A total of 993,226 candidates sat the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations in 2025, up from 962,512 in 2024 — an increase of about 3.2 percent.
Last year, 1,932 candidates attained an A plain, representing approximately 0.19 percent of all candidates, which was an increase from 1,693 candidates in 2024, who accounted for about 0.18 percent of the total candidature.
Despite the rise in absolute numbers, the proportion of top scorers remained below a quarter of one percent in both years.
Ministry of Education data shows that about 270,000 candidates qualified for direct university entry, equivalent to roughly 27.2 percent of all 2025 candidates.
In 2024, about 246,000 candidates met the university entry threshold, accounting for approximately 25.6 percent of those who sat the examinations.
The share of candidates qualifying for direct university entry rose by 1.6 percentage points between 2024 and 2025.
Skewed performance
While growth in A plains was marginal in proportional terms, the data points to a more notable expansion in both the number and share of candidates crossing the university admission threshold.
Overall, the KCSE results for both years continue to show a sharply skewed performance curve, with a very small fraction attaining the top grade and about one quarter qualifying for direct university admission.
Although day schools contributed a significant number of qualifiers, about 72,000, national schools continued to dominate the production of A grades, underscoring persistent disparities in resources, facilities and teaching quality.
Gender parity was maintained in candidature, with girls accounting for 50 percent of candidates, a positive signal for access. Further analysis is, however, needed to establish whether performance outcomes were equally distributed.
Final phase
The 2025 results also carry historical significance. With the rollout of Competency-Based Education (CBE) nearing its final phase, this cohort is among the last to sit KCSE under the 8-4-4 system.
The final KCSE examination is scheduled for 2027, coinciding with Kenya’s next general election, a politically sensitive period that could further complicate the transition.
