styria, said the decline in Austrian students’ performance over several years should be a wake-up call for the government to make education a clear priority and introduce measures to strengthen the education system’s quality.

Progress Steiermark criticised Education Minister Christoph Wiederkehr’s focus on measures such as the Chancenbonus, a programme intended to support educational opportunities. The student group said the measure did not adequately address the structural link between educational success and parents’ socioeconomic background.

According to the latest PISA data, one in four young people in Austria cannot understand a written text. Ten years ago, the figure was about one in five. Progress said schools facing particular challenges needed permanent additional resources, targeted support and sufficient staff. Measures should have measurable goals and be regularly assessed to determine whether they reached the students who needed them most, the group said.