Grade 12 Pass Rate Climbs to 12.8%, but 480,000 Students Still Miss Threshold
Ethiopia's Grade 12 national examination pass rate has risen to 12.8% in 2026, marking a gradual recovery from previous years of exceptionally low results. Despite this improvement, nearly 480,000 students failed to meet the 50% benchmark, highlighting ongoing challenges in the quality of secondary education.
Why it matters
The data reflects the long-term impact of government reforms aimed at curbing examination fraud and the systemic struggle to improve educational standards in Ethiopia.
Pass rate improves for another year, but nearly nine in every 10 candidates remain below the 50% benchmark as hundreds of schools fail to produce a single passing student.
Grade 12 national examination pass rate rose to 12.8 percent this year, extending a gradual recovery from several years of exceptionally low results, although close to 480,000 students still failed to reach the minimum 50 percent score.
Education Minister Professor Birhanu Nega said on Saturday that 70,544 of the 550,210 students who sat for the 2026 national leaving examination scored 50 percent or above.
The result means 479,666 candidates of those who took the examination, remained below the benchmark.
A total of 563,960 students had registered for the examination, meaning about 13,750 registered candidates did not sit for it.
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