PISA: Male 15-year-olds by reading proficiency level (%). Level 3 in United States of America

United States of America: PISA: Male 15-year-olds by reading proficiency level (%). Level 3 was 12.0% in 2018. ▬ Flat

Latest (2018)
12.0%
Change on year
down 7.7%
World rank
23rd
of 55 countries
All-time high
14.0%
in 2012
All-time low
12.0%
in 2000
Years of data
6
2000–2018

PISA: Male 15-year-olds by reading proficiency level (%). Level 3 in United States of America, 2000–2018

0510152000200920182000: 122003: 132009: 132012: 142015: 132018: 12

Source: OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).

Analysis

United States of America recorded 12.0% for pisa: male 15-year-olds by reading proficiency level (%). level 3 in 2018. That is the lowest value across all 6 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 7.7% on the previous year and down 7.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, pisa: male 15-year-olds by reading proficiency level (%). level 3 in United States of America peaked at 14.0% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 12.0%, in 2000.

That places United States of America 23rd out of 55 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the middle of the range.

PISA: Male 15-year-olds by reading proficiency level (%). Level 3 in United States of America, year by year

Annual values for PISA: Male 15-year-olds by reading proficiency level (%). Level 3 in United States of America, 2000 to 2018.
Year Value Change
2000 12.0%
2003 13.0% +8.3%
2009 13.0% +0.0%
2012 14.0% +7.7%
2015 13.0% -7.1%
2018 12.0% -7.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 12.7% 12.0% 13.0% 3
2010s 13.0% 12.0% 14.0% 3

Countries ranked near United States of America

  1. 23 Australia 12.0% compare
  2. 23 Austria 12.0% compare
  3. 23 Belgium 12.0% compare
  4. 23 Hungary 12.0% compare
  5. 23 Latvia 12.0% compare
  6. 23 Lithuania 12.0% compare
  7. 23 New Zealand 12.0% compare
  8. 23 Norway 12.0% compare
  9. 23 Sweden 12.0% compare
  10. 23 Türkiye 12.0% compare

See the full ranking of 56 places →

More reference data data for United States of America

All data for United States of America →

Frequently asked questions

What is pisa: male 15-year-olds by reading proficiency level (%). level 3 in United States of America?
Pisa: male 15-year-olds by reading proficiency level (%). level 3 in United States of America was 12.0% in 2018, according to OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).
What is the highest pisa: male 15-year-olds by reading proficiency level (%). level 3 recorded in United States of America?
The highest recorded value was 14.0% in 2012.
What is the lowest pisa: male 15-year-olds by reading proficiency level (%). level 3 recorded in United States of America?
The lowest recorded value was 12.0% in 2000.
How does United States of America rank for pisa: male 15-year-olds by reading proficiency level (%). level 3?
United States of America ranks 23rd out of 55 countries with data for 2018.
Is pisa: male 15-year-olds by reading proficiency level (%). level 3 rising or falling in United States of America?
Over the last ten years it is down 7.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this United States of America data come from?
The figures come from OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), published as part of PISA: Male 15-year-olds by reading proficiency level (%). Level 3. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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PISA: Male 15-year-olds by reading proficiency level (%). Level 3 in United States of America. Statizoid, drawing on OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Retrieved 24 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/pisa-male-15-year-olds-by-reading-proficiency-level-percent-level-3/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator
PISA: Male 15-year-olds by reading proficiency level (%). Level 3
Source
OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
56 places, 356 data points, 2000–2018
Last refreshed

Percentage of 15-year-old male students scoring higher than 480 but lower than or equal to 553 on the PISA reading scale. Readers at Level 3 can represent the literal meaning of single or multiple texts in the absence of explicit content or organizational clues. Readers can integrate content and generate both basic and more advanced inferences. They can also integrate several parts of a piece of text in order to identify the main idea, understand a relationship or construe the meaning of a word or phrase when the required information is featured on a single page. They can search for information based on indirect prompts, and locate target information that is not in a prominent position and/or is in the presence of distractors. In some cases, readers at this level recognize the relationship between several pieces of information based on multiple criteria. Level 3 readers can reflect on a piece of text or a small set of texts, and compare and contrast several authors’ viewpoints based on explicit information. Reflective tasks at this level may require the reader to perform comparisons, generate explanations or evaluate a feature of the text. Some reflective tasks require readers to demonstrate a detailed understanding of a piece of text dealing with a familiar topic, whereas others require a basic understanding of less-familiar content. Tasks at Level 3 require the reader to take many features into account when comparing, contrasting or categorizing information. The required information is often not prominent or there may be a considerable amount of competing information. Texts typical of this level may include other obstacles, such as ideas that are contrary to expectation or negatively worded. 2000, 2003, and 2006 PISA assessments used a different reading proficiency scale (Levels 1 to 5) than later assessments. PISA 2000/2003/2006 Level 3 data have been included in this database as Level 3 because they are based on an identical score range. Use caution in comparing proficiency scores across years. For more information on comparability of results, consult the PISA website: http://www.oecd.org/pisa/