UAE students have improved their performance in maths, reading and science in the latest international PISA rankings.
The 2025 results, released today (September 8) by the OECD, show that UAE scores have risen across all three core subjects since the last PISA assessment in 2022.
Just over 34,600 students from 1,070 schools in the UAE took part in the latest Programme for International Student Assessment, better known as PISA. Run by the OECD every three years, PISA compares the performance of 15-year-olds across education systems around the world.
UAE students are now performing better in maths and science than they were a decade ago, while reading scores have bounced back after falling between 2015 and 2022.
But there is still a gap to close as UAE students continue to score below the OECD average in maths, reading and science.
How Did UAE Students Perform in PISA 2025?
There has been improvement across all three of PISA's traditional core subjects.
In science, 65% of UAE students reached at least Level 2 (the expected baseline level), compared with an OECD average of 74%. 6% were classed as top performers, compared with 7% across OECD countries.
In maths, 60% of UAE students reached Level 2 or above, against an OECD average of 65%. Around 7% reached the highest Levels 5 or 6, only slightly below the OECD average of 8%.
Reading remains the area with the largest gap. 58% of UAE students reached Level 2 or above in reading, compared with 69% across OECD countries, while 4% were top performers compared with an OECD average of 6%.
