The overall pass rate in the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and equivalent examinations for 2026 stood at 62.25 per cent, with the results officially published on Monday.
Under the nine general education boards, the pass rate was 64.05 per cent, down from 68.04 per cent in 2025, marking a decrease of 3.99 percentage points.
Female students outperformed their male counterparts under the general education boards, with 107,982 more girls passing the examinations than boys. In addition, 11,401 more female students achieved GPA-5 than male students.
The total number of GPA-5 achievers also declined this year. A total of 106,009 students secured GPA-5 in 2026, compared with 125,018 in 2025, representing a decrease of 19,009.
Meanwhile, the number of schools increased by 303, while the number of examination centres rose by 201.
However, the number of institutions recording a zero per cent pass rate, meaning no student passed, increased significantly. This year, 57 institutions under the nine general education boards recorded a zero per cent pass rate, up from 48 in 2025.
The situation was similar under the other education boards. Under the Madrasah Education Board, the number of institutions with a zero per cent pass rate rose sharply to 226 this year from 86 in 2025.
Under the Technical Education Board, 29 institutions recorded a zero per cent pass rate this year, compared with none in the previous year.
