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


Average Scores

Average Scores

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Table M7: Average scores of 15-year-old students on the PISA mathematics 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   All students
Bottom quarter   Second quarter   Third quarter   Top quarter  
Average
score		 s.e   Average
score		 s.e   Average
score		 s.e   Average
score		 s.e   Average
score		 s.e
OECD average 451 0.6   478 0.6   501 0.6   535 0.7   490 0.4
Albania — †   — †   — †   — †   413 3.4
Algeria 350 3.2   352 3.1   361 3.7   377 6.4   360 3.0
Australia 455 2.3   482 2.1   507 2.6   540 2.9   494 1.6
Austria 453 4.0   483 4.2   512 3.8   542 4.5   497 2.9
B-S-J-G (China) 472 5.8   521 5.9   544 5.5   589 9.0   531 4.9
Belgium 458 3.5   488 3.1   525 3.3   562 3.3   507 2.4
Brazil 341 3.6   364 2.8   378 3.5   430 5.6   377 2.9
Buenos Aires (Argentina) 394 8.9   445 8.1   481 11.6   506 9.2   456 6.9
Bulgaria 396 5.9   424 4.7   455 5.2   496 5.1   441 4.0
Canada 482 2.9   505 2.7   529 3.6   549 3.2   516 2.3
Chile 379 3.8   415 4.5   426 3.7   474 3.4   423 2.5
Chinese Taipei 495 4.4   532 3.4   554 4.2   589 5.7   542 3.0
Colombia 361 3.3   374 3.1   392 3.1   431 5.1   390 2.3
Costa Rica 374 2.7   386 2.8   403 3.5   438 4.7   400 2.5
Croatia 433 3.8   446 3.8   465 3.4   512 4.4   464 2.8
Cyprus 399 3.3   424 3.0   449 3.3   480 3.0   437 1.7
Czech Republic 442 3.9   478 3.3   505 3.3   549 3.5   492 2.4
Denmark 478 2.8   502 3.1   522 3.5   547 3.2   511 2.2
Dominican Republic 307 3.3   314 3.1   327 4.2   364 5.3   328 2.7
Estonia 489 3.3   510 3.2   526 3.2   557 3.0   520 2.0
Finland 477 3.2   499 3.0   522 3.5   549 3.4   511 2.3
France 442 3.8   476 3.2   510 3.0   552 3.6   493 2.1
Georgia 361 4.3   386 3.8   420 4.3   450 4.6   404 2.8
Germany 467 3.9   502 3.7   519 3.9   556 4.3   506 2.9
Greece 419 4.8   441 5.1   458 5.0   497 4.6   454 3.8
Hong Kong (China) 526 3.9   539 3.7   549 4.4   578 5.0   548 3.0
Hungary 423 4.1   464 4.0   487 4.1   537 3.9   477 2.5
Iceland 458 3.7   478 3.9   498 3.9   520 3.7   488 2.0
Indonesia 355 4.3   371 3.6   387 4.3   432 5.6   386 3.1
Ireland 468 3.0   490 3.2   514 2.9   544 3.2   504 2.1
Israel 419 5.3   461 4.5   495 5.6   510 4.3   470 3.6
Italy 451 4.4   484 3.6   499 4.0   529 4.5   490 2.8
Japan 493 3.7   526 3.9   543 4.1   572 3.5   532 3.0
Jordan 347 4.2   375 3.7   390 3.5   416 3.9   380 2.7
Korea, Republic of 480 5.1   509 4.5   536 4.3   572 5.9   524 3.7
Kosovo 342 2.8   356 2.6   363 3.3   388 3.4   362 1.6
Latvia 450 3.1   471 2.8   494 3.4   517 2.9   482 1.9
Lebanon 362 4.4   386 4.2   397 5.7   441 7.5   396 3.7
Lithuania 443 3.4   463 3.1   489 3.9   520 3.7   478 2.3
Luxembourg 436 2.3   467 2.8   496 2.9   547 2.7   486 1.3
Macau (China) 527 2.8   540 2.5   547 2.4   562 2.6   544 1.1
Macedonia, Republic of 337 3.5   366 3.5   379 2.9   406 3.2   371 1.3
Malta 431 3.9   469 4.0   492 3.7   527 3.4   479 1.7
Mexico 381 3.6   402 2.9   415 3.3   437 3.4   408 2.2
Moldova, Republic of 382 4.2   415 3.3   423 3.9   460 4.7   420 2.5
Montenegro, Republic of 396 3.1   410 2.7   421 2.5   447 2.8   418 1.5
Netherlands 476 3.9   500 3.8   519 3.2   556 3.8   512 2.2
New Zealand 452 3.5   485 4.2   513 3.4   540 3.5   495 2.3
Norway 469 3.4   493 3.6   514 3.5   536 2.9   502 2.2
Peru 341 3.2   375 3.5   395 3.9   435 4.8   387 2.7
Poland 469 3.8   493 3.4   511 4.3   548 4.0   504 2.4
Portugal 451 3.6   476 3.9   495 4.1   548 4.1   492 2.5
Qatar 364 2.1   404 2.7   424 2.2   421 1.9   402 1.3
Romania 404 4.5   431 4.0   449 4.9   493 7.4   444 3.8
Russian Federation 470 4.5   490 4.8   504 4.2   519 3.7   494 3.1
Singapore 513 3.0   554 2.9   580 2.6   611 3.8   564 1.5
Slovak Republic 428 5.0   469 3.2   486 3.5   523 4.5   475 2.7
Slovenia 476 3.0   496 3.1   521 2.7   549 2.8   510 1.3
Spain 448 3.1   472 2.9   495 3.8   530 3.2   486 2.2
Sweden 452 3.6   479 4.0   511 4.1   541 4.7   494 3.2
Switzerland 478 4.2   514 3.9   528 4.3   569 4.1   521 2.9
Thailand 400 3.4   402 3.5   409 3.8   452 7.8   415 3.0
Trinidad and Tobago 387 2.9   406 3.1   425 3.6   463 3.3   417 1.4
Tunisia 340 3.9   351 3.7   365 4.1   412 6.4   367 3.0
Turkey 398 5.0   409 4.5   421 4.7   456 7.7   420 4.1
United Arab Emirates 392 3.6   423 3.6   447 3.1   451 3.4   427 2.4
United Kingdom 458 3.1   475 3.8   508 4.0   538 4.2   492 2.5
United States 431 4.2   453 3.7   480 5.3   517 3.8   470 3.2
Uruguay 380 3.5   402 3.5   423 3.3   470 5.2   418 2.5
Vietnam 466 6.6   480 3.8   497 5.3   536 8.2   495 4.5
                             
U.S. states and territories                            
Massachusetts 456 6.1   487 5.3   519 4.8   544 6.0   500 5.5
North Carolina 437 5.4   456 5.6   477 5.3   516 6.1   471 4.4
Puerto Rico 345 5.8   357 5.9   383 6.1   430 9.2   378 5.6
― 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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