Students in the Balearic Islands have recorded a significant decline in the latest PISA assessment, with reading comprehension showing the sharpest deterioration.

The PISA 2025 results, published on September 8, 2026, show that students in the islands scored 441 points in reading, 449 in mathematics and 471 in science. All three results are below the corresponding Spanish averages.

The most striking figure is the 31-point decline in reading compared with the previous PISA assessment in 2022, when Balearic students achieved 472 points.

The latest results have prompted concern from the Balearic Government, which has acknowledged the poor performance and said measures are already being introduced to strengthen core learning.

Reading Falls by 31 Points

Reading comprehension is the biggest concern in the 2025 results.

Balearic students achieved an average score of 441 points, compared with 472 in PISA 2022.

That represents a fall of 31 points in only three years.

The regional result is also 10 points below the Spanish average of 451.

The deterioration places reading at the centre of the debate about the quality and effectiveness of education in the Balearic Islands.

Mathematics Also Shows a Major Decline

Mathematics has also deteriorated significantly.

Students in the Balearic Islands achieved 449 points in PISA 2025, compared with 471 in 2022.

That represents a decline of 22 points.

The Spanish average was 457 points, meaning the Balearic result was eight points lower.

Although the fall is less dramatic than in reading, it nevertheless represents a substantial deterioration between two PISA cycles.

Science Performs Better, but Still Declines

Science produced the strongest result of the three assessed areas, with the Balearic Islands scoring 471 points.

However, this was also below the Spanish average of 477.

Compared with the 480 points recorded in PISA 2022, the Balearic result has fallen by nine points.

The decline in science is therefore considerably smaller than the drops seen in reading and mathematics, but the regional result still remains below the national average.

All Three Results Are Below Spain

The latest PISA figures place the Balearic Islands below the Spanish average across all three principal areas assessed.

The comparison is:

• Reading: Balearic Islands 441, Spain 451

• Mathematics: Balearic Islands 449, Spain 457

• Science: Balearic Islands 471, Spain 477

The results also place the islands below the averages for the European Union and the OECD in the three main areas.

Spain Also Records a Difficult PISA Result

The situation in the Balearic Islands comes against a wider deterioration in Spain.

Spain recorded 451 points in reading, 457 in mathematics and 477 in science.

According to the Ministry of Education, Spain's 2025 reading result was significantly below the OECD average of 461 and the EU average of 459. Mathematics was also below both international benchmarks.

The national figures therefore show that the decline is not unique to the Balearic Islands.

However, the 31-point fall in Balearic reading performance is particularly notable when compared with the islands' own 2022 result.

PISA 2025 Evaluates a Different Cohort

PISA does not test all school students.

The assessment focuses on students around 15 and 16 years old, measuring their ability to apply knowledge and skills in real-world situations rather than simply testing memorised curriculum content.

The Spanish sample in PISA 2025 included almost 30,000 students from 956 schools, with most of the participants in the fourth year of compulsory secondary education.

The Balearic results therefore provide an important snapshot of educational performance among students at the end of compulsory schooling.

First PISA Cycle Fully Under LOMLOE

The 2025 assessment is particularly politically sensitive because it is the first PISA cycle in which the students tested completed their compulsory schooling entirely under the curriculum framework introduced through Spain's LOMLOE education law.

The Balearic Government itself highlighted this point when responding to the results.

Education Minister Antoni Vera described the results as disappointing and linked the decline partly to the reduction in teaching hours devoted to mathematics and languages following implementation of the national education reform.

That explanation is the Balearic Government's political assessment of the results, rather than a conclusion established by the PISA study itself.

Balearic Government Promises Changes

The Balearic Education Ministry says it has already introduced new curricula designed to strengthen mathematics and language learning.

The government argues that these changes should address some of the weaknesses identified by the latest international assessment and contribute to gradual improvement in future PISA cycles.

The administration's response therefore focuses on reinforcing essential skills rather than simply treating the latest results as a one-off problem.

A Wider Debate About the Education System

The PISA results have reignited discussion about the underlying challenges facing schools in the Balearic Islands.

Researchers and commentators have pointed to several factors affecting the region, including demographic change, population mobility and the socioeconomic profile of parts of the student population.

One recent analysis noted that the islands face high population mobility, students joining the education system after moving from other countries and the particular challenges associated with insularity.

These factors do not excuse poor results, but they provide important context when comparing educational systems across different regions.

Reading Emerges as the Main Weakness

The scale of the reading decline makes literacy the clearest priority emerging from the 2025 figures.

A 31-point fall since 2022 is significantly larger than the decline recorded in either mathematics or science.

Reading comprehension is also fundamental to performance in other subjects because students need to understand written instructions, analyse information and interpret complex material across the curriculum.

The latest numbers therefore raise questions about how effectively students are developing these skills by the end of compulsory secondary education.

Mathematics Remains a Second Major Concern

The 22-point drop in mathematics is the second major warning sign.

The 449-point result leaves the Balearic Islands eight points behind the Spanish average and substantially below the 2022 result.

Improving mathematical competence has been identified by the Balearic Government as another central objective of its revised curriculum.

The challenge will be translating those curriculum changes into measurable improvements in future international assessments.

Science Shows Relative Resilience

Science provides a somewhat different picture.

The Balearic score of 471 is still below Spain's 477, but the nine-point fall since 2022 is considerably smaller than the declines recorded in mathematics and reading.

Recent regional analysis has also noted that the Balearic Islands perform comparatively better in science than some other Mediterranean and island regions included in the Spanish assessment.

That suggests that the educational challenges facing the islands are not identical across all subjects.

What the Results Mean for Ibiza

Although PISA results are published at the level of the Balearic Islands rather than specifically for Ibiza, the figures are directly relevant to the island.

Ibiza's schools form part of the same regional education system, and the issues affecting education across the Balearic Islands also affect students, teachers and families on the island.

The results place renewed attention on literacy, mathematics and educational support at a time when Ibiza's population has become increasingly diverse and schools face changing demographic pressures.

The challenge for policymakers is therefore both academic and structural.

A Warning Before the Next PISA Cycle

The 2025 results provide a clear benchmark against which future progress will be measured.

For the Balearic Government, the objective will now be to demonstrate that the curricular changes already introduced can reverse the downward trend.

The reading score will be watched particularly closely.

Recovering 31 points would require a substantial improvement, and future PISA results will reveal whether the policy changes have produced meaningful progress.

Education Now Faces Pressure for Answers

The latest figures have transformed education into a renewed political issue in the Balearic Islands.

The opposition is likely to use the results to criticise the government's management of education, while the administration is highlighting the wider national decline and defending its new curriculum measures.

What the data itself shows is clear: Balearic students performed below the Spanish average in all three assessed areas, with reading showing the most dramatic decline.

The next challenge is not simply explaining the numbers but reversing them.

Key Facts

• Assessment: PISA 2025

• Published: September 8, 2026

• Organisation: OECD

• Main age group assessed: Students around 15 to 16 years old

• Balearic reading score: 441 points

• Reading score in 2022: 472 points

• Reading decline: 31 points

• Balearic mathematics score: 449 points

• Mathematics score in 2022: 471 points

• Mathematics decline: 22 points

• Balearic science score: 471 points

• Science score in 2022: 480 points

• Science decline: 9 points

• Spanish averages: 451 reading, 457 mathematics and 477 science

• Main area of concern: Reading comprehension

• Balearic Government response: New curricula designed to strengthen mathematics and languages

• Important context: PISA 2025 is the first cycle assessing students who completed compulsory schooling entirely under the LOMLOE curriculum framework