Switzerland still has one of the stronger school systems in the rich world. Its 15-year-olds score above the OECD average in PISA. But the ranking conceals a less reassuring trend: Swiss pupils are getting worse at some of the basic things schools are meant to teach.
In the latest results Switzerland scored 499 points in mathematics and 470 in reading, down by about 4% from 521 and 492 respectively in 2015. Science has held up better, slipping only from 503 to 501. In a new test of model-based problem-solving, which assesses pupils’ ability to use digital tools to analyse data and devise solutions, Switzerland scored 520. Among 91 participating countries and economies, that placed it ninth in mathematics, 13th in model-based problem-solving, 14th in science and about 18th in reading.
The more troubling figures are at the bottom of the distribution. Some 29% of 15-year-olds fail to reach the required level in reading, 23% in mathematics and 21% in science.
Switzerland is not alone. Reading and maths scores have fallen across much of the OECD. But a wealthy country with a sophisticated school system should aspire to more than declining less quickly than its peers.
Speaking to RTS, Christophe Darbellay, the Valais minister responsible for education and president of the Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education, has called for a bit of return to the fundamentals. Schools, he suggested, may have tried to do too much: “Perhaps we have spread ourselves a little too thin.”
Employers and trade unions broadly agree. Travail.Suisse calls literacy and numeracy a “common concern”, linking them to equal opportunity and employability. The Swiss Union of Arts and Crafts wants reading, writing and mathematics restored to a more central place in compulsory schooling. The Swiss Employers’ Confederation warns that weak basic skills threaten the supply of skilled workers.
Businesses are already noticing deficiencies. Economiesuisse has reported shortcomings in reading and arithmetic among some youngsters entering vocational training. Its survey was not representative, but its findings fit the broader PISA trend.
Social background, migration history and the language spoken at home remain closely associated with attainment. Mr Darbellay has pointed to the difficulties of pupils who do not speak the language of instruction at home and those from poorer families. One apparent improvement is deceptive. The gap between advantaged and disadvantaged pupils has narrowed since 2022, but partly because better-off pupils have done worse. Equality by levelling down is no triumph.
What is causing the decline is less clear. Covid may still be part of the explanation. The pupils taking the latest tests were children when the pandemic disrupted schooling, while absenteeism has remained high in many rich countries.
Technology is another suspect. Andreas Schleicher, the OECD’s education director, argues that smartphones, social media and digital distraction leave pupils with less practice in concentrating on demanding texts. He has also identified more “hasty readers”, who rush through tests and make avoidable mistakes. Weak reading can drag down performance elsewhere, since maths and science also require pupils to understand complex written material.
Artificial intelligence adds another wrinkle. Swiss teenagers use AI for schoolwork more than many of their OECD peers. That does not show that AI harms learning. But it sharpens a question schools everywhere will face: are digital tools being used to deepen thought, or as a substitute for it?
Teaching methods also deserve scrutiny, though the evidence is disputed. Over the past two decades many Western systems have embraced pupil-led, project-based and discovery learning. Critics say these approaches can crowd out explicit instruction, practice and the systematic teaching of knowledge. Supporters reply that no single pedagogical fashion can explain a decline across such different countries.
Finland offers a cautionary example. Once the darling of education reformers, it has fallen sharply in PISA since 2006, when it ranked first in science and second in reading and mathematics—now it ranks 12th, 16th and 22nd. Its subsequent decline does not prove that progressive teaching methods are to blame, nor that its 2016 curriculum reform caused the deterioration. But it should make policymakers wary of copying fashionable approaches on the strength of reputation rather than evidence.
Nor are smaller classes and higher spending obvious cures. Several high-performing Asian systems have relatively large classes but invest heavily in teacher quality, training and subject expertise.
The broader problem is that education policy remains surprisingly uncertain about which interventions produce lasting gains. PISA can show where performance is deteriorating, but not precisely why. That strengthens the case for better evidence: schools need to know which methods improve literacy, numeracy and reasoning, and which merely sound appealing.
The policy response need not be exotic. Before schools add more objectives, they should ensure that pupils can read fluently, write clearly and calculate confidently. In an economy increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence, these skills are not relics of an analogue age. They are what allow people to use new tools without becoming dependent on them.
Culture matters too. Several of PISA’s strongest performers are in East Asia, where academic achievement carries high social prestige and families often invest heavily in schooling and private tuition. Competition for selective schools and universities can be ferocious, not least because educational success is widely seen as a route to professional advancement and higher social status for both children and their families.
Switzerland’s PISA results are therefore less a verdict than a warning. The country still performs well internationally. Its challenge is to reverse the decline in core skills while preventing more pupils from falling behind. As AI becomes more capable, the premium on well-educated young people who can think critically, read carefully and notice errors will only rise.
More on this:
PISA 2025 report on Switzerland (in English)
For more stories like this on Switzerland follow us on Facebook and X.