The Ministry of Education has officially released the results of the 2025 Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA), marking the transition of the first cohort of Competency-Based Education (CBE) learners from Junior School to Senior School.

Announcing the results on Thursday, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba confirmed that all 1,130,459 candidates who sat the assessment will be placed into one of the three designated Senior School pathways: Arts & Sports Science, Social Sciences, or STEM.

The CS explained that the overall performance of the learners has been categorized into four competency levels: Exceeding Expectation, Meeting Expectation, Approaching Expectation, and Below Expectation. Assessment scores were reported on a scale of 1 to 8, with 8 representing the highest level (Exceeding Expectation 1) and 1 the lowest (Below Expectation 2).

“The creation of these bands serves to distinguish exemplary performance from good performance,” said Ogamba.

Out of the twelve subjects examined, seven recorded a higher proportion of learners performing at the Meeting Expectation and Exceeding Expectation levels. These subjects were Hindu Religious Education (84.62%), Integrated Science (61.77%), Social Studies (58.56%), Creative Arts and Sports (58.04%), Kiswahili (57.98%), Christian Religious Education (53.96%), and Agriculture (52.26%).

Overall, 75% of learners achieved at least the Approaching Expectation level across all subjects. Creative Arts & Sports registered the strongest performance, with 96.84% of candidates scoring at Approaching Expectation 2 and above. Agriculture (96.24%), Kiswahili (93.11%), and Social Studies (92.93%) also posted strong results.

“An Approaching Expectation grade is sufficient for learners to progress to Senior School pathways that require basic competencies in the subject area,” the CS noted.

The Ministry further highlighted that female learners outperformed males in Meeting and Exceeding Expectations in 10 out of the 12 subjects. The widest gender disparities were recorded in Kiswahili (64.86% for females vs. 51.41% for males), CRE (59.77% vs. 48.39%), English (52.86% vs. 48.45%), and Social Studies (62.98% vs. 54.35%).

However, performance in Mathematics and Kenyan Sign Language remained an area of concern, with only 32.44% and 22.14% of learners, respectively, reaching the Meeting and Exceeding Expectation levels.

In terms of pathway eligibility, 59.09% of the candidates demonstrated potential for placement in the STEM pathway, 46.52% in Social Sciences, and 48.73% in the Arts and Sports pathway.

CS Ogamba stated that placement into Senior Schools will be based on learners’ performance and their chosen pathways. The placement exercise begins next week and is expected to conclude by December 20, 2025.

 Grade 10 learners are expected to report to their respective Senior Schools starting January 12, 2025.