The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) tests 15-year-old students from around the world every 3 years. PISA tests students in science, mathematics and reading.
PISA assessment scores
Compare mean PISA scores for girls and boys in Australia and the OECD average.
Source: Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) 2023
Note: PISA assessments were delayed from 2021 to 2022 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Data insights
Mathematics
Between 2006 and 2022, Australian girls consistently achieved lower PISA mean scores in mathematics compared to Australian boys. In 2022, the gap between girls’ and boys’ mean scores was 12 points.
While Australian girls consistently outperformed the OECD average for girls in mathematics over this period, their mean score declined. The gap between Australian girls’ and the average OECD girls’ mean score in mathematics was less than 2 points in 2018 but increased to 13 points in 2022. This was because of a sharper decline in the OECD girls’ average than the Australian girls’ average.
Australian boys’ PISA mean scores in mathematics show a similar trend. They consistently outperformed the average OECD mean score for boys in mathematics, but their mean score declined by 1 point in 2022. As a result, the gap between Australian boys’ mean score and the average OECD mean score also increased over this period from less than 3 points in 2018, to 16 points in 2022.
Science
Between 2006 and 2022, Australian girls and boys (aged 15) consistently achieved similar PISA mean scores in science. Both girls and boys also achieved mean scores for science that were higher than the average OECD science mean scores.
Both Australian girls’ and boys’ PISA mean scores for science, as well as the average OECD mean score, declined over the period from 2006 to 2018.
However, while the OECD mean score continued to decrease, Australian girls’ and boys’ PISA mean scores for science increased from 2018 to 2022.
- Boys’ means scores increased from 504 to 508
- Girls’ means scores increased from 502 to 506
Reading
Australian girls’ PISA mean scores in reading were consistently higher than boys’ mean score over the same period of 2006 to 2022. They were also consistently higher than the average OECD mean scores of boys and girls in reading. In 2022, Australian girls’ mean reading performance score was 22 points higher than boys’.
About the data
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) tests 15-year-old students from around the world every 3 years. PISA tests students in science, mathematics and reading.
This page highlights mean scores over time for each subject area and gender, comparing Australian students to the OECD average.
For further analysis, such as comparisons between countries, refer to the PISA data page, or reports on the Australian Council for Educational Research website.
Read about our methodology