Israel’s PISA collapse exposes a failing education system threatening its future – opinion

Israel's education system faces a severe crisis, as evidenced by its lowest-ever scores in the 2025 PISA tests across reading, mathematics, and science. The country now ranks below the OECD average in all subjects, with 46% of Israeli students failing to meet baseline math proficiency, compared to an OECD average of 35%. Student attitudes also reflect this decline, with 37% of Israeli students agreeing that "School has been a waste of time," significantly higher than the OECD average of 24%.

• The decline is not primarily due to the Haredi sector, as Haredi boys were underrepresented in the sample, and Haredi girls performed well.
• The article attributes the crisis to chronic politicization, insufficient investment (22% less per student than the OECD average), and a failure to attract talented teachers.
• It calls for a long-term education policy insulated from political changes, emphasizing core subjects like mathematics, English, and science, and making public funding conditional on providing meaningful instruction in these areas.
• The author warns that this educational collapse threatens Israel's economic, technological, and military advantages, which rely on a high-quality workforce.