Icelandic Youth Performing Worse In School Than European Counterparts, Suggests PISA Survey

New data from the international PISA survey suggests that the educational performance of Icelandic 15-year-olds is beneath the OECD median. According to the results, published December 5, Icelandic teenagers are lagging behind their European peers in reading comprehension, maths, and natural sciences. Only 60% of Icelandic respondents have basic reading competence, in contrast to 74% of OECD-country students.

Family status and gender key indicators

Despite the overall performance, the results indicate that Icelandic students feel a greater sense of well-being and belonging in their schools than their European counterparts. They seldom experience bullying and have a positive experience towards their teachers.

Children of first-generation immigrants perform poorer in the survey, as well as those whose parents are in a lower socioeconomic status. Overall, female students in Iceland perform better than their male peers.

What is PISA?

PISA, Programme for International Student Assessment, is an international survey carried out by the OECD. The survey gathers information on the performance of 15-year-olds in reading comprehension, understanding of maths, and the natural sciences. A total of 81 nations partook in the latest survey, with 37 OECD-member states thereof. The survey is conducted every three years.