Switzerland remains strong as reading and maths scores decline

Switzerland remains one of the strongest-performing education systems internationally, but its students’ results in reading and mathematics continue to decline, SRF reported on Tuesday.

Swiss students achieved their highest score in the newly assessed area of model-based problem-solving, with 520 points. They scored 501 points in science and 499 in mathematics, placing Switzerland among the top 10: only eight of the 91 participating countries and regions performed better. Reading was significantly weaker, at 470 points.

Switzerland performed significantly above the OECD average in all areas assessed and ranked among the 20 highest-performing countries overall. It also had a higher-than-average share of high-performing students.

The study found few gender-based differences in science. However, performance varied according to students’ social background, migration background and the language spoken at home. Students from disadvantaged backgrounds were much less likely to reach minimum proficiency levels in reading, mathematics and science than those from privileged families.

SRF domestic affairs editor Michèle Scherer said the results confirmed a trend seen in various studies over recent years: Swiss students’ basic academic skills are under pressure. A non-representative survey published the previous week by Economiesuisse, the Swiss Trade Association and the Swiss Employers’ Association had also found that apprentices increasingly show weaknesses in writing and mathematics.

The gap between disadvantaged and privileged students has narrowed since the previous PISA study in 2022. According to Scherer, this was mainly because the results of privileged students declined, rather than because disadvantaged students caught up.

Model-based problem-solving was assessed for the first time in 2025. The assessment measures students’ ability to solve complex problems independently and with the help of digital tools, including conducting experiments, analysing data, and developing and improving technical solutions. Switzerland’s score of 520 was significantly above the OECD average of 500. Among the comparison countries, only Estonia performed better.

The Programme for International Student Assessment tests 15-year-olds in science, reading, mathematics and model-based problem-solving. Around 7,600 students from 275 schools in Switzerland took part. The national results are compiled on behalf of the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation and the Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education.

The data feed into Switzerland’s national education monitoring system and are combined every four years in an overall report on the country’s education system.