KCSE results improve as bottom grades decline

Candidates in the 2025 KCSE have posted better scores compared to the previous two years, even as bottom grades declined.

An analysis of data in the past three years shows growth in top grades and candidates qualifying for university, while the share of candidates at the very bottom is shrinking.

This comes even as the enrollment of candidates hit an all-time high, with the number of candidates sitting this year’s KCSE now standing at 993,226.

The analysis by The Standard on the results of 2023, 2024 and 2025 KCSE has shown a decline of the lowest grade in KCSE from 48,174 in 2023 to 47,798

In 2024 a total of 48,333 scored grade E where 965,172 sat the test.

At the same time, the number of candidates posting the top-most Grade A(plain) has also grown over the last three years.

The analysis shows that in 2023, only 1,216 candidates managed a plain Grade A, just 0.13 percent of all those who sat the exam with a total of 903,138 candidates writing the examination.

That number rose to 1,693 in 2024 and rose again to 1,932 in 2025, representing 0.19 percent of the nearly one million candidates. 

Also growing is the number of candidates posting Grade A–(Minus) from 7,254 in 2023 to 9,336 in 2025.

A similar pattern across the university cutoff mark which is a C+ and above. 

In 2023, the number of students who qualified  for a university place stood at 201,133 and 246,391 candidates in 2024 but has now grown to 270,715 in the just released KCSE examination.

This means, 24,324 more candidates will join university this year compared to last year.

Further analysis shows that the bottom grades, including D, D- and E accounted for 369,311 candidates in 2023.

In the released KCSE results, the number has declined to 355,079 candidates.

This means the candidates with the lower grades have declined by 14,232 despite the growth in enrollment.

Kenya National Examination Council chief executive officer, David Njengere has credited the improvement to the new KCSE grading system, which took effect from 2023.

Under this revised grading approach, all KCSE candidates must be assessed in Mathematics, which remains a compulsory subject.

Additionally, instead of requiring students to be graded based on both English and Kiswahili, the system now considers only the best-performed language among English, Kiswahili, or Kenya Sign Language.

This change accommodates students who may excel in one language over the other, ensuring that they are not unfairly penalized for weaker performance in one of the languages.

The third significant shift in grading involves the selection of the best five performed subjects. This means that apart from Mathematics and one language, the remaining five subjects in which a student has scored the highest points will be considered in calculating their final grade.

“This reform, part of broader educational changes recommended by the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms, is designed to ensure that students are assessed based on their strengths rather than a rigid subject cluster requirement,” Njengere said in an interview with the Standard.

Previously, students had to be graded based on fixed clusters that included Mathematics, English, Kiswahili, two sciences, and one humanity, alongside other subjects.

This meant that students who were strong in arts or technical subjects but weak in the required science disciplines suffered a disadvantage. The new grading system eliminates this constraint by giving students more flexibility in the subjects that contribute to their mean grade.

A student with strong performance in technical subjects like Agriculture, Business Studies, and Computer Studies can now have those subjects considered alongside their core compulsory ones.

“This method allows for a more accurate representation of students' academic capabilities and better aligns with their strengths and career aspirations,” Njengere said.

Njengere said that one of the benefits of the new grading system is that it enhances students' chances of meeting university and technical institution entry requirements. 

“In the past, a student could excel in humanities, business, and technical subjects but fail to qualify for university due to poor performance in sciences or Kiswahili, even if they had exceptional academic potential in other areas.With the new approach, more students will be able to attain competitive mean grades, increasing access to higher education,” he said.