A recent government boast about scholastic achievement fails to mention that a drop in performance continues for Alberta 15-year-olds under an international ranking system. In a Sept. 8 release, the province notes that Alberta 15-year-olds are among Canada’s highest achievers in reading, mathematics and science. The release is based on ratings under the 2025 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Yet in reading alone, Alberta has dropped by what amounts to about two and a half grade levels of comprehension since ratings for the subject kicked off PISA in 2000. Math problem-solving for 15-year-olds in Alberta has dropped by about three grade levels since 2003, documentation from the group that runs PISA, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), also shows. And OECD numbers also show that science learning and reasoning have gone down by about one grade level since 2006. The calculations are based on the OECD standard that 20 of its rating points represent roughly one year of schooling. Alberta is far from alone. The drops are part of an overall trend downward for the province, Canada and most participating countries since OECD rolled out PISA starting in 2000. Alberta in 2025 ranked first among Canadian provinces in science and reading and second in mathematics, behind only Quebec, the Alberta news release noted. The province scores above Canadian and international averages in all three subjects. Although 83 countries and eight other economies took part in PISA in 2025, OECD itself is a Paris-based forum of Canada and 37 other democratic countries with market-based economies. PISA evaluates 15-year-old students on a continuous, standardized point scale designed to test how well they can apply math, science and reading skills to real-world problems. Originally anchored to an international baseline average of 500 points, the PISA model is designed to allow policymakers to measure both a jurisdiction’s global ranking and its shifts in student performance over time. Demetrios Nicolaides, the minister of education and childcare, acknowledged a global and Alberta decline in the subject areas, especially since around 2018 and, after that, the COVID-19 pandemic. Speaking to a roundtable of about a dozen rural journalists Thursday, he also pointed out the negative influence of AI and technology platforms on learning measures. Still, he celebrated Alberta’s relative rankings. “Apart from the global decline, Alberta is first in Canada when it comes to reading and writing, and amongst the very top internationally,” Nicolaides said. “Alberta students typically dance around second place, third place (in Canada), so we have we have seen some improvement overall.” Said Nicolaides: “You can count on the government to continue to invest in keeping our education system world class.” Garrett Koehler, press secretary for the ministry, told The Gazette in an emailed statement: “Across the OECD, student achievement scores have declined across a number of subjects, including in Alberta. OECD experts attribute this trend to several factors, including the growing presence of technology and AI in daily life, declining rates of reading for enjoyment and shifting priorities within households.” In raw numbers, Alberta dropped across the board between 2022 and 2025. Reading fell to 499 from 525, math dropped to 489 from 504, and science slipped to 520 from 534. Koehler’s statement said: “While Alberta has (like other jurisdictions) seen a decrease in scores, Alberta students continue to rank among the top performers in Canada and the world. Despite the global challenges contributing to lower PISA results, Alberta’s education system remains one of the highest-performing jurisdictions internationally.” George Lee, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Macleod Gazette
