Brazil math proficiency falls below basic levels in PISA 2025

Recent results from the 2025 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) have highlighted significant challenges in Brazil's education system. Approximately 72% of 15-year-old students in Brazil scored below the basic level in mathematics, meaning seven out of ten students lack the proficiency to perform simple tasks such as comparing distances or converting currencies. This figure stands in stark contrast to the OECD average of 35%.

Furthermore, the data shows a lack of high-performing students in Brazil, with virtually none reaching the highest levels of the scale, compared to an 8% average among evaluated countries. The reports indicate that Brazil's educational performance has remained largely stagnant for about a decade.

Experts, including Ralph Reis of the Instituto Fliegen, suggest that the cumulative nature of mathematics means that unresolved gaps in early years compromise more complex learning later on. Reis emphasizes that family support and providing opportunities for incentive are crucial in helping students overcome these academic hurdles.