Morocco’s learning crisis: What can be done to improve school performance?

Morocco’s education system continues to face a difficult challenge: ensuring that students acquire the basic knowledge and skills needed to progress successfully through school and participate fully in society.

A 2023 Research Paper by the Policy Center for the New South (PCNS), authored by Aomar Ibourk, Karim El Aynaoui and Tayeb Ghazi, examined the causes of weak academic performance in Morocco through data from the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). The researchers argue that learning difficulties cannot be explained by classroom instruction alone. Students’ individual circumstances, family environment and school conditions all contribute to educational outcomes.

New international data released in September 2026 underline the scale of the challenge. In PISA 2025, Moroccan 15-year-olds recorded average scores of 355 points in mathematics, 321 in reading and 358 in science. All three figures remained below OECD averages.

PISA results underline persistent weaknesses

The latest assessment provides a snapshot of what Moroccan students could do in three core areas at age 15.

Only 16% of Moroccan students reached at least Level 2 in mathematics, compared with 65% across OECD countries. In reading, the corresponding figure was 13%, against an OECD average of 69%. In science, 23% reached Level 2 or above, compared with 74% across the OECD.

The OECD also reports that 87.2% of Moroccan students performed below Level 2 in reading, while 83.9% were below that threshold in mathematics and 77.2% in science.

Compared with PISA 2022, Morocco’s mathematics score fell by 10 points and its reading score by 18 points. Science performance declined by 7 points, although the OECD says the change in science was not statistically significant.

The results need to be interpreted carefully, however. The OECD notes that Morocco substantially expanded secondary-school participation between 2018 and 2025. The number of 15-year-olds eligible to sit the PISA assessment increased by more than 30%, despite a relatively stable population of that age. The expansion brought more students from previously marginalised groups into secondary education, affecting comparisons over time.

Inequality remains central to the education challenge

The PCNS research points to differences in students’ social and economic circumstances as an important dimension of educational inequality.

Its analysis of PISA 2018 found substantial gaps between students from more and less advantaged socioeconomic backgrounds. In reading, the share of low-performing students was close to 87% among those in the least advantaged socioeconomic quartile, compared with about 55% among students in the most advantaged quartile.

Geography also matters. The study found considerably higher proportions of low-performing students among rural students than among their urban counterparts. In reading, 86.04% of rural students were at Level 1, compared with 67.07% of urban students. Similar differences appeared in mathematics and science.

These findings point to an education challenge that extends beyond the classroom itself. Access to educational resources, family circumstances and the location of a school can shape the conditions in which students learn.

Attendance, school climate and student engagement

The PCNS researchers also identify factors connected with students’ relationship with school.

Absenteeism, attitudes towards school and violence within educational institutions are among the variables associated with lower academic performance. Their analysis suggests that addressing learning difficulties therefore requires attention to students’ social and emotional experiences as well as to academic content.

Parental support is another important factor highlighted by the research. Greater emotional support from parents was associated with a lower likelihood of belonging to the low-performing group.

The findings reinforce the idea that educational policy cannot be reduced to curriculum reform. The environment surrounding a student can influence whether that student is able to engage consistently with learning.

The importance of the first years of education

The researchers also draw attention to students’ educational histories.

Participation in preschool education was associated with a lower probability of belonging to the low-performing group in the PCNS analysis. The study's review of previous research likewise points to potential long-term benefits from quality early-childhood education, particularly for children from low-income families.

This places early intervention at the centre of the debate. Learning gaps that emerge during the first years of schooling can become increasingly difficult to close if they are not identified and addressed promptly.

Grade repetition is another factor examined by the researchers. In their statistical analysis, students who had repeated a school year were more likely to belong to the low-performing group. The study reported a particularly strong association between repetition and low performance.

The finding is significant because PISA compares students of broadly the same age. Differences in grade level can therefore reveal the cumulative effect of earlier difficulties in a student’s educational trajectory.

Schools also need stronger resources

The PCNS study places part of the responsibility for improving learning outcomes at the institutional level.

Shortages of teaching staff and educational materials were associated in the research with higher proportions of low-performing students. The authors consequently call for stronger educational environments, better resources and greater pedagogical support within schools.

They also point to quality-assurance mechanisms as a possible instrument for monitoring and improving school performance. At the same time, the researchers acknowledge that some school-level variables examined in their statistical models did not show a statistically significant effect. Their recommendations therefore distinguish between factors supported by the empirical analysis and measures proposed as part of a broader policy response.

Reform results will take time to assess

Morocco has been implementing a series of education reforms, including the development of the “Pioneer Schools” model. The latest PISA results provide important information about the current state of learning, but they do not yet offer a full assessment of the impact of every recently introduced reform.

PISA 2025 assessed 15-year-old students, meaning that the cohort tested had already spent most of its schooling years before the newest initiatives could be fully implemented throughout their educational careers.

The OECD's data also show that Morocco’s expansion of secondary education changed the composition of the population participating in PISA. This makes the interpretation of performance trends more complex than simply comparing national scores from one cycle with another.

From isolated measures to coordinated action

The central message emerging from the PCNS research is that Morocco’s learning challenge has several interconnected dimensions.

Improving classroom teaching remains essential, but it is only one part of the equation. Early childhood education, student attendance, school climate, parental support, socioeconomic inequalities, teacher availability and school resources can all influence educational trajectories.

The authors therefore call for greater coordination between teachers, families and policymakers. Such cooperation would allow interventions to address difficulties at several stages rather than treating each problem separately.

The latest PISA figures add urgency to that discussion, while also providing a more nuanced picture of Morocco’s educational landscape. The country has expanded access to secondary education, but learning outcomes remain significantly below OECD averages.

The policy question is consequently shifting from access alone to the quality and equity of what students actually learn. For Morocco, reducing learning poverty will require identifying difficulties early, directing resources towards students and schools facing the greatest challenges, and measuring whether reforms translate into stronger learning outcomes over time.