The results have highlighted concerns about how well students are being prepared with the knowledge and skills needed for further education, employment and everyday life. The discussion comes amid broader concerns about the long-term competitiveness of Croatia’s workforce and the ability of the education system to respond to changing economic and social demands.
HUP has stressed the importance of strengthening education from the earliest stages, arguing that primary education plays a crucial role in developing the foundations on which students build their later academic and professional careers. Improving teaching methods, supporting teachers and better connecting education with the needs of the economy are among the issues increasingly being raised in discussions about reform.
Croatia has recorded stronger results in some international assessments.
For example, Croatian fourth-graders ranked seventh worldwide in reading literacy in the 2021 PIRLS study, while Croatia was also above the international average in mathematics and science in the 2019 TIMSS assessment.
At the same time, the country continues to debate how to address differences in educational outcomes between regions and schools. An analysis of school-leaving exam results published in 2025 showed significant differences between Croatian counties, with Međimurje leading in a number of categories while several counties repeatedly appeared among the lowest-performing areas.
The latest debate therefore goes beyond PISA scores themselves, raising broader questions about the future of Croatia’s education system, the role of primary schools and whether reforms can ensure that students across the country receive comparable opportunities to develop the skills needed for the modern economy.
