Cyprus PISA 2025 results show educational challenges and reform needs

The OECD released the results of the PISA 2025 assessment on September 8, 2026, which evaluated 15-year-old students across 91 countries, including Cyprus. While performance in natural sciences and reading remained largely stable compared to the 2022 testing cycle, a decline of seven points was recorded in mathematics. Cypriot authorities emphasized that these results occur against a backdrop of declining scores across the European Union, justifying the government's ongoing educational reform efforts aimed at critical thinking and pedagogical restructuring.

Contrasting reports characterize the situation differently. While official government sources highlight an increase in "resilient" students—those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds achieving high results—other analyses report concerning figures. Specifically, 43.5% of Cypriot students are classified as low achievers, failing to reach basic proficiency in any of the three evaluated subjects, significantly higher than the OECD average of 19.7%. Only 4.6% of students in Cyprus are categorized as high performers in at least one field, compared to an 11.9% average across OECD countries. Education Minister Athena Michaelidou stated that the findings underscore the urgency of the current government reforms to adapt the educational system to modern skill requirements.