Iceland PISA gap widens for children of foreign origin

Students of foreign origin are falling further behind their peers in Icelandic schools, according to new PISA findings reported by mbl.is. Education and Children’s Affairs Minister Inga Sæland and Independence Party MP Jón Pétur Zimsen agree that targeted measures are needed to improve their position.

Students of foreign origin scored an average of 390 points in science, compared with 455 points among students with Icelandic parents, a gap of 65 points.

After adjusting for students’ socioeconomic circumstances and the language spoken at home, the gap remained 40 points. The difference in science performance between the two groups increased by 28 points from the 2022 PISA assessment, more than in any other country. In most countries, the gap remained unchanged.

The report says that the more diverse student population resulting from increased immigration explains only a few points of the decline recorded in most countries. It also says the 2025 PISA results do not support claims that a higher proportion of students of foreign origin is linked to poorer performance. On average, the assessment instead found an association between a higher proportion of such students and better science performance.

Between 2022 and 2025, the performance gap in science between students of domestic and foreign origin widened substantially only in Iceland, Portugal and Spain. Results from the 2022 assessment showed a gap of more than 60 points in reading comprehension between students of Icelandic and foreign origin, while no comparable gap was found in science at that time.

Sæland said targeted measures were needed, particularly specialist training for teachers working with students who speak Icelandic as a second language.

She wants students to receive specialist Icelandic instruction within their own schools rather than being taken elsewhere for lessons. She said this would allow them to remain connected to their classmates, feel comfortable at school and develop a sense of belonging.