Lori Meadows
The United States' education system has been a topic of debate, with some arguing that it has fallen behind other countries in terms of academic achievement. While there is no single definitive ranking of education quality worldwide, various assessments provide insights into how American students compare internationally. One of the most well-known assessments is the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which evaluates 15-year-olds in reading, mathematics, and science literacy every three years. In 2015, the US ranked 38th out of 71 countries in math and 24th in science. More recently, in 2018, the US placed 22nd among the countries assessed, with an average score of 1,485. While the US has consistently scored lower in math and science compared to many countries, there are also indications of improvement, especially among younger students.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Test | Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Ranking in Math | 28th out of 37 OECD countries |
| Math score | 465 |
| Ranking in Science | 12th out of 37 OECD countries |
| Science score | N/A |
| Ranking in Reading | 6th out of 37 OECD countries |
| Reading score | N/A |
| Average score gap between male and female students in reading | 22 points |
| Average score gap between male and female students in math | 13 points |
| Average score gap between male and female students in science | No measurable difference |
| National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results in 2015 | Average math scores for fourth and eighth graders fell for the first time since 1990 |
| TIMSS results in 2015 | 10 countries out of 48 had higher average fourth-grade math scores than the US |
| PIRLS results in 2021 | The US was one of 33 education systems that opted to administer the digital assessment |
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What You'll Learn
US students' academic achievement in math and science
The PISA test is one of the biggest cross-national assessments, measuring reading ability, math and science literacy, and other key skills among 15-year-olds in dozens of developed and developing countries every three years. The 2018 PISA results showed that the US had improved its ranking in math to 36th out of 79 countries, but still lagged behind many advanced industrial nations.
Another notable assessment is the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), a project of the federal Education Department. The 2015 NAEP results showed a decline in math scores for fourth and eighth-graders for the first time since 1990. The average fourth-grade NAEP math score in 2015 was 240 (on a scale of 0 to 500), down from 242 in 2013. The eighth-grade average score was 282, the lowest since 2007. The NAEP also tests US students on science, and the 2015 results showed some improvement, with the average scores of fourth and eighth-graders improving from 150 to 154 (on a 0-to-300 scale).
The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is another cross-national assessment that tests students in grades four and eight every four years. The 2015 TIMSS results showed that 10 countries out of 48 had higher average fourth-grade math scores than the US, while seven countries had higher average science scores. In the eighth-grade tests, seven out of 37 countries had higher average math scores, and seven had higher science scores. The 2023 TIMSS administration, the first since the COVID pandemic, showed mixed outcomes across the world. While some countries saw growth or maintained their student achievement levels, the US experienced a decline, with American fourth graders' scores falling 18 points after 2019 and eighth graders' scores dropping by 27 points, the biggest drop since 1995.
The PISA and TIMSS results indicate that US students' academic achievement in math and science has room for improvement. The US ranks near the middle or below many advanced industrial nations in international assessments. Various factors contribute to lower academic achievement, including socioeconomic status, parental involvement, and mental and emotional stress. Inequality is also a significant factor, with students from wealthier schools posting much higher test scores than students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
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US ranking in math and science
The United States has consistently scored lower in math and science than students from many other countries. According to a Business Insider report from 2018, the US ranked 38th in math and 24th in science. The US News and World Report, BAV Group, and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania's Best Countries Report for 2023 supports this, showing that the US has a high-quality education system but falls behind in math and science scores.
The College of Sciences at the Georgia Institute of Technology is an example of a US educational institution that has advanced in graduate school rankings. In the 2023-2024 rankings, the College ranked 20th in Mathematics, tied with Carnegie Mellon University, Johns Hopkins University, UC-San Diego, and others. In specialty graduate programs, Georgia Tech ranked in the top 20 for Analytical, Inorganic, Physical, and Theoretical Chemistry, and in the top 5 for Discrete Mathematics and Combinatorics.
While the US ranks highly in terms of its education system, it appears that there is room for improvement in math and science scores specifically. The quality of a country's educational system is often correlated with its economic status, and developed nations tend to offer higher-quality education. However, it is important to note that different studies use different methodologies and criteria, which can lead to varying results. For example, the Global Citizens for Human Rights' annual study measures ten levels of education, from early childhood enrollment rates to adult literacy, which may provide a different perspective on educational rankings.
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US students' performance in reading literacy
US students' academic achievements lag behind their peers in many other countries. The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is one of the biggest cross-national tests, which measures reading ability, mathematics and science literacy, and other key skills among 15-year-olds in several developed and developing countries.
In 2022, there were five education systems with higher average reading literacy scores for 15-year-olds than the United States. In 2015, the US ranked 24th out of 71 countries in science. Among the 35 members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which sponsors the PISA initiative, the US ranked 19th in science.
In 2018, the US ranked 36th out of 79 countries in mathematics. The PISA test score report also revealed that 19% of 15-year-olds in the US scored so low that they had difficulty with basic aspects of reading, such as identifying the main ideas in a text of moderate length.
In 2019, the National Center for Educational Statistics reported that 4.1% of US adults had literacy abilities below level 1, defined as "unable to successfully determine the meaning of sentences, read relatively short texts to locate a single piece of information, or complete simple forms". This could be classified as functionally illiterate.
In 2023, 28% of US adults scored at or below Level 1, 29% at Level 2, and 44% at Level 3 or above. Adults scoring in the lowest levels of literacy increased by 9% between 2017 and 2023. In 2017, 19% of US adults achieved a Level 1 or below in literacy, while 48% achieved the highest levels.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is another long-running testing effort. In 2015, the average scores of fourth and eighth-graders improved from 150 to 154 (on a 0-to-300 scale) in science, although for 12th-graders, the average score remained at 150. In 2015, 38% of fourth-graders, 34% of eighth-graders, and 22% of 12th-graders were rated proficient or better in science. However, 24% of fourth-graders, 32% of eighth-graders, and 40% of 12th-graders were rated "below basic".
The latest report shows that fourth and eighth-grade students have an increased number of students below the NAEP Basic reading level. The average reading score for grade-four public school students was 219.
According to the Nation's Report Card, more than 60% of US public and non-public school students were below grade level in reading in 2019. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of kindergarteners on track to learn to read decreased from 55% to 37% in 2020 compared to the previous year.
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US students' performance in math literacy
The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is one of the biggest cross-national tests, measuring reading ability, math and science literacy, and other key skills among 15-year-olds in dozens of countries every three years. In the 2015 PISA results, the US ranked 38th out of 71 countries in mathematics literacy and 24th in science. Among the 35 members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which sponsors the PISA initiative, the US ranked 30th in math and 19th in science.
In the 2018 PISA rankings, the US ranked 36th out of 79 countries in mathematics literacy. In 2022, there were 25 education systems with higher average mathematics literacy scores for 15-year-olds than the United States.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), a project of the federal Education Department, also assesses US students' mathematics literacy. In the 2015 NAEP results, average math scores for fourth and eighth graders fell for the first time since 1990. The average fourth-grade NAEP math score in 2015 was 240 (on a scale of 0 to 500), the same level as in 2009 and down from 242 in 2013. The average eighth-grade score was 282 in 2015, compared with 285 in 2013; that score was the lowest since 2007. The 2015 NAEP rated 40% of fourth graders, 33% of eighth graders, and 25% of 12th graders as "proficient" or "advanced" in math.
The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is another cross-national assessment that tests students in grades four and eight every four years. In the 2015 TIMSS, 10 countries out of 48 total had statistically higher average fourth-grade math scores than the US.
Several factors have been hypothesized to contribute to the relatively low ranking of US students in international math assessments. One factor is the common practice of "tracking" or separating more advanced students into more challenging classes. This can lead to a gap in performance between high- and low-performing students within the same country. Another factor is the decline in the rigor of math questions on standardized tests such as the SAT, which has been paralleled by a significant drop in students' mathematical proficiency.
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US students' performance in science literacy
US students' academic achievement in science literacy continues to lag behind their peers in many other countries. In 2015, the US ranked 24th in science literacy out of 71 countries in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Among the 35 members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which sponsors the PISA initiative, the US ranked 19th in science literacy.
Younger American students performed better on the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), which tests students in grades four and eight every four years. In the 2015 tests, 10 countries out of 48 had statistically higher average fourth-grade science scores than the US, while seven countries had higher average science scores in eighth grade.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) also tests US students on science, though not as regularly. Between 2009 and 2015, the average scores of both fourth and eighth-graders improved from 150 to 154 (on a 0-to-300 scale), although 12th-graders' average scores remained stagnant at 150. In 2015, 38% of fourth-graders, 34% of eighth-graders, and 22% of 12th-graders were rated proficient or better in science.
While US reading and mathematics literacy improved between 2018 and 2022, science literacy declined, dropping from 13th in 2018 to 16th in 2022. This places the US in the mediocre middle in mathematics literacy and barely in the top 20% in science literacy.
The PISA test score report highlights that the vast majority of educational inequality in America is within each school. Statisticians found that 80% of the variation in student performance is within each school, with students from wealthier families tending to achieve higher test scores.
If educational trends continue, the US will not have an adequate indigenous workforce of scientists, engineers, and technologists and will rely even more on immigrants.
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Frequently asked questions
US students rank below average in math compared to other countries. In 2022, the US ranked 28th out of 37 OECD countries in math. In 2015, the US ranked 38th out of 71 countries.
US students rank above average in science compared to other countries. In 2022, the US ranked 12th out of 37 OECD countries in science. In 2015, the US ranked 24th out of 71 countries.
In 2022, there were 5 education systems with higher average reading literacy scores for 15-year-olds than the United States. However, it's important to note that the US female students scored 22 points higher than male students on the reading literacy scale.
