England's 15-year-olds scored significantly above the international average in science, reading and mathematics in the latest round of the OECD's global education tests, according to the national report for England published on Tuesday morning alongside the international results.
Pupils in England recorded an average science score of 516 against an OECD average of 482, a reading score of 497 against 461, and a mathematics score of 492 against 463. The Department for Education said the science result was England's strongest since 2012.
The figures land as Prime Minister Andy Burnham's government reshapes secondary education around new technical routes for 14-year-olds, and ministers have used the results to argue that broadening vocational provision will not come at the cost of academic standards.
Science was the focus of the 2025 assessment, which involved 91 countries and economies and more than 760,000 students, the OECD said. In England, 5,619 pupils from 183 schools sat a two-hour computer-based test and a questionnaire between February and May 2025.
Seven countries scored significantly above England in science, including the Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions of China, Singapore, Japan and Estonia. In mathematics, nine countries scored significantly higher, among them Estonia and Switzerland. Three scored significantly higher in reading.
The national report sets the improvement in a narrower frame than the department's briefing. England's science score was significantly above the 503 recorded in 2022 but not significantly different from 507 in 2018 or 512 in 2015. Reading was not significantly different from any previous cycle, and mathematics remained significantly below the 504 achieved in 2018.
Schools Minister Georgia Gould said:
"Today's results are testament to the hard work of teachers and pupils across the country, with the UK continuing to perform strongly in reading, maths and science.
We are determined to build on these positive results and go further so all young people leave school with strong literacy and numeracy. And we want to take on the areas where England performs less well - how far pupils feel like they belong and value school. The next leap forward will come from pupils engaged and excited to be at school.
"Countries like Estonia show that academic excellence can go hand in hand with high-quality vocational routes. Our reforms will build on England's strong academic foundations so future generations not only perform well, but feel connected to school and excited about where their education can take them."
The report itself covers England alone. Scotland's national report was scheduled for publication on the same day, with Wales and Northern Ireland reporting separately. In the 2022 cycle, Wales was the only UK nation below the OECD averages in all three subjects.
In its briefing to journalists, the department said other countries had continued to improve despite the pandemic while England's reading and mathematics scores had stalled for a decade. The report records substantial declines elsewhere. Most higher-performing countries saw significant falls in reading between 2022 and 2025, and the average across the 35 OECD countries that have taken part in every cycle since 2015 fell from 477 to 463. The same group's mathematics average of 465 was significantly below its 2022, 2018 and 2015 levels.
The report also cautions that England's sample may not be entirely representative. Its analysis of non-response found that pupils within participating schools who did not sit the test were slightly more likely to speak English as a first language, to have been eligible for free school meals at some point in the previous six years, and to receive special educational needs support. It says results should be interpreted cautiously, particularly for trends over time and international comparisons.
Ministers cited Estonia and Switzerland as systems combining strong test results with large or well-regarded technical routes. The OECD's own 2019 review of Estonian vocational education found that the sector remained relatively low status compared with general education, with high dropout rates and apprenticeships that attracted few young people.
The department pointed to T Levels as evidence that technical education is working in England. Some 19,665 students received results this summer, up from 11,909 in 2025, with a pass rate of 92.6%. The Joint Council for Qualifications has since revised the 2025 pass rate to 93.5% following late industry placements and remarking, putting this year's figure below last year's on a like-for-like basis, and has cautioned that year-on-year comparisons are of limited value given the growth in student and provider numbers.
The reforms are being pursued against a backdrop of high youth worklessness. The Office for National Statistics estimated in August that 981,000 people aged 16 to 24 across the UK were not in education, employment or training between April and June 2026, 13.0% of the age group and 30,000 more than a year earlier.
On pupils' sense of belonging, which Gould identified as a relative weakness, the comparable published data is from the previous cycle. Analysis by the Oxford University Centre for Educational Assessment found that 63% of pupils in England agreed they belonged at their school in 2022, against an OECD average of 75%. The 2025 questionnaire findings are due in Volume 2 of the England report.
OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann and Andreas Schleicher, the organisation's education and skills director, were due to present the international findings at a virtual press conference on Tuesday morning.
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