New Delhi: The Central Board of Secondary Education on Tuesday announced the Class 12 examination results for 2026, bringing relief and joy to lakhs of students and families across India. This year, the overall pass percentage stood at 85.2 percent, showing a slight drop compared to last year’s performance.
The Thiruvananthapuram region emerged as the best performing region in the country with an impressive pass percentage of 95.62 percent. Chennai followed in second place with 93.84 percent, while Bengaluru secured the third position with 93.19 percent. Vijayawada also recorded strong performance with a pass percentage above 92 percent.
More than 17 lakh students appeared for the Class 12 board examinations that were conducted between February and April this year. The examinations were held under strict supervision in thousands of centres across the country and abroad.
Girls once again outperformed boys in the national results. According to CBSE data, girls recorded a pass percentage of 88.86 percent while boys achieved 82.13 percent. The difference between the two groups stood at 6.73 percentage points. Transgender students achieved a perfect 100 percent pass rate, which was widely appreciated by educators and social observers.
Many students celebrated their success with teachers, friends and family members soon after the results were published online. Social media platforms were filled with messages of congratulations, emotional reactions and stories of hard work and perseverance.
The board said more than 94,000 students scored above 90 percent marks while over 17,000 students secured more than 95 percent. At the same time, CBSE continued its policy of not releasing an official topper list in order to reduce unhealthy competition and academic pressure among students.
Education experts welcomed the move and said it encourages students to focus on learning rather than rankings. Schools across several states also organised counselling support and guidance sessions for students who may be disappointed with their scores.
CBSE officials stated that digital evaluation methods helped improve the speed and accuracy of result processing this year. Nearly one crore answer sheets were assessed using On Screen Marking technology, reducing delays and chances of manual errors.
Among different categories of schools, Kendriya Vidyalayas recorded one of the best performances with a pass percentage above 98 percent. Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas also achieved excellent results. Government and aided schools showed steady improvement compared to previous years.
Students can access their results through the official CBSE websites, DigiLocker and the UMANG application. To download marksheets, students need details such as their roll number, school number and admit card ID.
Meanwhile, CBSE has announced that supplementary examinations for students seeking improvement or those placed in the compartment category will begin from July 15. Registration for the exams is expected to start in early June.
Teachers and parents across the country described the results as a reflection of the determination shown by students despite academic pressure and changing examination patterns. For many families, the announcement marked the beginning of new dreams and opportunities as students now prepare for higher studies and entrance examinations.