Israel’s PISA collapse exposes a failing education system threatening its future - opinion

Israel's 2025 PISA results show a sharp decline: reading scores fell 38 points to 436, math to 433, and science to 442 — all the lowest ever and below OECD averages. The article argues the collapse is at the system's core, not just in marginalized sectors, and links it to chronic underfunding, teacher shortages, and politicization of education policy.

Israel's 2025 PISA results reveal a sharp and broad decline in student performance. Reading scores dropped 38 points to 436, mathematics fell 25 points to 433, and science fell 23 points to 442 — all the lowest ever recorded for Israel and significantly below OECD averages. The article argues this collapse is at the system's core, not just in marginalized sectors like the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) community, which was poorly represented in the sample. Key findings include 46% of Israeli students failing to reach baseline math proficiency (vs. 35% OECD average), 37% of students agreeing school has been a waste of time (vs. 24% OECD average), and a decline in top performers. The author, Dan Perry, attributes the crisis to chronic underfunding (22% less per student than OECD average), teacher shortages and burnout, and the chronic politicization of education policy, where ministers change priorities with each government. The piece warns that this erosion of educational quality threatens Israel's economic and military qualitative edge, which depends on producing a skilled population.