The Latest PISA Results Are a Wake-Up Call for Reading
What can schools do when reading becomes harder to understand, evaluate, and apply?
The latest PISA results are sending a clear signal: reading needs attention.
According to the 2025 PISA results, released September 8, 2026, U.S. 15-year-old students had an average reading score of 490, down 14 points from 2022 — roughly a seven-month loss of learning. While U.S. students still performed above the OECD average, the decline raises an important question for schools: Are students reading—or really understanding what they read?
Source: OECD (2026), PISA 2025 Results (Volume I): United States, Figure 3
Reading Is More Than Getting Through a Page
Today, reading proficiency goes far beyond decoding words on a page.
PISA measures skills such as the ability to:
✅ Distinguish fact from opinion
✅ Synthesize and interpret information from different sources
✅ Deal with conflicting information
✅ Assess the quality and credibility of information
✅ Make inferences and connect ideas
These are the skills students need not only to succeed academically, but also to navigate an increasingly complex world of information.
1 in 4 U.S. Students Were Low Performers
One of the most concerning findings is that 26% of U.S. test-takers were identified as low performers in reading, meaning they performed below PISA’s baseline Level 2.
At Level 2, students can identify the main idea of a moderately long text, understand relationships and construct meaning through basic inferences, and compare claims or evaluate reasons based on short, explicit statements, according to EdTrust’s analysis of the latest PISA results.
Students performing below this level have more difficulty comprehending lengthy texts, determining relevant information, reasoning from an extended text, and comparing, contrasting, and integrating information across multiple perspectives.
These higher-order reading skills matter.
The Gap Isn’t Just Wide — It’s Widening
The gap between U.S. students at the 90th and 10th percentiles is the largest between top- and bottom-performing readers anywhere in the world — and it has grown by 50 points since 2015, roughly 2.5 years of learning.
It’s not only struggling readers: just 13% of U.S. 15-year-olds qualified as high performers in reading.
The message isn’t that American students can’t read. It’s that the distance between them grows every year we wait.
So, What Can Schools Do?
The PISA results are a signal—but they don’t have to be the final word.
PISA tests 15-year-olds, but the skills it measures are built in elementary and middle school. By 15, that 2.5-year gap has had a decade to form.
Schools can create more opportunities for students to read, discuss, question, connect, and apply what they are learning.
That can happen through engaging reading experiences that make students want to participate, as well as targeted academic support that strengthens essential skills.
Turn the Signal Into Action
The latest PISA results give schools plenty to think about.
But the most important question isn’t simply what happened to the scores?
It’s what can we do next?
Whether your school is looking to build stronger engagement with reading or provide targeted academic support, there are meaningful ways to help students become more confident, capable readers.
Let’s turn the conversation into action.
Homework Support vs. Pod Tutoring: What Do Your Students Really Need?
Not every student needs the same kind of academic support.
Some students need a quiet, structured place to finish their assignments. Others need targeted instruction to strengthen a specific skill or subject.
And sometimes, students need both.
📚 Homework Support: Helping Students Stay on Track
😵💫 Homework can quickly become a challenge when students don’t have the structure or support they need.
✏️ Homework Support gives students a dedicated space to work, stay focused, ask questions, and complete assignments with guidance available when needed.
✅ It’s about creating productive learning time—not simply getting through a checklist of assignments.
🎯 Pod Tutoring: Going Beyond Homework
Sometimes, completing the assignment isn’t the problem.
A student may need additional practice, more explanation, or a smaller learning environment where they can ask questions and build confidence. 💬
That’s where Pod Tutoring can make a difference.
With small-group support and focused instruction, students have more opportunities to practice skills, engage with the material, and receive the academic support they need. 🌟
🤔 So, Which One Does Your School Need?
The answer may be both. 🔄
📚 Homework Support helps students stay organized, focused, and on track.
🎯 Pod Tutoring provides more targeted academic support for students who need additional instruction and practice.
Together, they give schools more flexibility to support different learners and different needs. 🤝
🌟 More Support. More Confidence. More Learning.
The goal isn’t to give students more work.
It’s to give them the right support at the right time. 💙
Explore how Nexplore Academics can help your school create a stronger academic support experience for students. 🚀
