Progress or decline: what study found about the quality of school education in Georgia
In 2025, Georgian 15-year-old school students performed better in mathematics, reading and science than they did in 2022. However, there has been no broad or sustained progress over the past decade. In fact, Georgian school students now struggle more with reading comprehension than they did in 2015.
These are the findings of PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment), the largest international study of the quality of school education, conducted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
OECD (English: OECD) is an international economic organisation that brings together developed countries with high-income economies and established democracies. The organisation is often referred to as a “club of rich or developed countries”.
Despite the positive trend, Georgia remains significantly below the OECD average in all three core areas. Reading is particularly concerning, with 61% of students failing to reach even the basic level.
Georgia’s results
According to the 2025 PISA study, Georgia’s average scores were:
- Science — 422 points;
- Mathematics — 416 points;
- Reading — 384 points;
- Problem-solving using computational methods — 413 points.
In 2022, Georgia scored 384 points in science, 374 in reading and 390 in mathematics. The country therefore improved in all three areas in 2025.
The biggest change came in science, with an increase of 38 points. Reading rose by 10 points, while mathematics increased by 26 points.
However, 2022 was a low point for comparison. It was the first study conducted after the pandemic, when education systems were still dealing with its consequences.
The report’s authors also link the decline between 2018 and 2022 to a change in the testing format, alongside the pandemic. Georgia moved from paper-based tests to an electronic format.
Comparing the results with 2022 therefore mainly shows a partial recovery from the losses caused by the pandemic. It cannot, however, serve as a sufficient measure of the education system’s long-term success.
he 10-year results are less impressive
Compared with 2015, Georgia improved its science score by 10 points. Its mathematics score rose by 8 points. In both areas, the country achieved its best result of the past decade.
However, its reading score fell by 17 points. Georgia’s average score stood at 401 points in 2015, but fell to 384 points in 2025.
This means that Georgia’s result in one of the three core areas is worse than it was ten years ago. This is particularly significant because reading skills provide the foundation for learning other subjects.
The short-term improvement therefore does not amount to a systemic breakthrough. Georgia has recovered some of the ground it lost after the pandemic. But it has failed to achieve consistent progress across all three areas over the past decade.
The gap between Georgia and the OECD remains wide
In PISA 2025, the OECD average was 482 points in science. The average mathematics score was 463 points, while reading stood at 461 points.
Georgia trails the OECD average by:
- 60 points in science;
- 47 points in mathematics;
- 77 points in reading.
Georgia comes closest to the OECD average in mathematics. Even there, however, the gap remains significant.
With 422 points in science, Georgia ranks at the same level as Serbia, Romania and Mongolia. The same group also includes Costa Rica, Moldova, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan and Malaysia.
Georgia scored 384 points in reading. Thailand, Vietnam, Peru, Argentina and Kazakhstan recorded statistically similar results.
In mathematics, Georgia trails neighbouring Azerbaijan, which scored 422 points..
What the basic level means
A country’s average score tells only part of the story. A more important question is how many students have the minimum skills they need for everyday life.
In PISA, Level 2 is considered the basic level. At this level, students should be able to apply their knowledge in simple, practical situations.
In Georgia, 55% of students reach the basic level in science. The OECD average is 74%.
In mathematics, 47% of Georgian school students reach the basic level. The average across OECD countries is 65%.
Reading is the most problematic area. Only 39% of Georgian students can identify the main idea and find information in a moderately long text. The OECD average is 69%.
This means that 61% of Georgia’s 15-year-old students do not reach even the basic level in reading.
A shortage of high-performing students
Georgia’s rise in the average score was mainly driven by a decline in the share of low-performing students. The share of high-performing students, however, has not increased significantly.
In science, only 1% of Georgian school students reach the highest performance levels. The OECD average is 7%.
In mathematics, around 2% of students reach the highest levels. The average across OECD countries is 8%.
In reading, virtually no Georgian students reach the highest performance levels. The OECD average is 6%.
The system has therefore managed to help some of its weakest students catch up. However, it still does not create an environment where high-performing students can fully develop their potential.
First place in just one indicator
After the study was published, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said that the country had ranked first among 91 countries.
“In terms of improving performance in science, Georgia ranked first among the 91 countries around the world that took part in the study,” the prime minister said at a government meeting.
The statement refers not to Georgian school students’ overall level of knowledge, but to the change in their science score between 2022 and 2025. Georgia’s score rose by 38 points during this period, the largest increase among all participating countries.
But Georgia does not rank first in the overall results. Its average science score is 422, compared with the OECD average of 482.
The study also stresses that it is impossible to determine countries’ exact rankings. PISA relies on a sample of students, so average scores have a margin of statistical error.
The second achievement highlighted by the Georgian authorities concerns the decline in the number of low-performing students. Georgia did indeed rank among the top three countries on this indicator. Between 2022 and 2025, the share of such students fell by 19.6 percentage points. That is significant progress. However, the share of high-performing students increased by just 0.6 percentage points over the same period.
How the authorities interpret the study’s results
Representatives of the ruling Georgian Dream party and pro-government media have focused mainly on three indicators: the rise in scores compared with 2022, first place for the rate of improvement in science, and the decline in the share of low-performing students.
These figures do appear in the report. The problem lies in presenting them without context.
The authorities’ version barely mentions that Georgia started this improvement from a very low baseline. The large gap with the OECD averages and the decade-long decline in reading also receive little attention.
Kobakhidze noted that “the best results in mathematics and science have been achieved over the past decade”. He also said that “despite the global decline in performance, Georgia continues to show a steady trend of improvement”.
The first statement is correct, although incomplete. Georgia’s best results in science and mathematics remain significantly below the international average.
The second statement raises questions. Georgia’s results did not improve steadily from one PISA cycle to the next. Scores fell in all three areas between 2018 and 2022, while the 2025 reading score remains below the 2015 level.
The authorities presented the public with the most favourable part of the study. However, the full picture shows both some achievements and long-term problems within the education system.
The urban-rural gap has narrowed, but not disappeared
The prime minister also highlighted the narrowing gap between urban and rural schools.
The report confirms this trend. The narrower gap in science and mathematics resulted from improved performance among students in rural areas and settlements.
In reading, however, the gap narrowed for another reason as well: students in the capital performed worse.
This is an important distinction. A reduction in inequality does not always mean that performance has improved across all groups. Sometimes the gap narrows because the stronger group becomes weaker.
In 2025, students in Tbilisi scored an average of 441 points in science. Students in other cities scored 417, while those in villages and settlements scored 405.
In reading, Tbilisi’s score was 401 points. Other cities scored 384, while villages and settlements scored 363.
In mathematics, Tbilisi scored 434 points. The score for other cities was 410, while schools in villages and settlements scored 403.
Private, state and Azerbaijani-language schools
The report shows inequality between private and state schools just as clearly as the gap between urban and rural schools.
Private-school students scored 465 points in science, compared with 418 points for students in state schools. In reading, the corresponding scores were 419 and 381, while in mathematics they were 464 and 412.
The mathematics score for private schools is almost equal to the OECD average. State schools, however, remain significantly below it.
Azerbaijani-language schools perform particularly poorly:
- Science — 338 points;
- Reading — 307 points;
- Mathematics — 341 points.
The corresponding scores for Georgian-language schools are 426, 387 and 420 points.
This gap points to deep inequality within the education system. However, the difference between the languages of instruction did not feature at all in the prime minister’s statement.
Girls outperform boys in reading and science
In Georgia, girls outperform boys in reading and science. The gap is particularly wide in reading.
In science, girls scored an average of 430 points, compared with 415 for boys. In reading, girls scored 399 points, while boys scored 364.
In mathematics, girls scored 417 points, compared with 416 for boys. This difference is not statistically significant.
According to the report, the gender gap in reading narrowed after 2015, but widened again in the latest cycle.
A new challenge in the digital world
PISA 2025 introduced a new area of assessment: “Learning in the Digital World”. One of its components was problem-solving using computational methods.
This component assesses computer modelling and programming skills. The assessment also covers conducting experiments and creating digital products.
Georgia scored 413 points in this area, compared with an OECD average of 500.
This is Georgia’s largest gap among the four areas assessed in the study. Statistically, the country is on a par with Jordan.
Poor reading performance and a lack of digital skills are interconnected problems. Both require students to understand and process information and solve problems independently.
What is PISA?
PISA assesses the knowledge and practical skills of 15-year-olds. The study does not simply test whether students remember the school curriculum. It measures how well they can apply their knowledge to real-life situations.
The 2025 assessment was the ninth cycle of PISA. The study was previously conducted every three years. From 2025 onwards, the interval between cycles has increased to four years.
Georgia first joined PISA in 2010 as part of the PISA 2009+ programme. Subsequent assessments took place in Georgia in 2015, 2018, 2022 and 2025.
A total of 6,855 students from 265 schools in Georgia took part in the latest assessment. Parents, school principals and 1,350 science teachers also completed questionnaires.
PISA 2025 study on Georgia
