Australian students among world's 'Naughtiest' in classrooms: PISA

Australian students have been ranked among the world’s most disruptive in classrooms, with new international data highlighting concerns over noise, digital distractions, absenteeism and classroom discipline.

According to the latest 'Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2025' findings, Australia ranked 69th among 80 education systems for classroom disciplinary climate. The assessment covered 15-year-old students across 91 countries and economies. 

The report found that 41 percent of Australian students experienced noise and disorder during most or all science lessons, compared with an OECD average of 31 percent.

Around 34 percent said students often failed to listen to teachers, while 21 percent reported that students struggled to work effectively during lessons.

Digital devices were another major concern. About 39 percent of Australian students said classmates were often distracted by digital devices during science classes, compared with 28 percent across the OECD. Australian students also reported spending an average of 2.6 hours a day using digital devices at school for learning, against an OECD average of 1.7 hours. 

Absenteeism was also high, with 44 percent of Australian students saying they had skipped at least one school day during the two weeks before the PISA assessment—around twice the OECD average.

Despite the disciplinary concerns, Australia continues to perform above the OECD average academically. However, its latest reading and mathematics scores fell to their lowest levels since the country began participating in PISA.

Education Minister Jason Clare has called for schools to reduce unnecessary screen use, describing the findings as a reason for a possible “digital detox” while acknowledging the continuing importance of technology in education.