Girls outperform boys in 2025 KJSEA results

Kakamega primary headteacher Dickson Wanyangu welcomed Grade 9 KJSEA candidates on October 24, 2025. [Benjamin Sakwa/Standard]

Female learners outshone male learners in 10 out of 12 subjects in the 2025 Kenya Junior Secondary Education Assessment (KJSEA), with the widest performance gaps recorded in languages and humanities.

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba released results for 1,130,459 learners Thursday, marking a milestone for the pioneer cohort transitioning to senior school in January 2026 under the Competency-Based Education (CBC) system.

Of the candidates who sat the assessment between Oct. 27 and Nov. 3, 578,630 were male while 551,829 were female, representing 51.19 percent and 48.81 percent respectively.

Girls dominated in languages and social sciences, recording their strongest performance margins in Kiswahili with 64.86 percent meeting or exceeding expectations compared with 51.41 percent for boys. In Christian Religious Education (CRE), 59.77 percent of girls reached the benchmark against 48.39 percent of boys, while English saw 52.86 percent of girls succeed versus 48.45 percent of boys.

Social Studies recorded 62.98 percent for girls compared with 54.35 percent for boys.

"Girls continue to excel in languages and social sciences, demonstrating strong literacy and communication competencies," Ogamba said.

However, mathematics and Kenyan Sign Language performance raised concern, with only 32.44 percent and 22.14 percent of learners meeting or exceeding expectations.

The ministry acknowledged urgent interventions in numeracy and inclusive learning are needed.

The results were reported using an eight-point scale derived from four performance levels: Exceeding Expectation, Meeting Expectation, Approaching Expectation and Below Expectation.

"The creation of performance bands allows us to distinguish exemplary performance from good performance, ensuring a fair reflection of learner competencies," Ogamba explained.

Seven subjects recorded more than half of learners performing at Meeting or Exceeding Expectations. Hindu Religious Education (HRE) led with 84.62 percent, followed by Integrated Science at 61.77 percent, Social Studies at 58.56 percent, Creative Arts and Sports at 58.04 percent, Kiswahili at 57.98 percent, Christian Religious Education at 53.96 percent and Agriculture at 52.26 percent.

Creative Arts and Sports recorded the strongest overall performance, with 96.84 percent of learners scoring Approaching Expectation 2 and above.

The final scores combine three components: the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) taken in Grade Six accounting for 20 percent, school-based assessments in Grades Seven and Eight also 20 percent, and the summative KJSEA assessment accounting for 60 percent.

Learners can access results on the online portal kjsea.knec.ac.ke by entering their assessment number and at least one registered name.

The ministry provided toll-free numbers 0800 724900 and 0800 721410 for inquiries.

Out of the total candidates, 59.09 percent demonstrated potential to pursue the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) pathway at senior school, 46.52 percent qualified for Social Sciences and 48.73 percent showed potential for Arts and Sports.

Unlike the previous system, results were released without ranking or school mean scores. The government will place students in their preferred senior schools by next week, with parents able to track placement digitally.

The shift aims to reduce competition among students and schools while providing a more comprehensive picture of learner competencies through the blended assessment model.