Honduras out of the 2025 PISA assessment: A gap in regional educational analysis
The recent publication of the PISA 2025 assessment results has highlighted the marked disparities in the Central American educational system. While neighboring nations have used this tool to measure their progress, Honduras remained on the sidelines of the process, leaving the country without updated data to compare the performance of its students in key areas such as science, reading, mathematics, and computational problem-solving.
Honduras’ absence from this measurement, just as in the 2022 edition, represents a missed opportunity to obtain an accurate diagnosis of educational quality. Experts in the field agree that these tests should not be interpreted as a simple ranking, but as an essential mechanism to identify strengths, weaknesses, and the areas where the system requires urgent interventions.
Regional outlook: Costa Rica and El Salvador in the lead
Among the Central American countries that were part of the 91 territories evaluated, Costa Rica positioned itself as the regional benchmark. The results were as follows:
- Costa Rica: Led the region with 424 points in science, 416 in reading, 387 in mathematics, and 452 in computational thinking, showing significant progress compared to previous measurements.
- El Salvador: Recorded a positive trend with improvements in all evaluated areas, reaching 385 points in science, 366 in reading, 346 in mathematics, and 401 in computational thinking.
- Guatemala: Reported results of 351 points in science, 337 in reading, 334 in mathematics, and 369 in computational thinking.
Despite the progress reported by some countries, the PISA 2025 data underscore that the region still faces significant challenges in reaching the OECD country average. Likewise, it was evidenced that socioeconomic conditions remain a determining factor in academic performance, with a notable impact in countries such as Guatemala and El Salvador.
These evaluations are fundamental tools for understanding how the country is positioned in relation to global educational trends and for defining the necessary policies to improve the learning of our youth.
Education sector specialists in Honduras
The challenge of technical participation
Participation in PISA requires a robust technical structure and a specialized team capable of managing the process with 15-year-old students. According to experts such as Armando Euceda and Dennis Cáceres, the lack of an updated international reference makes it difficult to detect internal problems, such as school dropout rates and obstacles in the transition between primary education and secondary levels.
For the Honduran educational community, the challenge remains to integrate the country into global evaluation mechanisms that provide clarity on the path to follow to strengthen teaching and ensure that students have the necessary skills for the future.
