The Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) is a national exam administered annually to students in their final year of secondary education. The exam determines which students proceed to university.
In this article, we analyze the 2025 KCSE results and compare this year's performance with previous years'.
Quick Facts
- The total number of students who sat the KCSE exam in 2025 was 993,226.
- The total number of female registered students was 502,453, while the total number of male registered students was 493,407.
- A total of 1,932 students scored an A in 2025.
- A total of 270,715 students are eligible for university admission, having scored a grade of C+ or higher.
More females were registered for KCSE in 2025 than males
According to the Kenya National Examinations Council, the number of female students registered for the KCSE exceeded that of males for the third year in a row.
The number of males who registered for KCSE in 2025 was 493,407, while the number of registered females was 502,453.
The total number of students registered for KCSE in 2025 was 995,860.
Overall, 993,226 students sat for the KCSE examination in 2054, an increase from 962,512 in 2024.[1]
More males than females scored C+ or higher.
Male students were overrepresented in higher grades above C+. Of the 1,932 students who scored an A-plain in 2025, 600 were females, while males numbered 1,332, almost twice as many.
The same trend persists among students who scored from A minus to B minus.
The number of males with an A minus was 5,686, while the number of females was 3,650.
The chart below shows the total number of males and females who scored C+ or higher.
In 2024, 140,371 male students scored C+ or higher, and 130,344 female students did the same.
Males are overrepresented in lower grades below C-plus
Even though more males than females scored a B minus and above in 2024, the share of males scoring lower than a C plus was equally higher in males than in females. This suggests that males are overrepresented in higher and lower grades.
For instance, 60% of those who scored an E in 2025 were males, compared to 40% who were females.
In higher grades, more males (69%) scored an A compared to females (31%).
Only a quarter of the students are eligible for direct university admission.
KCSE students must attain a minimum grade of C+ to be eligible for direct university admission. Results from the 2024 KCSE indicate that only 27.4% of students attained a grade of C+ and above.
The total number of students with a C+ or higher was 270,715 in 2025.
A total of 718,446 students did not attain the minimum grade of C+ required for university admission in 2025.
As the chart below shows, a majority of these students scored lower grades, with the largest number scoring grade Ds.
The table below shows the number of male and female students who attained each grade in the 2024 KCSE.
|
GRADE |
TOTAL |
MALE |
FEMALE |
|
A |
1,932 |
1,332 |
600 |
|
A- |
9,336 |
5,586 |
3,650 |
|
B+ |
23,990 |
13,456 |
10,534 |
|
B |
50,215 |
26,726 |
23,489 |
|
B- |
80,681 |
41,252 |
39,429 |
|
C+ |
104,561 |
51,919 |
52,642 |
|
C |
115,801 |
55,364 |
60,437 |
|
C- |
120,615 |
56,400 |
64,215 |
|
D+ |
126,951 |
59,259 |
67,692 |
|
D |
145,557 |
69,652 |
75,905 |
|
D- |
161,724 |
80,822 |
80,902 |
|
E |
47,798 |
28,440 |
19,358 |
See Also
- National Government Expenditure on Education in Kenya
- Do A Students Work for C Students – Kenya Perspective
References
[1] 2025 KCSE Examination Essential Statistics.