CBSE Class 12 Results Show Decline in Passing Percentage

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has released the Class 12 examination results, revealing a passing percentage of 85.20%, a decline from the previous year's 88.39%. This drop raises questions about the underlying causes. Notably, girls outperformed boys, achieving a pass rate of 88.86% compared to 82.13% for boys. The board also implemented a new digital evaluation method for the first time, marking a significant change in the assessment process. With over 1.7 million students registered, the results highlight regional disparities, particularly in the Delhi zone, where students excelled. The examinations were conducted across nearly 20,000 schools and over 7,500 centers nationwide.

By Narendra Chaudhary May 13, 2026, 16:58 IST

Overview of Class 12 Examination Results

Image of students at a gathering. (Photo:@CMOfficeAssam/X)

New Delhi, May 13: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has announced the results for the Class 12 board examinations, revealing an overall passing rate of 85.20%.

This year's results indicate a notable decrease in the passing percentage compared to the previous year.

The current academic session's passing rate of 85.20% reflects a decline of 3.19% from last year's 88.39%, raising concerns about the factors contributing to this drop.

According to the CBSE, a total of 1,780,365 students registered for the Class 12 exams in 2026.

Out of these, 1,768,968 students took the exams, with 1,507,109 achieving success.

In a significant shift, the CBSE introduced a digital evaluation method for the first time in the assessment of answer sheets.

The board implemented an “On-Screen Marking” system on a large scale for the 2026 Class 12 Board examinations.

This digital evaluation initiative marked the largest exercise of its kind, with approximately 9,866,622 answer sheets evaluated digitally.

The results also highlight that girls outperformed boys in both passing rates and overall performance.

The pass percentage for girls was recorded at 88.86%, while boys had a pass rate of 82.13%, giving girls a lead of 6.73%.

Regionally, students from the Delhi zone excelled, with the Delhi West region achieving a pass percentage of 92.34% and the Delhi East region at 91.73%.

The Class 12 examinations took place from February 17, 2026, to April 10, 2026, with arrangements made for 19,967 schools and 7,573 examination centers nationwide, an increase from 19,299 schools and 7,330 centers in 2025.