Science education statistics offer two useful views of student learning: international comparisons of 15-year-olds and U.S. results across school grades. PISA 2022 science scores ranged from 561 in Singapore to 472 in Viet Nam among the systems listed here, while the OECD average was 466. In the United States, the 2019 NAEP science results show a different pattern: average scores were 151 in grade 4, 154 in grade 8, and 150 in grade 12.
Contents
- International science literacy in PISA 2022
- Top-performing education systems
- North American and European results
- United States results by grade
- NAEP achievement levels
- Differences among U.S. student groups
International science literacy in PISA 2022
The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) measured science literacy among 15-year-olds in 2022. The PISA 2022 Results Volume I reports scores for countries, economies, and several subnational education systems. Scores are reported on the PISA science scale; they should be read as assessment results for that testing cycle, not as timeless measures of a school system.
Singapore recorded the highest listed result, with a science score of 561 and a rank of first among all countries and economies. Japan scored 547 and was ranked second. Macao (China) scored 543, and Chinese Taipei scored 537; both were listed with a rank of second among all countries and economies in the supplied PISA results. Alberta, Canada, scored 534 and ranked first among OECD countries. Korea scored 528 and ranked second among OECD countries.
Estonia scored 526 and ranked fourth among all countries and economies. Hong Kong (China) scored 520 and also carried a fourth-place rank in that comparison. Canada scored 515 and ranked fifth, while Finland scored 511 and ranked sixth. Australia scored 507 and ranked seventh. New Zealand and Ireland each scored 504 and were listed with an eighth-place rank.
The OECD average science score was 466 in PISA 2022. The United States scored 499, which was 33 points above that OECD average according to the OECD Science performance indicator. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reported that nine education systems outperformed the United States in science literacy. For context, five education systems outperformed the United States in reading literacy and 25 outperformed it in mathematics literacy in the same PISA 2022 comparisons.
Top-performing education systems
The following compact comparison brings together the highest scores and the OECD benchmark. The rankings are included only where they were reported by PISA 2022 Results Volume I.
| Education system | PISA 2022 science score | Reported comparison |
|---|---|---|
| Singapore | 561 | 1st among all countries/economies |
| Japan | 547 | 2nd among all countries/economies |
| Macao (China) | 543 | 2nd among all countries/economies |
| Chinese Taipei | 537 | 2nd among all countries/economies |
| Alberta (Canada) | 534 | 1st among OECD countries |
| Korea | 528 | 2nd among OECD countries |
| Estonia | 526 | 4th among all countries/economies |
| Hong Kong (China) | 520 | 4th among all countries/economies |
| Canada | 515 | 5th among all countries/economies |
| Finland | 511 | 6th among all countries/economies |
| OECD average | 466 | Average, not a country rank |
Several subnational results also appear near the top of the listed distribution. British Columbia scored 519 and Ontario scored 517. Among Spanish regions, Castile and Leon and Galicia each scored 506; Cantabria scored 504; Asturias scored 503; Madrid scored 502; La Rioja scored 500; and Aragon scored 499. Trento and Bolzano in Italy each scored 495.
These figures describe performance in the PISA 2022 science assessment. They do not, by themselves, identify which curriculum, teaching practice, funding level, or student characteristic caused a result. The appropriate use is descriptive: comparing reported assessment outcomes within the same assessment framework and period.
North American and European results
Canada’s national score was 515, with Alberta at 534, British Columbia at 519, Ontario at 517, Quebec at 512, Prince Edward Island at 496, Saskatchewan at 494, Manitoba and Nova Scotia at 492, Newfoundland and Labrador at 491, and New Brunswick at 483. The national figure and the provincial figures should not be treated as interchangeable: one is a country result and the others are subnational results.
Across the United Kingdom, England scored 503, the United Kingdom total scored 500, Northern Ireland scored 488, Scotland scored 483, and Wales scored 473. Spain scored 485 nationally, while the regional scores ranged from 506 in Castile and Leon and Galicia to 473 in Andalusia and the Canary Islands. Catalonia scored 477, Murcia 482, the Balearic Islands and Basque Country 480, Extremadura 479, Castile-La Mancha 475, and Comunidad Valenciana 483.
Other European results included Switzerland at 503, Slovenia at 500, Poland at 499, the Czech Republic at 498, Latvia, Denmark, and Sweden at 494, Germany at 492, Austria and Belgium at 491, Navarre at 489, the Netherlands at 488, the German-speaking community of Belgium at 487, France at 487, Hungary at 486, Lithuania and Portugal at 484, and Croatia at 483.
The PISA 2022 Results Volume I also reported Norway at 478, Italy at 477, Türkiye at 476, and Northern and Southern Viet Nam at 478 and 474, respectively. Viet Nam’s national score was 472 and its reported rank was 23rd among all countries and economies. These results show why geography matters when interpreting a science education statistic: national averages can coexist with substantial variation among regions or participating education systems.
United States results by grade
NAEP provides a U.S.-focused view of science achievement at grades 4, 8, and 12. The NCES Science Performance results cited here are from 2019, so they are not a continuation of the 2022 PISA measurement. NAEP scores use a different assessment and scale and should not be directly compared numerically with PISA scores.
In 2019, the average fourth-grade NAEP science score was 151. That score was one point above the 2009 average and three points below the 2015 average. The average eighth-grade score was 154, while the average twelfth-grade score was 150.
The percentage of students reaching at least the NAEP Basic level declined by grade: 73 percent of fourth-graders, 67 percent of eighth-graders, and 59 percent of twelfth-graders reached that level in 2019. The percentage reaching at least NAEP Proficient was 36 percent in grade 4, 35 percent in grade 8, and 22 percent in grade 12.
| U.S. grade, 2019 | Average NAEP science score | At or above Basic | At or above Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 4 | 151 | 73% | 36% |
| Grade 8 | 154 | 67% | 35% |
| Grade 12 | 150 | 59% | 22% |
The table shows two separate aspects of achievement. Average scores summarize performance on the NAEP scale, while Basic and Proficient percentages describe the share reaching named achievement thresholds. Neither measure alone captures every dimension of science learning, but together they show how the distribution of performance looked at three grade levels in 2019.
NAEP achievement levels
The 2019 NAEP results indicate that the share at or above Basic was larger than the share at or above Proficient at every tested grade. In grade 4, the difference between those percentages was 37 percentage points: 73 percent reached at least Basic compared with 36 percent at least Proficient. In grade 8, the corresponding percentages were 67 and 35. In grade 12, they were 59 and 22.
The grade-level pattern is also visible in the Proficient results. More than one-third of fourth-graders, 36 percent, were at or above Proficient. The comparable share was 35 percent for eighth-graders and 22 percent for twelfth-graders. These are reported percentages from NCES Science Performance for 2019, not forecasts for later years.
The average-score results provide additional historical context only for grade 4: the 2019 average of 151 was one point higher than the 2009 average and three points lower than the 2015 average. The supplied NAEP results do not establish a cause for those changes, so the figures are best used to describe the direction and size of the reported differences across those assessment years.
Differences among U.S. student groups
At grade 4 in 2019, Asian/Pacific Islander students had an average NAEP science score of 166, and White students averaged 163. Students of two or more races averaged 159. American Indian/Alaska Native students averaged 141, Hispanic students averaged 138, and Black students averaged 130.
| Grade 4 student group, 2019 | Average NAEP science score |
|---|---|
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 166 |
| White | 163 |
| Two or more races | 159 |
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 141 |
| Hispanic | 138 |
| Black | 130 |
NCES reported a 33-point White-Black science gap at grade 4 and a 24-point White-Hispanic gap at grade 4. The reported gaps were 32 points and 24 points, respectively, at grade 8. At grade 12, the White-Black gap was 35 points and the White-Hispanic gap was 25 points.
These group comparisons are averages for the student groups and assessment grades named by NCES. They should not be read as statements about every student in a group, and the supplied results do not identify the causes of the differences. Their value is in documenting the size of the reported achievement gaps within the 2019 NAEP science results.