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Back to PISA 2012 Results

Mathematics Literacy: Average Scores

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Table M4. Average scores of 15-year-old students on PISA mathematics literacy scale, by education system: 2012
Education system Average score s.e.   Education system Average score s.e.
OECD average 494 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 0.5          
Shanghai-China 613 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 3.3   Lithuania 479   2.6
Singapore 573 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 1.3   Sweden 478   2.3
Hong Kong-China 561 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 3.2   Hungary 477   3.2
Chinese Taipei 560 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 3.3   Croatia 471 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.5
Korea, Republic of 554 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 4.6   Israel 466 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 4.7
Macao-China 538 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 1.0   Greece 453 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 2.5
Japan 536 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 3.6   Serbia, Republic of 449 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.4
Liechtenstein 535 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 4.0   Turkey 448 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 4.8
Switzerland 531 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 3.0   Romania 445 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.8
Netherlands 523 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 3.5   Cyprus 440 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 1.1
Estonia 521 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 2.0   Bulgaria 439 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 4.0
Finland 519 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 1.9   United Arab Emirates 434 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 2.4
Canada 518 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 1.8   Kazakhstan 432 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.0
Poland 518 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 3.6   Thailand 427 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.4
Belgium 515 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 2.1   Chile 423 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.1
Germany 514 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 2.9   Malaysia 421 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.2
Vietnam 511 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 4.8   Mexico 413 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 1.4
Austria 506 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 2.7   Montenegro, Republic of 410 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 1.1
Australia 504 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 1.6   Uruguay 409 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 2.8
Ireland 501 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 2.2   Costa Rica 407 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.0
Slovenia 501 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 1.2   Albania 394 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 2.0
Denmark 500 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 2.3   Brazil 391 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 2.1
New Zealand 500 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 2.2   Argentina 388 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.5
Czech Republic 499 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 2.9   Tunisia 388 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.9
France 495 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 2.5   Jordan 386 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.1
United Kingdom 494 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 3.3   Colombia 376 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 2.9
Iceland 493 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 1.7   Qatar 376 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 0.8
Latvia 491 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 2.8   Indonesia 375 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 4.0
Luxembourg 490 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 1.1   Peru 368 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 3.7
Norway 489   2.7          
Portugal 487   3.8   U.S. state education systems      
Italy 485   2.0      
Spain 484   1.9      
Russian Federation 482   3.0   Massachusetts 514 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 6.2
Slovak Republic 482   3.4   Connecticut 506 Average score is higher than U.S. average score 6.2
United States 481   3.6   Florida 467 Average score is lower than U.S. average score 5.8
Average score is higher than U.S. average score Average score is higher than U.S. average score.
Average score is lower than U.S. average score Average score is lower than U.S. average score.
NOTE: Education systems are ordered by 2012 average score. The OECD average is the average of the national averages of the OECD member countries, with each country weighted equally. Scores are reported on a scale from 0 to 1,000. All average scores reported as higher or lower than the U.S. average score are different at the .05 level of statistical significance. Standard error is noted by s.e. Italics indicate non-OECD countries and education systems. Results for Connecticut, Florida, and Massachusetts are for public school students only. This table corresponds to table 1 in Performance of U.S. 15-Year-Old Students in Mathematics, Science, and Reading Literacy in an International Context (NCES 2014-024).
SOURCE: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), 2012.
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