Mixed results for math and science as 15 countries outperform Ireland

Children in the North scored “significantly higher” at maths than their fourth-class counterparts in the Republic, according to a major international study of students’ performance in mathematics and science.

However, while the 2015 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) study found that 15 countries outperform Ireland’s fourth-class science students, it also recorded significant improvements on fourth-class maths and science performance when compared to scores recorded in 2011 and 1995.

Last year, more than 582,000 students from 57 countries participated in TIMMS, which ranked fourth-class students in the Republic of Ireland ninth for maths and 19th in science. Older students in second year ranked ninth for maths and 10th for science compared to their international counterparts.