Education is recognised across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) as a moral imperative and a strategic priority to secure future prosperity and human flourishing. Policymakers have set ambitious targets to join the ranks of the best performing education systems in the world in order to deliver economic success and secure a place on the world stage for their citizens. This briefing paper presents a summary of the key findings from the most recent international large scale assessment studies: (1) Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2015; (2) Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2016; and (3) Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2015. It also looks at how these compare across the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).