This study presents a systematic literature review (SLR) on the influence of Economic, Social, and Cultural Status (ESCS) on student academic achievement across multiple cycles of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). By synthesizing empirical findings from diverse national contexts, the research identifies consistent patterns in how ESCS dimensions—such as parental education, household resources, and cultural capital—affect performance in reading, mathematics, and science. Using a structured search across databases including Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar, the study selected peer-reviewed articles that utilized PISA data and employed rigorous quantitative methods. A narrative synthesis approach was adopted due to heterogeneity in study designs and methodologies. Findings reveal that students from higher ESCS backgrounds consistently outperform their lower-ESCS peers across academic domains, with the achievement gap most pronounced in countries with rigid tracking or stratified school systems. In contrast, nations with equitable education policies and inclusive reforms tend to show narrower performance disparities. The study contributes to a deeper understanding of global educational inequalities and offers insights to inform policies aimed at reducing achievement gaps and promoting equity in education.