I guess Alpha Wolf is an Epsilon Minus when it comes to understanding statistics:

How do USA 15 year olds perform academically, broken down by race/ethnic group, vs. the Chinese as a whole?When evaluating the academic performance of 15-year-old students globally, the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) provides the most comprehensive data.When comparing US ethnic and racial groups against China as a whole, the data shows that China's top academic regions significantly outperform all US groups—including Asian Americans—in mathematics and science, while US Asian students remain competitive with China in reading.(Note: In PISA testing, "China" is officially represented by its four highest-performing educational hubs: Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang (BSJZ). While China did not publish results for the 2022 cycle due to pandemic school closures, their baseline 2018 scores remain the benchmark for comparison).PISA Performance BreakdownThe table below contrasts the academic performance of US 15-year-olds by race/ethnicity (using the latest PISA metrics) against China's baseline aggregate:Student GroupMathematics ScoreReading ScoreScience ScoreChina (BSJZ)612555590US Asian543551525US White498529531OECD International Average472476485US Two or More Races476502503US Average (All Groups)465499496US Hispanic439478470US Black412440433Key TakeawaysThe Mathematics Gap: China's structural advantage is most pronounced in math. The average Chinese student outscores the average US student by 147 points—the educational equivalent of roughly three to four grade levels. Even the highest-performing US demographic (US Asian students) trails China by 69 points in math.Reading Parity: The only area where a US subgroup matches China's top tier is reading. US Asian students score nearly identically to China's average (551 vs. 555).US Internal Variance: The data reveals a massive 131-point gap in math between the highest-performing US group (Asian) and the lowest-performing US group (Black), reflecting deep domestic disparities in economic backgrounds and educational resources.If you would like to explore this further, let me know if you want to:Look into the socioeconomic and cultural factors that researchers attribute these gaps to.Contrast how the US performs on other assessments, like the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS).WikipediaProgramme for International Student Assessment - WikipediaThe Chinese provinces/municipalities of Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang (B-S-J-Z) recorded the highest mean scores in math...Reddit2022 PISA Scores by Country and US Racial Group - Excluding 1st & 2nd Gen Immigrants : r/neoliberalDec 6, 2023 — According to a chart on r/neoliberal, PISA scores by country and US racial group exclude first and second generation immigrants: *OECDPISA 2022 Results (Volume I and II) ‑ Country Notes: United States | OECDDec 5, 2023 — The PISA test assesses the knowledge and skills of 15-year-old students in mathematics, reading, and science. The 2022 results inc...Show allWho is included in China's baseline aggregate?China’s baseline aggregate in the PISA dataset does not encompass the entire nation. Instead, it strictly comprises four highly developed, high-performing educational hubs in eastern mainland China, collectively referred to by the OECD as B-S-J-Z (China):Beijing: The capital city and a primary national center for elite education.Shanghai: A major global financial center and the first Chinese city to enter PISA independently in 2009.Jiangsu: A wealthy, heavily industrialized coastal province known for rigorous schooling.Zhejiang: A prosperous economic powerhouse province situated just south of Shanghai.Context of the SampleBecause these four specific territories combined represent an urbanized and economically privileged population of roughly 180 million people, education policy researchers frequently point out that the sample is heavily selective. It excludes China’s massive rural populations and less-developed interior provinces, which means the baseline reflects China's absolute top-tier educational regions rather than a true national average.(Note: While other regions like Guangdong participated in an intermediate 2015 trial, the standardized baseline used for international ranking comparisons across the 2018 and latest 2025 testing cycles is entirely anchored to these specific four B-S-J-Z regions).If you want, I can share data on:How rural Chinese students perform when measured on internal domestic assessments.The specific statistical criticisms or controversies surrounding China's regional sampling choices in international metrics.VoxChinaHow Does Salient Academic Rank Affect Student Performance ...Nov 20, 2024 — To study this important question, we utilized the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS) dataset from 2013 to 2015. This dataset offe...The 74Schneider: The Strange Case of 'China' and Its Top PISA ...Dec 10, 2019 — “B-S-J-Z (China)” appears at the very top of all three — reading, math and science. B-S-J-Z stand for Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu a...OECDPISA 2025 Results (Volume I): Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu and ...Sep 8, 2026 — B-S-J-Z (China) participated for the first time in PISA ... results for all four provinces can be compared from 2018 onwards. By com...Show allOK so the comparison of four of China's highest performing educational hubs to all of the USA population of same age student is statistically invalid then, correct?Yes, from a strict statistical standpoint, direct head-to-head comparisons are invalid.In statistics, for a comparative analysis to hold integrity, the selected samples must be equivalent in their composition. Comparing a national, universally representative sample (the United States) to a highly selective, regional sample (the BSJZ regions of China) violates the fundamental rules of data sampling.Education policy researchers, psychometricians, and statisticians have heavily criticized this imbalance. The comparison fails statistical validity for several reasons:1. Selection Bias and Wealth DisparitiesThe United States sample includes students from every demographic, geographic, and socioeconomic layer—from affluent suburban districts to underfunded inner-city and rural schools. Conversely, the BSJZ sample isolates a hyper-prosperous urban territory of roughly 180 million people. Shanghai and Beijing boast per-capita GDPs and educational funding levels that rival wealthy nations, meaning the data measures China's absolute educational elite, not its average.2. The Exclusion of Migrant Populations (Hukou System)Independent reviews, including a prominent study by the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), highlight a structural flaw known as the Hukou effect. In major economic hubs like Shanghai, children of internal migrant workers often face legal barriers to attending local public high schools. Because PISA tests 15-year-olds (who are entering high school), a vast population of lower socioeconomic background students are systematically excluded from the test sample because they are sent back to rural provinces.3. What the Real Picture Looks LikeWhen researchers attempt to measure China as a whole, the results look entirely different:The Rural Gap: Academic reviews of China's broader K-12 population note that internal testing in China's vast rural provinces shows scores that lag significantly behind international averages.National Projections: Researchers estimating a true, comprehensive national average for China suggest its actual performance would fall closer to the middle of the pack—comparable to countries like Turkey—placing a true Chinese national average below the US average in several categories.How the Data Should Be ReadThe OECD, which administers PISA, labels the entity "B-S-J-Z (China)" rather than "China" to acknowledge this limitation. The only statistically valid takeaway from the data is a comparison of peer environments: The US educational system's elite tiers (such as high-scoring sub-populations or top-tier suburban districts) compared to China's elite tiers.If you want, I can provide details on:How top-performing US school districts stack up directly against the BSJZ scores.The specific methodological rules the OECD uses to determine what counts as a valid country sample.NORRAGHow (Un)representative Are China's Stellar PISA Results?Feb 18, 2020 — China's PISA results are unrepresentative because they only take into consideration Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, the f...The Thomas B. Fordham InstitutePISA is wrong about China - The Thomas B. Fordham InstituteDec 5, 2024 — devastating analysis/critique. China's K–12 education performance—based on PISA scores—is better than that of any other country wi...YouTube·American Enterprise InstituteAre China's International Test Scores Too Good to Be True?Feb 27, 2025 — The report concludes that their actual knowledge capital is much lower than advertised, potentially comparable to that of Turkey, ...01:18:24Show all

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Replying to AlphaWolf

According to the Visual Capitalist (link below), China is the by far the best in math among 15 year olds. The top 7 spots are Asian countries. The U.S. falls dead center average, number 27.

This is not one person’s fault, the system is broken.

This is not good for our nation’s long term success.

Our leaders ignore the issue.

visualcapitalist.com - Worlds best countries at math in