Italy educational poverty report reveals regional disparities

The 2025 Invalsi National Report highlights significant challenges regarding educational poverty in Italy. Approximately 12.3% of students finishing the first cycle of education are at risk of implicit school dropout, meaning they complete the course without acquiring basic competencies. While this figure has decreased by 4 percentage points since 2018, deep regional disparities persist: risk levels exceed 20% in Calabria, Sicily, and Sardinia, whereas they remain below 10% in Northern Italy.

At the end of the second cycle of education, 8.7% of students finish with inadequate learning levels, an increase of 2.1 points compared to 2024. Educational poverty disproportionately affects vulnerable groups, being more than twice as common among socioeconomically disadvantaged families and nearly three times as high among students with previous academic delays. It is also significantly higher among first-generation immigrant students.

Eurispes notes that educational poverty is a multidimensional phenomenon involving economic, ecological, pedagogical, and individual capability factors. Addressing these issues requires systemic interventions, including increased resources, improved services, and enhanced teacher training to combat social exclusion and limited access to formative opportunities.