Sub-county schools outshine county rivals in KCSE

Students and teachers of Riabigutu Secondary celebrate at the streets of Masimba Town in Kisii County after recording a historic A- in 2025 KCSE results. [Stanley Ongwae, Standard]

This year, day schools have turned the tables on their higher-ranked county counterparts, sending more students to universities.

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba said that overall, the number of candidates with direct university entry qualification, mean grade C+ and above was 270,715 (27.18 per cent) in the 2025 KCSE exam. He noted that this is an improvement from 246,391 (25.53 percent) in 2024.

On the other hand, day schools, also known as Sub-County Schools, have registered improved performance compared to previous years.“Sub-County schools produced more candidates with C+ and above compared to County Schools, accounting for 72,699 and 36,600 respectively,” the CS said as he released the 2025 KCSE results.

Statistics indicate that at least 70 per cent of secondary schools are day schools, while national schools, the highest ranked, enjoy greater privileges compared to sub county schools.

During every placement cycle, parents rush to secure slots for their children in highly ranked schools, especially national and extra-county institutions, despite the limited space available. The government has made several attempts to introduce day wings in some secondary schools, but these efforts have yet to bear fruit.

Day scholars

In 2022, for example, there were mixed reactions to proposals to abolish boarding schools to enable closer interaction between parents and learners, but the plan was never implemented.

Last year, guidelines were issued proposing the admission of day scholars in boarding schools starting this year, but this too has not yet materialized.

The initiative was part of new guidelines  by the Ministry of Education to accommodate the first cohort of Grade 10 learners under the Competency-Based Curriculum.

The proposal recommended that at least 10 percent of students in every boarding school be day scholars. It was intended to decongest boarding facilities, expand access to education, and promote a 100 percent transition rate to senior secondary school.

The guidelines stated that learners would be admitted as day scholars based on merit, ability to commute, and compliance with school rules. Students were required to select the day-wing option during the school placement process.

Parents or guardians of day scholars were expected to cover the cost of meals and play an active role in monitoring their children’s discipline and attendance.

Schools, meanwhile, were to manage the daily entry and exit of day students, raising concerns over safety, infrastructure, and administrative burden.

The guidelines also specified that day and boarding students would wear the same uniforms and be fully integrated into the school community, eliminating potential stigma or status-based segregation.