European education powerhouses rocked by falling scores in global study

While the UK bucked the trend, results on the continent continued a slide that began in 2018. Photograph: Peter Lopeman/Alamy

France’s were its worst ever. Germany’s, too. In the Netherlands, results also tumbled to all-time lows. Even in Finland, Europe’s much-vaunted schools champion and a global leader for decades, scores plummeted.

The 2025 Pisa scores, which assess how effectively 15-year-olds apply school-learned knowledge and skills in reading, mathematics and science to real-life situations, have rocked some of western Europe’s education powerhouses.