Chile faces educational challenges amid declining PISA scores

Recent PISA 2025 results indicate a decline in educational performance in Chile. Only 41% of 15-year-old students reached basic levels in mathematics, compared to the OECD average of 65%, while reading proficiency stood at 62% against an OECD average of 69%. Both areas showed a regression compared to 2022 data.

Social gaps remain significant, particularly in science, where students from high socioeconomic backgrounds outperform their lower-income peers by 76 points. However, the gap has narrowed slightly between 2015 and 2025 due to improvements in the most disadvantaged groups. Experts suggest that addressing these disparities requires diversifying teaching methods, reducing learning barriers, and improving teacher training to handle diverse classroom needs.

In parallel, discussions regarding the scalability of successful educational initiatives highlight the difficulty of expanding effective programs. While programs like Fundación Luksic’s ‘Aspiraciones’ have shown positive impacts—such as a 5% increase in higher education access for technical-professional students—challenges remain regarding the costs of growth and the coordination required between the public sector, foundations, and academia to implement evidence-based policies at scale.