Public school students complete high school without mastering the rule of three and pie chart

Although 22 of the 27 states and the Federal District have registered an improvement in mathematics scores in the state network, national performance remains stagnant at the same level as in the previous release, in 2023: level 2, the second lowest on the Saeb proficiency scale, proof that makes up the federal indicator.

What is Ideb and how does it measure education?

Ideb is calculated every two years and is the main indicator of the quality of basic education in Brazil. One of the criteria used to compose the index is the results of the Saeb tests, the Basic Education Assessment System, applied by the MEC and Inep to measure students' performance in mathematics and Portuguese.

Public high school continues at level 2 in mathematics

Nationally, third-year public high school students scored 268.89 in mathematics in 2025, an increase of 1.6% compared to the 264.68 points recorded in 2023.

The result keeps the country at level 2 on the Saeb proficiency scale, divided into ten learning levels, from the most elementary to the most advanced.

The 2025 score is the second best in the public network in mathematics in high school since the beginning of the Saeb historical series, in 2005, behind only the 269.03 points recorded in 2019.

Still, the country never left the 260-point range over two decades of evaluations.

What do students know at Saeb level 2?

At this level, students are able to locate coordinates of points on a Cartesian plane, identify where the graph of a function crosses zero, calculate the value of a function from its formula and solve simple sequences of arithmetic progression.

When reading data, they are also able to associate a ready-made pie chart with the percentage information it represents.

The student, therefore, can interpret the graph, but does not yet know how to construct it. This skill, like the rule of three, appears only at the next level, which most of the country has not yet reached.

Only six states reached level 3

Only six of the 27 state networks reached level 3 in 2025:

Paraná, with 288.65 points;

Goiás, with 286.83;

Piauí, with 286.60;

Espírito Santo, with 283.76;

Rio Grande do Sul, with 282.88;

Pernambuco, with 278.69.

In 2023, only three states had reached this level.

Rio de Janeiro had the worst score in the country

At the other end, Rio de Janeiro recorded the worst score among the states in 2025, with 251.53 points, a drop of 0.66 points compared to 2023.

Maranhão, with 252.03 points, and Bahia, with 252.49, appear just above, with increases of 0.96 and 1.52 points, respectively, in the same period.

São Paulo went from 264.66 points in 2023 to 268.32 in 2025 and rose from 12th to 10th position among the states in mathematics scores.

Private network reaches level 4 in high school

In the private network, the national mathematics score reached level 4 in 2025, with 321.73 points, an increase of 1.06% compared to the 318.35 recorded in 2023.

At this level, students complete high school knowing, among other skills, how to solve area problems in figures formed by rectangles and calculate the probability of a simple event occurring.

Among private networks, Minas Gerais, Rio Grande do Sul, Tocantins and São Paulo had the four best scores in the country.

At the other end, Pará, Amazonas and Alagoas recorded the worst results.

Early years have historic highs in mathematics

In public education in the initial years, from the 1st to the 5th year of elementary school, the national mathematics score rose from 218.26 points in 2023 to 227.41 in 2025, the highest increase ever recorded.

With the result, the country went from level 4 to level 5 on the subject proficiency scale for the 5th year, which goes from level 1 to level 10.

At this new level, students are able to locate a point between two others already fixed in a geometric figure, recognize the layout of a cube, convert an amount in coins to banknotes and estimate the height of an object with the help of a ruler.

Paraná leads the public network in the initial years

Among the states, Paraná had the best score in the public network in the initial years, with 250.83 points, being the only one to reach level 6 on the scale.

Ceará, Santa Catarina, São Paulo and Espírito Santo complete the list of the five best grades.

At the other end, Maranhão, Bahia, Amapá, Sergipe and Rio Grande do Norte recorded the worst results in the country.

In the private network, the result went in the opposite direction. The national score had a slight drop, from 254.33 points in 2023 to 253.73 in 2025.

Even with the decline, private education remains one level above the public network, at level 6 on the proficiency scale.

Final years record second best score in the historical series

In the final years of elementary school, from the 6th to the 9th year, the public network also advanced in mathematics, from 251.27 points in 2023 to 256.23 in 2025.

It is the second best score ever recorded at this stage since the beginning of the historical series, behind only the 257.18 points obtained in 2019.

As a result, students remain at level 3 of the 9th grade mathematics proficiency scale.

At this level, students complete elementary school knowing how to associate data from a table with a pie chart and locate positive integers on a number line.

Paraná also leads the final years

Paraná was the only state to reach level 4 in the final years of the public network, with 275.24 points.

Goiás and Ceará complete the podium.

São Paulo also improved, from 256.51 points to 258.57. Despite the progress, the state fell from sixth to tenth place in the national ranking.

In the private network, the grade for the final years rose from 295.19 points in 2023 to 298.45 in 2025, keeping private education at level 4 on the scale, one level above the public network.

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