National Education Results Reveal Only 22 Percent of Israeli Ninth Graders Met English Proficiency Standards

New RAMA data reveals only 22% of Israeli ninth graders met English standards, highlighting teacher shortages and sector gaps in the national school system.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 30, 2026, 4:12 PM EDT

Source: The information in this article was sourced from Times of Israel

Standardized Testing Exposes Significant Learning Gaps

The latest figures released by the National Authority for Educational Measurement and Evaluation, known as RAMA, have sent shockwaves through the Israeli education sector. According to the 2024-25 results, only 22 percent of ninth grade students across the country successfully met the established curriculum requirements for the English language. This sharp decline in academic performance follows several years of sustained disruption, including the logistical challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, frequent labor strikes by educators, and periodic school closures necessitated by regional conflict.

Sectoral Disparities Reveal Deep Educational Inequity

The data highlights a troubling gap between different segments of Israeli society, particularly between Hebrew and Arab speaking institutions. In Hebrew speaking schools, 27 percent of students reached the required proficiency levels, whereas only 9 percent of their peers in Arab speaking schools met the same benchmark. The most severe deficiencies were recorded in southern Bedouin communities, where a staggering 86 percent of students demonstrated low levels of English ability and a mere 1 percent were able to satisfy the national curriculum standards.

Religious and Secular Systems Show Divergent Outcomes

For the first time, Haredi students participated in the standardized exams, with only 7 percent meeting the English requirements. This figure stands in contrast to the 16 percent success rate found in the national religious system and the 31 percent achievement level within the Hebrew secular system. These variations suggest that the degree of emphasis placed on core secular subjects continues to vary widely across the country's diverse educational streams, impacting the long term professional readiness of students entering a globalized workforce.