Salvadoran students participating in an educational modernization program achieved encouraging results comparable with averages recorded in Germany and Sweden.
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A new international assessment has delivered encouraging news about the future of education in El Salvador.
Students from 171 Salvadoran public schools achieved results in reading, mathematics, and science that were comparable with the averages recorded by Germany and Sweden in the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment, commonly known as PISA.
The findings do not mean that El Salvador’s entire public education system has reached the same level as those European countries. However, they demonstrate something equally important: Salvadoran students can achieve excellent results when they receive the proper opportunities, resources, and educational support.
An International Measure of Student Achievement
According to Diario El Salvador, 1,198 volunteer students participated in the PISA for Schools assessment. All came from public schools connected to the country’s Educational Modernization Project.
PISA for Schools is associated with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, or OECD. It measures how well students can apply their knowledge in three important areas:
- Reading
- Mathematics
- Science
The assessment also considers students’ learning environments, attitudes, and general well-being. Therefore, it looks beyond grades and examines some of the conditions that may influence educational success.
The participating Salvadoran students performed above the national average. Their results were also comparable with the average scores achieved by students in Germany and Sweden during PISA 2022.
For a country working to overcome years of educational challenges, this is a significant and encouraging result.
AI Tutors Are Part of the Pilot Program
The 171 participating schools have been part of a pilot program that includes tutors powered by artificial intelligence. The program had operated for slightly more than a year when the students were evaluated in June 2026.
President Nayib Bukele celebrated the results and said that the program has already expanded to more than 1,000 public schools. According to the president, the government plans to introduce it throughout the public education system within approximately 18 months.
Technology and artificial intelligence can provide students with additional help, immediate feedback, and learning material suited to their individual needs. They may also help teachers identify subjects that require additional attention.
However, technology should support teachers rather than attempt to replace them. Computers and AI programs are tools. Their value depends on how they are used in the classroom and whether educators receive the training necessary to use them effectively.
The encouraging results may have come from a combination of factors, including AI tutors, improved technology, teacher preparation, better learning materials, and greater attention given to the participating schools.
The Results Require Proper Context
These findings deserve recognition, but they must also be presented accurately.
The assessment involved 1,198 volunteer students from 171 selected public schools. It was not a representative assessment of every student or every public school in El Salvador.
Therefore, it would be incorrect to say that El Salvador’s entire education system now performs at the same level as Germany or Sweden. The results apply only to the students and schools participating in the modernization project.
The published article also did not provide the precise scores for reading, mathematics, and science. Releasing those figures, along with more information about how the students and schools were selected, would allow parents, educators, and the public to understand the findings more completely.
It is also too early to conclude that AI tutors alone produced the improvement. A longer evaluation would be necessary to separate the influence of technology from other changes introduced through the modernization program.
None of these qualifications diminish what the participating students accomplished. They simply help us understand exactly what the results do—and do not—prove.
Salvadoran Students Have Demonstrated Their Potential
For many years, discussions about public education in El Salvador have concentrated on inadequate buildings, limited resources, school abandonment, teacher shortages, and the difficulties facing rural communities.
Those challenges remain important. Nevertheless, these results help change the conversation.
They show that Salvadoran children are not lacking in intelligence or ability. When students receive modern resources, capable teachers, and a learning environment that encourages them, they can compete with students from some of the world’s more developed countries.
That may be the most important lesson from this assessment.
The question is no longer whether Salvadoran students are capable of reaching a high international standard. Students in these 171 schools have demonstrated that they are.
The challenge is now to create those same opportunities throughout the country.
Expansion Must Include Rural Communities
Expanding the program from 171 schools to more than 1,000 is an important step. Bringing it to every public school would be an even greater achievement.
However, successful expansion will require more than distributing computers or installing software.
Schools need dependable electricity, internet access, equipment maintenance, trained teachers, and continuing technical support. These requirements may be more difficult to provide in rural areas, where internet service and public infrastructure can remain limited.
Students in smaller communities should receive the same opportunities as those attending schools in San Salvador and other major cities. Children living in Ahuachapán, Morazán, La Unión, Chalatenango, and the country’s other rural departments deserve equal access to modern educational resources.
The true test of the program will be whether the encouraging results can be repeated across schools with very different conditions.
A Promising Beginning for El Salvador
This assessment should not be presented as proof that El Salvador has already solved all its educational problems. It should be viewed as evidence of what Salvadoran students can accomplish and what may be possible for the country’s public schools.
The pilot program has produced results worthy of attention. It has shown that students in participating Salvadoran schools can perform at levels comparable with students in Germany and Sweden.
That is an achievement the students, their families, their teachers, and the country should be proud of.
The next step is to study the results carefully, identify what worked, improve what did not, and expand the program responsibly. Progress should also be measured regularly so that the public can see whether improvements continue as the project reaches more schools.
El Salvador’s educational transformation will not happen overnight. Technology alone cannot produce it. Success will require qualified teachers, involved families, modern facilities, reliable services, and a long-term national commitment to learning.
Still, this is a hopeful beginning.
These results offer convincing evidence that Salvadoran students have the potential to compete internationally. If the country can provide the same level of opportunity to children in every community, education could become one of the strongest foundations for El Salvador’s future.
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