The Azores achieved results above the national average in eight national exams. The data was released yesterday by the Regional Secretary for Education, Culture, and Sports.

“In eight subjects, the regional average is higher than the national average,” said Sofia Ribeiro, head of the Education Department, quoted in a press release.

The results of the national exams were announced on Tuesday.

According to data from the ministry, out of a total of 22 subjects in which students in the Azores took national exams, eight recorded averages above those recorded in the country: Mathematics B, Portuguese Literature, Drawing A, History B, History and Culture of the Arts, Spanish (continuation), Latin A, and Portuguese as a Non-Native Language (continuation).

“Once again, we see the convergence between the Autonomous Region of the Azores and the results of the rest of the country,” said Sofia Ribeiro.

The secretary noted that in 2024, the region achieved scores above the national average in 10 subjects.

Among the 22 subjects with national exams held this year in the region, there was an improvement over the 2024 results in eight: Portuguese, Biology and Geology, History B, History and Culture of the Arts, Latin A, Mathematics B, Portuguese as a Non-Native Language (continuation), and Spanish (continuation).

Best and worst results

The subjects with the highest averages in the Azores in 2025 were Portuguese as a Non-Native Language (continuation), with 14.3 points, Drawing A, with 14 points, and Latin A, with 13.8 points.

Portuguese as a Non-Native Language and Latin were also the subjects with the highest increases compared to 2024, with improvements of 14.3% and 11.4%, respectively.

There were four national exams with an average below 10 in the Azores: Applied Mathematics for Social Sciences (MACS), with 8.3 points, Descriptive Geometry, with 8.6 points, Spanish (beginner), with 9.2 points, and Philosophy, with 9.6 points.

The subjects Spanish (beginner) and MACS recorded the largest declines compared to 2024, with drops of 10.8% and 2.8%, respectively.

Among the best grades obtained in the region, 20 points in Mathematics A at the Tomás de Borba school on Terceira Island and 20 points in Mathematics B at the schools in São Roque do Pico and Velas (São Jorge) stand out.

In Physics and Chemistry, there were also 20 marks at schools in Madalena, on Pico, and Lagoa, on São Miguel.

At the school in Lajes do Pico, there were 20 marks in Drawing A, and at the Manuel de Arriaga School, on Faial, in Descriptive Geometry A.

In 2024, 12th-grade students took exams only for admission to higher education.

This year, all students complied with the new mandatory model, taking three exams to complete secondary education, one of which had to be in Portuguese.

In Diário Insular, José Lourenço-director

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.