Today’s PISA results (2025 Vol I) show a cautiously hopeful, though not fully positive, picture.

According to the results, the United Kingdom performs in the top 10 education systems across mathematics, reading and science – undoubtedly good news, and worth recognising.

However, results between boys and girls, and across the nations of the UK, were far from uniform. In the United Kingdom, boys performed better than girls in mathematics and science, and girls performed better than boys in reading. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the gender gap in favour of girls in reading was greater than the gender gap in favouring boys in mathematics and science.

Zooming in, reading performance was weakest in Wales, where the mean average PISA score was just 459 (compared to a 461 OECD average). In 2025, boys’ reading scores in Wales were 446, and girls’ reading scores were 472 – a 26 point gap.

While Scotland and Northern Ireland had slightly higher reading scores overall, the gender gap was also wider – at 30 points each. In Scotland, boys’ reading scores were 473 in 2025, compared to 503 for girls, and in Northern Ireland, boys’ reading scores in 2025 were 467, compared to girls’ scores of 497.

England had the strongest reading attainment overall, and had the smallest gender gap – of just 11 points. Boys’ scores for reading in England were 492 – 33 points higher than those of boys in Wales. Girls’ reading scores in England were 503, and compared to boys’ reading scores in Wales, were equivalent to more than 2 years of schooling. This means girls in England of the same age as boys in Wales are more than 2 years ahead in their reading.

While PISA data is sourced from 15 year olds, the patterns of boys struggling with their literacy span much wider. This year, only 53.7% of boys’ English Language results at GCSE achieved the necessary grade 4 (standard pass) or above in England. This means that many boys are leaving education without the necessary qualification to prove their sufficiency in reading and writing needed for employment.

Overall the PISA figures tell two stories. Firstly, that there continues to be mass regional inequality in educational attainment within the UK. Boys and girls continue to do the best in England, highlighting the need for equal access to high-quality education across the UK. And secondly, that boys are struggling to read, a trend that will only be made worse as young children continue to spend more and more time online. As highlighted by the PISA report, the share of students across the globe who spend more than one hour a day on digital devices has increased since 2022. Children seem to be spending more time online and less time reading, and it is having a negative affect on their attainment.

These are the reasons why CPRMB is undergoing the Boys’ Education Commission, a commission which seeks to understand where and why boys are struggling in education, and what can be done to help them. Recognising the extensive influence the online world has on children and young people, CPRMB has also begun a year long research project into the online harms faced by boys aged 8-18. Together, these projects aim to offer policy recommendations to help young men and boys thrive in education, at home, and in their lives more broadly.

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