US Reading Scores Hit Near 25-Year Low as Student Performance Declines

Reading performance among U.S. teenagers has fallen to its lowest level in nearly 25 years, according to the latest results from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).

The 2025 international assessment found that U.S. 15-year-olds recorded a significant decline in reading performance compared with the previous assessment in 2022. The results are part of a broader global drop in student achievement, with reading, mathematics and science scores declining across many countries.

U.S. Reading Scores Fall 14 Points

U.S. students’ average reading score dropped by 14 points from 2022, marking the country’s lowest reading performance since PISA began in 2000.

Despite the decline, American students remained above the OECD average in reading. Only a small number of education systems, including Singapore, Chinese jurisdictions and Taiwan, performed better than the United States in the subject.

The results highlight a growing concern over reading comprehension among American teenagers.

Global Reading Performance Also Declines

The U.S. decline is part of a much broader international trend.

The 2025 PISA assessment tested more than 760,000 15-year-old students across 91 countries and economies. Globally, average reading scores fell substantially compared with previous years.

The OECD reported that the average reading score across participating OECD countries fell to about 466 points, compared with a peak of 501 in 2012.

Mathematics and Science Also Show Weaknesses

The latest assessment also found significant challenges beyond reading.

Across OECD countries, mathematics scores have continued to decline, while science performance has also weakened. Globally, mathematics fell to around 469 points and science to approximately 486 points in the 2025 assessment.

The results suggest that the problem is not limited to one academic subject or one country.

Screen Time Raises Concerns

One factor highlighted in the latest research is the changing relationship young people have with digital technology.

Students are spending more time on smartphones, social media and other digital devices, while reading for pleasure has declined. Researchers found that students who spend excessive amounts of time on digital devices tend to perform worse academically.

The OECD’s assessment also examined how students interact with technology and AI tools, reflecting growing concerns about whether digital technology is helping or distracting students in educational settings.

AI Use Becomes Part of the Education Debate

The PISA results arrive as schools and students increasingly adopt generative artificial intelligence.

The assessment found an association between frequent AI chatbot use and weaker academic performance, although the findings do not by themselves prove that AI causes lower scores. Reuters reported that excessive reliance on AI tools was particularly associated with poorer outcomes in science.

At the same time, the OECD’s 2025 assessment includes a new Learning in the Digital World domain designed to examine students’ ability to use computational tools for knowledge building and problem-solving.

Achievement Gap Remains a Major Concern

The United States also faces a significant gap between higher- and lower-performing students.

According to the latest results, the difference between students at the 90th and 10th percentiles in U.S. reading performance was larger than in other participating countries. U.S. education officials said the gap has widened compared with a decade ago.

This means that the national average does not fully capture the differences in educational outcomes among American students.

East Asian Education Systems Lead

Students in several East Asian education systems continued to perform strongly in the latest PISA assessment.

Singapore, Chinese jurisdictions, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan were among the strongest-performing systems across the assessment’s subjects.

Their results stand in contrast to the broader decline seen across many Western education systems.

Why the Results Matter

Reading comprehension is considered a foundational academic skill because students need to understand and evaluate written information across nearly every subject.

The latest PISA results raise questions about how schools can improve reading engagement while helping students navigate an increasingly digital environment.

The challenge is particularly important as artificial intelligence, social media and digital entertainment become increasingly embedded in teenagers’ daily lives.

What Is PISA?

The Programme for International Student Assessment, commonly known as PISA, is an international study organized by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

It evaluates the skills of 15-year-old students in areas including reading, mathematics and science. The 2025 assessment involved more than 90 countries and economies, with the initial results released on September 8, 2026.

Bottom Line

The latest PISA results show that U.S. reading performance has fallen to its lowest level in nearly 25 years, with American 15-year-olds losing 14 points compared with 2022.

The decline is part of a wider global education problem, as reading, mathematics and science performance has weakened across many countries. Rising screen time, reduced reading for pleasure and the growing use of AI are among the factors being examined, although the results do not establish a single cause.

For the United States, the widening gap between high- and low-performing students adds another challenge for educators and policymakers as they look for ways to improve literacy and academic achievement.