PISA tests: with invalid sample, Catalonia ranks above Spanish and OECD averages

On Tuesday, the PISA results were published, giving a benchmark of reading, mathematics, and science comprehension of students around the world. 

However, this year, Catalonia's results are invalid, after an error in the testing was revealed some months ago. 

Nevertheless, results, including Catalonia's invalid ones, were published on Tuesday, showing that Catalonia would improve its PISA results compared to 2022 in all three areas tested.

Additionally, the Catalan results would rank above the Spanish average and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Developmen (OECD) countries.

The results are affected by an error in the student sample and therefore cannot be compared with the rest of the territories or with the historical series. The tests were carried out between March 31 and May 16, 2025, and the exemption rate reached 23.2% on average, when the OECD recommendation was a maximum of 5%.

In figures, 591 students were exempted, of which 6 due to physical disability, 493 due to cognitive, behavioral or emotional disability, and 92 due to insufficient command of the language.

Results

In scientific competence, Catalonia obtained 502 points, above the 477 in 2022, the 477 Spanish average in 2025, and the 482 of the OECD.

In reading, Catalonia scored 473 points, above the 462 in 2022, the 451 in Spain in 2025, and the 461 of the OECD.

In mathematics, it achieved 474 points, exceeding the 469 in 2022, the 457 of Spain in this report, and the 463 of the OECD.

956 state centers and almost 30,000 students aged 15-16 participated in the PISA 2025 tests. The majority of students were in the 4th year of ESO (77%).

Excluded from international reports

The OECD decided not to include the data from Catalonia in the international reports.

In the state report, the Ministry of Education has included the results of Catalonia, but separately from the rest of the autonomous communities and with a note warning that "they should not be used to make comparisons with other territories or other editions of PISA, since the sample of students who took the tests is not representative of the entire student body in Catalonia."

Asked about this issue, the Secretary of State for Education, Abelardo de la Rosa, said that Catalonia was included in the state report because "it has been evaluated" and because "there are results."

“Not including Catalonia would be to ignore that it has been evaluated and that there are results, and we preferred to include it and mark it with an asterisk with the warning that it cannot be compared,” he explained.

Catalonia was not the only autonomous community that exceeded the OECD's recommendation for exemptions, as the same thing happened in Murcia, where the percentage of exclusion reached 13%, much lower than Catalonia's 23.2%.

In this case, the OECD did include the results of Murcia with a note that warns of the potential risk of bias due to overestimation.