Danish 15-year-olds have recorded their weakest results ever in the international PISA study, according to figures published on Tuesday, September 8, 2026.
The OECD released the 2025 round of the PISA assessment on Tuesday morning. Public broadcaster DR reports that Danish pupils have never performed worse in the study. The survey measures how 15-year-olds perform in reading, mathematics and science.
DR is tracking political and professional reactions to the results in a live blog through the day. The broadcaster describes the figures as hard reading for Danish schools. The results cover pupils in the final years of the folkeskole, the Danish public school system.
The Ministry of Education, Undervisningsministeriet, put Denmark’s 2025 results at 460 points in reading, 471 in mathematics and 478 in science. In its statement, the ministry says the academic level of Danish pupils is lower than ever measured before.
What other outlets report
TV 2 writes that Danish pupils are now weaker in reading, mathematics and science than at any point in PISA’s 25-year history. The channel reports that about 29 percent of Danish pupils are low-performing in reading, 28 percent in mathematics and 25 percent in science.
According to Reuters, the OECD’s 2025 assessment shows scores in all three subjects at their lowest levels since data collection began in 2000. Berlingske notes that the new results were published Tuesday, and that Danish pupils are particularly weaker in reading, with declines also in mathematics and science.
The findings concern compulsory schooling rather than higher levels of education in Denmark. PISA has been conducted since 2000, per Reuters, allowing comparisons across a quarter of a century.
Per DR’s live coverage, Magnus Heunicke said the government is prepared to invest more money in the area. The reaction came within hours of the publication on Tuesday morning.
DR’s live blog also carried responses from the school sector during the day. The association of school leaders said common solutions must be found, while the teachers’ union chair said no one can solve the problem alone.
The 2025 results are the latest in the OECD’s three-yearly comparison of school systems. Denmark’s scores in reading, mathematics and science all now sit at record lows for the country, according to the Ministry of Education.
