Filipino students have achieved their highest scores since the Philippines joined the Program for International Student Assessment in 2018, marking a turning point for the country’s education sector. The PISA 2025 results, released this week by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, showed 15-year-old participants gaining 20 points in reading, 17 points in science, and 16 points in mathematics.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara confirmed the improvements represent the first time Filipino students have posted gains across all three assessment areas. The announcement came on September 10, 2026, offering rare positive news for a sector long criticized for underperformance.
Still, the victory is incomplete. Mean scores remain below OECD averages in all tested subjects, and the Philippines, while no longer at the bottom, continues to trail most participating nations. How much improvement is enough when you’re still far from the global standard?
The results highlight a persistent gap between progress and parity. Filipino educators have worked to lift performance, and they’ve succeeded in moving the needle. Yet closing the distance to international benchmarks will require sustained effort and resources far beyond what these incremental gains represent.
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