Cypriot students continue to perform below the international average in key learning areas, while reporting lower levels of curiosity, persistence and support from schools and families, according to the findings of the PISA 2025 assessment.
The report paints a picture of an education system that performs comparatively well in terms of staffing and resources but struggles to translate those advantages into stronger learning outcomes and student engagement.
High level of rushed answers
One of the report's most notable findings concerns the number of rushed responses recorded among Cypriot students aged 15 and 16.
According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), 24.9% of responses in reading literacy were classified as rushed, meaning students answered incorrectly and in significantly less time than would normally be expected.
The corresponding OECD average was 8.9%.
Cyprus recorded the highest percentage among the countries for which data were available. While the finding does not necessarily indicate that students did not know the answers, it suggests that a substantial proportion of questions were not approached with the required level of effort or attention.
Lower levels of curiosity and persistence
The report indicates that students in Cyprus score lower than the OECD average in measures of persistence, curiosity and willingness to seek help.
Students also reported lower confidence in their own abilities and were less likely to believe that effort can lead to improvement.
Only 43.5% of students said school adequately prepares them for adult life, compared with 51.4% across OECD countries.
The report also found lower levels of sense of belonging, reflecting whether students feel accepted and included within their school communities.
Resources available but impact limited
The findings reveal a contrast between available resources and student experiences.
According to school leaders surveyed for the report, 51.5% of students in Cyprus attend schools where teaching is not affected by teacher shortages, compared with 28.8% across the OECD.
Similarly, 52.2% of students attend schools where teaching is not hindered by shortages of educational materials or infrastructure, compared with 43.8% in OECD countries.
Despite this, students reported lower levels of support from teachers. The student support index stood at -0.11 in Cyprus, compared with an OECD average of +0.03.
Family support was also reported to be lower, at -0.32, compared with -0.19 across OECD countries.
Limited peer support programmes
The report also identified a significant difference in support provided by fellow students.
Only 26.2% of Cypriot students attend schools with peer-support programmes, compared with 51.2% across OECD countries.
The findings suggest that challenges facing Cyprus' education system cannot be attributed solely to funding, staffing or equipment shortages, as many schools report comparatively favourable resource levels.
Performance remains below OECD average
Student scores indicate that the decline recorded in 2022 has not been reversed.
In science, Cyprus recorded 411 points, compared with the OECD average of 482.
In reading literacy, students achieved 379 points, compared with 461 across OECD countries.
In mathematics, Cyprus scored 412 points, against an OECD average of 463.
The largest gap was recorded in reading literacy, where Cyprus scored 82 points below the OECD average. The difference was 71 points in science and 51 points in mathematics.
Large share below basic proficiency
The report also found that 43.5% of Cypriot students failed to reach the basic level of proficiency across all three assessed subjects, compared with 19.7% across OECD countries.
By contrast, only 4.6% of students in Cyprus reached the highest performance levels in at least one subject, compared with 11.9% across the OECD.
Long-term decline continues
Historical comparisons show a sustained decline over the past decade.
In reading literacy, Cyprus scored 449 points in 2012, 443 in 2015 and 424 in 2018. Scores fell to 381 in 2022 and 379 in 2025.
In mathematics, scores declined from 451 in 2018 to 419 in 2022 and 412 in 2025.
In science, Cyprus scored 439 points in 2018 before falling to 411 in 2022, a level maintained in 2025.
According to the report, current stability reflects a failure to recover ground lost in 2022 rather than an improvement in performance.
Mobile phone restrictions show mixed results
Cyprus maintains stricter rules on mobile phones and digital devices than the OECD average.
The report found that 83.4% of students attend schools where mobile phones are prohibited, compared with 49.5% across OECD countries.
Meanwhile, 80.3% attend schools with specific guidelines governing the use of digital devices, compared with 71.2% across the OECD.
In addition, 67.6% of students reported receiving instruction on evaluating information generated by artificial intelligence tools, compared with 62.6% internationally.
Despite these measures, only 37.4% of students said they are not distracted by digital devices during lessons, compared with 39.2% across OECD countries.
Education ministry highlights equity indicators
The Ministry of Education focused on findings suggesting a smaller impact of social inequalities on educational outcomes in Cyprus.
The performance gap between socio-economically advantaged and disadvantaged students measured 73 points in Cyprus, compared with 85 points across OECD countries.
The proportion of academically resilient students reached 15%, compared with an OECD average of 11.9%.
Education Minister Athena Michaelidou said the results confirm the need for substantial reforms while supporting the direction of changes being pursued by the government.
She acknowledged that further work remains necessary but said the ministry, working with PISA experts, has prepared a comprehensive action plan aimed at improving learning outcomes.
Michaelidou said educational reforms require time to deliver measurable results and expressed the hope that future international assessments will reflect that progress.
