2025 KCSE: Boys outshine girls in Maths, Biology, Chemistry

Sally Chetalang, Principal Sunshine Secondary School, Nairobi, students and teachers celebrate the KCSE 2025 results at the school. January 9th, 2026. [Elvis Ogina, Standard]

Male candidates outperformed their female counterparts in 11 subjects in  the 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams.

Girls performed better in six subjects, Education CS Julius Ogamba said on Friday, January 9, during the release of the results at AIC Chebisas Boys High School in Eldoret.

Male candidates recorded higher mean scores in Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Science, History, Geography, IRE, Building Construction, and Business Studies, while female candidates excelled in English, Kiswahili, Kenyan Sign Language, Home Science, CRE, and Art and Design.

Performance between male and female candidates was comparable in seven subjects, including Physics, Agriculture, Computer Studies, French, German, Arabic, and Music.

Ogamba noted that female entries in Metalwork, Power Mechanics, Electricity, Drawing and Design, and Aviation Technology were too small to allow meaningful comparison.

The CS also highlighted counties with higher male registration, including Garissa, Mandera, Wajir, Turkana, Narok, Samburu, Mombasa, Homa Bay, Nyamira, and West Pokot.

Female candidates dominated in fourteen (14) counties, including Vihiga, Elgeyo Marakwet, Kisumu, Kiambu, Kwale, Nairobi, Kakamega, Meru, Isiolo, Uasin Gishu, Machakos, Kitui, Busia, and Tharaka Nithi.

The remaining 23 counties recorded near-perfect gender parity.

The number of candidates aged 16 and below rose to 26,391 in 2025 from 20,546 in 2024.

The majority of candidates, 716,048 were aged 17 to 19, which CS Ogamba described as the appropriate age bracket for the KCSE.

Some 1,932 candidates scored a mean grade of A, with over 270,000 attaining C+ and above, the minimum grade required for university entry.

“I applaud the 270,715 students who have qualified to join University, and also the rest who will find training and skills development opportunities in tertiary institutions, vocational training institutions, and other opportunities,” said Deputy President Kithure Kindiki in a congratulatory message to the 2025 class.

“Examination results are not an end in themselves but a means to an end.”