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Science Literacy: Student Economic, Cultural and Social Status (ESCS)


Average scores

Average scores

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Table S7. Average scores of 15-year-old students on the PISA science literacy scale, by national quarters of the PISA index of economic, social and cultural status (ESCS) and education system: 2015
Education system National quarters of the ESCS index      
Bottom quarter   Second quarter   Third quarter   Top quarter   All students
Average score s.e.   Average score s.e.   Average score s.e.   Average score s.e.   Average score s.e.
OECD average 452 0.6   481 0.6   505 0.7   540 0.7   493 0.4
Albania — †   — †   — †   — †   427 3.3
Algeria 369 2.9   370 3.1   374 3.2   391 6.2   376 2.6
Australia 468 2.4   497 2.1   525 2.6   559 2.6   510 1.5
Austria 448 3.3   478 4.2   512 3.5   545 4.1   495 2.4
B-S-J-G (China) 460 5.9   506 5.3   528 5.2   578 8.5   518 4.6
Belgium 450 3.7   482 3.1   522 3.3   560 3.0   502 2.3
Brazil 368 2.5   390 2.2   401 3.0   450 5.1   401 2.3
Buenos Aires (Argentina) 412 6.7   465 7.4   500 11.6   524 8.0   475 6.3
Bulgaria 395 6.0   428 5.1   464 5.6   502 4.9   446 4.4
Canada 492 2.7   518 2.5   542 3.1   563 3.0   528 2.1
Chile 402 3.5   441 4.3   452 3.5   497 3.4   447 2.4
Chinese Taipei 485 4.2   518 3.0   544 3.9   583 5.0   532 2.7
Colombia 385 3.1   399 3.0   419 3.5   461 4.8   416 2.4
Costa Rica 390 2.7   405 2.5   424 3.4   460 3.6   420 2.1
Croatia 444 3.3   460 3.4   477 3.0   522 4.1   475 2.5
Cyprus 399 2.4   420 2.8   440 3.0   474 2.8   433 1.4
Czech Republic 444 4.0   476 3.1   505 3.2   551 3.2   493 2.3
Denmark 467 2.8   489 3.4   512 3.8   543 3.8   502 2.4
Dominican Republic 305 3.0   318 2.7   332 4.3   372 5.5   332 2.6
Estonia 504 3.5   524 3.3   539 3.3   573 2.8   534 2.1
Finland 494 3.6   517 3.3   542 3.7   572 3.8   531 2.4
France 441 3.3   477 3.1   515 3.4   558 3.3   495 2.1
Georgia 375 3.1   394 3.4   424 4.2   453 4.2   411 2.4
Germany 466 4.5   503 3.6   527 3.7   569 3.9   509 2.7
Greece 415 5.1   441 4.8   461 5.0   503 4.5   455 3.9
Hong Kong (China) 504 3.3   516 3.2   526 3.5   550 4.2   523 2.5
Hungary 420 4.1   466 3.8   486 4.4   537 3.7   477 2.4
Iceland 448 3.1   466 3.9   482 3.7   500 3.4   473 1.7
Indonesia 378 3.6   393 3.0   403 3.4   438 5.0   403 2.6
Ireland 465 3.3   489 3.6   513 3.5   545 3.3   503 2.4
Israel 417 4.9   454 4.6   491 5.2   511 3.9   467 3.4
Italy 442 3.6   476 3.3   490 3.9   518 3.7   481 2.5
Japan 498 3.9   533 3.7   549 3.9   578 3.7   538 3.0
Jordan 375 4.0   404 3.4   419 3.6   442 3.6   409 2.7
Korea, Republic of 480 4.1   502 3.7   527 4.2   556 4.9   516 3.1
Kosovo 363 2.8   372 2.6   377 2.9   405 3.2   378 1.7
Latvia 461 3.0   478 2.7   500 3.6   524 2.7   490 1.6
Lebanon 356 4.0   376 3.7   387 4.5   428 7.4   386 3.4
Lithuania 438 3.1   458 3.0   488 4.5   520 4.3   475 2.7
Luxembourg 425 2.7   463 2.8   496 2.9   551 2.6   483 1.1
Macau (China) 516 2.5   526 2.0   529 2.4   543 2.5   529 1.1
Macedonia, Republic of 358 2.7   378 2.8   389 2.4   413 3.0   384 1.2
Malta 412 3.4   448 4.0   477 3.9   525 3.7   465 1.6
Mexico 386 3.2   408 2.8   423 3.1   446 3.3   416 2.1
Moldova, Republic of 392 3.2   422 3.1   431 3.3   468 3.8   428 2.0
Montenegro, Republic of 389 2.2   403 2.4   414 2.5   441 2.6   411 1.0
Netherlands 465 3.9   494 4.0   519 3.2   559 3.8   509 2.3
New Zealand 463 3.8   504 4.5   533 3.6   565 3.7   513 2.4
Norway 463 3.1   489 3.3   512 3.8   535 3.4   498 2.3
Peru 350 2.4   387 3.3   406 3.3   444 4.4   397 2.4
Poland 463 3.6   488 3.6   508 4.5   549 3.8   501 2.5
Portugal 459 3.6   487 3.4   504 4.1   556 3.7   501 2.4
Qatar 381 1.8   419 2.2   439 2.1   436 2.0   418 1.0
Romania 401 4.1   423 3.5   439 4.2   477 6.0   435 3.2
Russian Federation 458 4.2   480 4.3   499 3.8   516 3.4   487 2.9
Singapore 497 2.8   543 2.8   574 2.7   609 3.3   556 1.2
Slovak Republic 413 5.0   452 3.1   470 3.4   513 4.3   461 2.6
Slovenia 471 2.9   496 3.2   527 2.8   560 2.5   513 1.3
Spain 454 3.1   480 2.7   503 3.4   536 3.1   493 2.1
Sweden 450 3.1   478 4.3   513 4.6   543 5.4   493 3.6
Switzerland 455 3.9   496 3.9   513 4.4   561 3.9   506 2.9
Thailand 403 2.8   407 2.9   418 4.0   460 7.3   421 2.8
Trinidad and Tobago 394 2.7   413 2.7   432 3.4   471 2.9   425 1.4
Tunisia 366 2.6   377 2.9   387 3.2   418 4.7   386 2.1
Turkey 400 5.0   416 4.3   428 4.5   459 7.1   425 3.9
United Arab Emirates 401 2.8   432 3.7   458 3.0   460 3.6   437 2.4
United Kingdom 473 3.1   490 3.8   525 4.1   557 3.8   509 2.6
United States 457 4.1   478 3.9   508 5.6   546 4.0   496 3.2
Uruguay 397 2.5   419 3.1   440 3.5   487 4.2   435 2.2
Vietnam 503 5.0   512 3.4   524 4.6   560 7.5   525 3.9
                             
U.S. states and territories                            
Massachusetts 481 7.0   514 6.3   551 4.6   578 7.8   529 6.6
North Carolina 470 6.3   486 6.6   508 6.0   548 6.5   502 4.9
Puerto Rico 366 7.0   378 5.7   410 6.1   458 7.8   403 6.1
― Not available.
† Not applicable.
NOTE: The PISA index of economic, social and cultural status (ESCS) was created using student reports on parental occupation, the highest level of parental education, and an index of home possessions related to family wealth, home educational resources and possessions related to “classical” culture in the family home. The home possessions relating to "classical" culture in the family home included possessions such as works of classical literature, books of poetry, and works of art (e.g., paintings). The OECD average is the average of the national averages of the OECD member countries, with each country weighted equally. Average scores by quartile are calculated based on the distribution of student scores within each education system. Standard error is noted by s.e. Italics indicate non-OECD countries and education systems. B-S-J-G (China) refers to the four PISA participating China provinces: Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Guangdong. Results for Massachusetts and North Carolina are for public school students only. Although Argentina, Malaysia, and Kazakhstan participated in PISA 2015, technical problems with their samples prevent results from being discussed in this report.
SOURCE: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), 2015.

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