Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube announced a record national pass rate of 88% for the 2025 National Senior Certificate exams, the highest ever, achieved by over 900,000 candidates. KwaZulu-Natal led provinces at 90.6%, while the Eastern Cape dipped to 84.17%. A record 345,000 bachelor's passes were recorded, but experts warn of low mathematics participation, subject declines, and high late-stage dropouts.
The 2025 matric results, released on January 13, 2026 (following an announcement in Randburg on January 12), marked a historic milestone for South Africa's education system. The national pass rate rose 0.7 percentage points from 87.3% in 2024 to a record 88%, with over 900,000 candidates—the largest cohort ever—participating. For the first time, all nine provinces and 75 districts exceeded 80% pass rates, signaling widespread stability.
Provincial rankings: KwaZulu-Natal topped at 90.6%, followed by Free State (89.33%), Gauteng (89.06%), North West (88.49%), Western Cape (88.2%), Northern Cape (87.79%), Mpumalanga (86.55%), Limpopo (86.1%), and Eastern Cape (84.17%, down from 84.9%). The national bachelor's pass rate slipped slightly to 46% from 48%, though the absolute number rose to a record 345,000, with 66% from no-fee schools.
Gateway subjects showed mixed results: mathematics participation was low at 34.1%, with a 64% pass rate among takers (down from 69%), accounting fell to 78% from 81%, and physical sciences rose slightly to 77% from 76%. Emeritus Professor Michael le Cordeur called the maths trend 'deeply troubling,' urging teacher training, while Professor Mbulu Madiba stressed early interventions: 'By Grades 10, 11, or 12 it’s already too late.' Minister Gwarube emphasized quality in foundational skills, noting 'quantity was only the starting point.'
The class of 2025, who started Grade 1 in 2014, faced disruptions including COVID-19 in Grade 8 and recent storms in KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape. Retention was 84% through Grade 10 but dropped sharply later, with only 78% progressing from Grade 11 to 12 amid suspicions of 'gatekeeping' to protect pass rates; full-time Grade 12 enrolment was 778,000. Positively, age-appropriate 18-year-olds increased, non-writing registrations fell to 2% from 17% in 2017, and enrolment for learners with special needs surged 57%, with gains in Free State and Western Cape.
Standout achievements included Mfuleni Technical Academy's 76% pass rate in a high-crime area, Pearson High School's 93.3% bachelor's passes in the Eastern Cape, and national top performers: Western Cape's Abigail Kok (York High School), Maria Freercks (eight distinctions), North West's Temogo Matong (96% average), and partially blind Kamogelo Motaung (bachelor's pass, aspiring advocate). Pupil Awodwa Nauyoma from Mfuleni said, 'We had to push, even though it was hard.'
Gwarube praised resilience, debunked the 30% pass myth, and called for equity reforms: 'In a country committed to dignity and inclusion, we cannot stop at just producing an exam paper.' Director-General Hubert Mweli highlighted challenges like teacher shortages, pregnancies, and infrastructure damage. Experts like Professor Suraiya Naicker saw stabilization but urged foundational fixes for an AI-driven world. Gwarube encouraged underperformers to pursue second chances: 'South Africa sees you.'