Filipino Students’ Proficiency Declines From Grade 3 to Grade 12, Data Show

New data show that many Filipino children struggle early in school and fall further behind as they move up the grade levels. By high school, only a very small number meet expected learning standards.

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Figures released by the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) show that learning gaps begin as early as Grade 3 and continue through Grade 12. Reading and basic math remain the biggest challenges.

Using DepEd assessment data from 2023 to 2025, the commission found that the proportion of students considered proficient or highly proficient starts at a “low baseline” and becomes “negligible by high school.” According to current DepEd guidelines, students are considered proficient if they score at least 75% on a system-level assessment.

About 70% of Grade 3 pupils already struggle with basic skills, including recognizing letters and sounds, reading simple words, understanding short texts, counting independently, and solving basic math problems.

Results from the 2024 Early Language, Literacy and Numeracy Assessment show that only 30.52% of Grade 3 learners are considered proficient or highly proficient. Most children at this level are already behind expected standards.

By Grade 6, proficiency drops further. Based on the 2024 National Achievement Test, only 19.56% of learners meet the mark. This means that just one in five Grade 6 students reaches proficiency.

The drop becomes sharper in high school. Only 1.36% of Grade 10 students reach at least proficient, while just 0.4% do so by Grade 12. In real terms, only a few students can show skills such as problem solving, organizing information, and analyzing data.

EDCOM 2 links these results to weak reading skills in the early grades. Nearly half of learners are not reading at grade level by the end of Grade 3. The commission says this gap grows over time, reaching an average of 5.5 years by age 15.

Notably, a recent study by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies, commissioned by EDCOM 2, found that the 75% passing mark may be too high to define “proficiency.” Using this standard puts more students below the proficiency line than might actually be the case.

In response to the declining proficiency of students, Education Secretary Sonny Angara told the Palace that DepEd is focused on strengthening foundational learning in Key Stage 1, which covers Kinder to Grade 3. “Kami sa DepEd, pinapalakas natin ang foundational learning para solid ang pundasyon sa basic education,” he said, as quoted by Palace Press Officer Claire Castro.

Angara highlighted several measures funded under the 2026 national budget to address the learning gaps. These include the full rollout of the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) program to ensure students can read and do basic math, a strengthened government feeding program, and additional funding for classrooms and learning materials.

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