PH only country where rich-poor reading gap widened in PISA 2025

Abi Sarabia M., Philippine Canadian Inquirer
September 11, 2026

Photo courtesy: Philippine News Agency

MANILA, Philippines — Filipino students posted better reading scores in the latest international assessment, but the gains were uneven: students from wealthier families improved far more than their disadvantaged peers.

The Philippines was the only country or economy in PISA 2025 where the socio-economic gap in reading performance widened from 2022, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Among the wealthiest 25% of Filipino students, the average reading score rose by 41 points, from 376 in 2022 to 417 in 2025.

Among the poorest 25%, the gain was only 15 points, from 324 to 338.

As a result, the reading-score gap between the two groups widened from 52 points in 2022 to 78 points in 2025.

The finding means that while students across different socio-economic groups improved, the benefits of the country’s learning recovery have not been shared equally.

The result stands out globally. The OECD said the socio-economic reading gap narrowed in 37 participating countries and economies, remained broadly unchanged in others, and increased only in the Philippines.

PH scores improve, but many still below basic proficiency

The widening gap comes despite the Philippines recording its strongest PISA performance since joining the assessment in 2018.

The country’s overall reading score climbed to 367 in 2025, up 20 points from 347 in 2022. Mathematics improved by 16 points to 371, while science rose by 17 points to 373.

The share of Filipino students reaching at least Level 2, considered the baseline proficiency level, also increased in reading from 24% in 2022 to 31% in 2025.

Still, that means roughly seven in 10 Filipino 15-year-olds remained below baseline reading proficiency in the latest assessment.

PISA, or the Programme for International Student Assessment, is conducted every three years and measures how well 15-year-old students can apply their knowledge in reading, mathematics and science to real-world situations.

DepEd points to ARAL program

Education Secretary Sonny Angara said the continuing reading deficiencies among Filipino learners are among the problems the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program was designed to address.

ARAL provides targeted learning support for students from Kindergarten to Grade 10 who are struggling in reading, mathematics and science.

The program was institutionalized under Republic Act No. 12028, making learning remediation a permanent part of the basic education system rather than a temporary intervention.

DepEd has reported improvements under its broader learning recovery efforts. During School Year 2025–2026, the number of struggling readers fell from about 6.7 million to 2.2 million, while learners considered ready to read at grade level increased from 3.3 million to 5.8 million.

But ARAL currently has no allocation in the proposed 2027 National Expenditure Program.

DepEd is asking Congress for ₱15.98 billion to continue the program next year, covering tutor training and compensation, learning materials, summer remediation and other learning recovery activities.

The PISA findings underline the challenge facing DepEd: improving national scores is only part of the task. The government must also ensure that students who have fewer resources are not left further behind as the education system recovers.