More than 371,000 candidates have passed Rwanda’s 2025/2026 national examinations at Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) and Ordinary Level (O-Level), according to results announced on Thursday, August 20, 2026.
The National Examination and School Inspection Authority (NESA) announced that 276,579 candidates sat the PLE, with 88.2 percent passing. At O-Level, 149,015 candidates sat the examinations, with 85.7 percent passing.
Combined, the two examinations had 371,660 successful candidates out of 425,594 who sat, giving an overall pass rate of about 87.3 percent.
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Mathematics Shows Major Improvement in Primary
At primary level, Mathematics recorded one of the biggest improvements, with the pass rate increasing from 27.5 percent to 50 percent.
Science and Elementary Technology also improved, rising from 71.2 percent to 81.1 percent, while Social Studies and Religious Education increased from 75 percent to 95 percent.
However, English performance declined from 72.4 percent to 66.4 percent, while Kinyarwanda recorded a slight decline from 98.4 percent to 98.1 percent.
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More Primary Students Move Into Higher Performance Bands
The distribution of PLE grades showed a shift toward the middle and upper performance bands.
The proportion of candidates scoring between 60 and 70 percent increased from 23.25 percent to 28.60 percent, while those scoring between 70 and 80 percent rose from 13.90 percent to 17.93 percent.
Candidates scoring between 80 and 90 percent increased from 8.13 percent to 8.57 percent. However, the proportion scoring between 90 and 100 percent declined from 2.48 percent to 1.63 percent.
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O-Level Pass Rate Reaches 85.7 Percent
At Ordinary Level, 149,550 candidates registered for the examinations, while 149,015 sat the exams held from July 15 to 24.
A total of 127,702 candidates passed, representing a pass rate of 85.7 percent. Female candidates accounted for 57.22 percent of those who sat the examinations.
Male candidates recorded a higher pass rate, with 89.8 percent passing compared with 82.63 percent of female candidates.
Mathematics and Science Subjects Improve
O-Level performance improved in most subjects, with Mathematics recording the largest increase, rising from 43.9 percent to 87.5 percent.
Biology and Health Sciences increased from 44.8 percent to 77.3 percent, while English rose from 57.9 percent to 78.8 percent.
Geography and Environment increased from 83.1 percent to 92.5 percent, while History and Citizenship rose from 62.7 percent to 75.5 percent.
Kinyarwanda also improved from 98.5 percent to 99.8 percent, while Chemistry increased from 59.8 percent to 65.6 percent.
Entrepreneurship was among the subjects that recorded a decline, falling from 74.8 percent to 69.6 percent. Physics improved from 27.6 percent to 34.4 percent.
Examination Irregularities Affect Some Results
Authorities also reported cases of examination malpractice, including cheating and copying.
State Minister of Education Claudette Irere said results of students linked to suspected irregularities were withheld pending further investigations, with disciplinary action taken where violations were confirmed.
The results come as students prepare for the next stage of their education, following the completion of the 2025/2026 academic year.
