The Philippines recorded the largest estimated improvement in reading among countries participating in recent Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) cycles, while Filipino students also showed gains in computational problem-solving, the Department of Education (DepEd) said.
Citing data from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), DepEd said the country posted an estimated 38-point increase in reading over a 10-year period. The improvement was equivalent to nearly two additional years of schooling, it added.
The Philippines also gained 25 points in mathematics and 22 points in science over the same period. It was one of eight education systems that improved across all three subjects between the 2022 and 2025 assessments, according to the agency.
Despite the gains, the country’s PISA 2025 average scores remained relatively low at 373 in science, 371 in mathematics, and 367 in reading.
The share of Filipino students reaching baseline proficiency increased to 32% in science, up nine percentage points from 2022. Baseline proficiency rose to 31% in reading, an increase of seven percentage points, and to 21% in mathematics, up five percentage points.
The results mean that most Filipino students still did not meet baseline proficiency in the three core subjects, underscoring the scale of the learning gaps confronting the education system.
PISA also measured computational problem-solving, which assesses how students use digital tools, process information, and adapt their strategies to solve unfamiliar tasks.
DepEd said 34% of Filipino students reached baseline proficiency in the domain. It added that 70% performed better than expected based on their science scores, indicating that some learners demonstrated stronger problem-solving abilities in technology-assisted environments than their performance in traditional science assessments would suggest.
DepEd secretary Sonny Angara attributed the improvement to teachers, students, and government programs focused on foundational learning.
The Philippines ranked last in reading among 79 participating education systems when it joined PISA in 2018.
“While we celebrate being named the global top improver in Reading, we view this not as a finish line, but as validation that our direction is working. We still have a long way to go, but our learners have proven that given the right support, they can leap forward,” Angara said.
DepEd said it would continue programs such as the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning Program, Bayang Bumabasa, the distribution of storybooks for Kindergarten to Grade 3, and the establishment of reading nooks in schools.
The agency said it would also address remaining problems involving socioeconomic learning gaps, cyberbullying, student well-being, classroom shortages, and other infrastructure constraints.
