Italian students outperform global average in key subjects
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The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) assessed over 760,000 students in 91 countries, including 8,946 students from 285 schools in Italy, as part of its 2025 PISA report.
This report revealed a widespread decline in basic skills internationally, with one in five fifteen-year-olds not reaching a minimum level of proficiency. However, Italian students surpassed the OECD average in science, reading, and mathematics.
In science, Italian students earned 483 points, exceeding the OECD average of 482 points and showing improvement since 2018. They demonstrated the strongest performance in reading comprehension, scoring 474 points compared to the OECD average of 461 points, placing Italy above countries like Finland. While Italian students achieved 468 points in mathematics, exceeding the OECD average of 463 points and surpassing France, Germany, the United States, and Sweden, their scores decreased slightly from 2022 and ten years prior.
The OECD report also examined how students use digital tools. Half of Italian fifteen-year-olds report using artificial intelligence chatbots weekly for homework, a higher percentage than the 46% average across OECD countries. However, 38% of Italian students observe classmates frequently distracted by tablets and smartphones during lessons, and students spend an average of 1.5 hours daily using devices for leisure in school.
Despite these distractions, 72% of Italian students express curiosity, 58% persevere through challenges, and only 18% view school as a waste of time. The analysis also showed shrinking educational gaps between northern and southern Italy, though socioeconomic background still strongly influences student performance. Students from wealthier families scored an average of 518 points in science, 80 points higher than those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Approximately 12% of students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds still achieve high levels of academic success, demonstrating the impact of individual motivation and educational support.
