CBSE Class 12 Results 2026 Declared: 85.20% Pass, Girls Outshine Boys

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) officially declared the Class 12 examination results for the year 2026 on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, marking a significant event for lakhs of students across India. The overall pass percentage for this academic session was recorded at 85.20%. This figure represents a decline of 3.19 percentage points compared to the 88.39% pass percentage recorded in the previous year, 2025. A total of 17,80,365 students registered for the CBSE Class 12 examinations in 2026, with 17,68,968 students actually appearing for the exams. Out of those who appeared, 15,07,109 students successfully cleared the examinations. The results highlight a continued trend of girls outperforming boys. Girls achieved a pass percentage of 88.86%, significantly higher than boys, who recorded 82.13%. This created a gender gap of 6.73 percentage points. Remarkably, transgender students achieved a perfect 100% pass rate in the examinations. Region-wise, Trivandrum emerged as the top-performing zone with an impressive pass percentage of 95.62%. Chennai and Bengaluru followed with 93.84% and 93.19% respectively. In contrast, Prayagraj recorded the lowest pass percentage at 72.43%. Among different educational institutions, Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) showcased exceptional performance with pass percentages of 98.55% and 98.47% respectively. In line with its policy to discourage unhealthy academic competition among students, CBSE did not release a traditional merit list of toppers. However, the board did announce that merit certificates would be issued through DigiLocker to the top 0.1% of students in each subject. Data revealed that 94,028 students (5.32% of total candidates) scored 90% and above, while 17,113 students (0.97%) secured 95% and above marks. A notable change in the evaluation process this year was the full-scale implementation of On-Screen Marking (OSM) for the evaluation of Class 12 answer sheets. This digital evaluation system was introduced as a major shift to minimize errors in totalling and mark posting, thereby ensuring greater transparency and accuracy in the assessment process. Experts suggested that stricter and more competency-based evaluation practices, aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, and the rigour introduced by OSM could be contributing factors to the marginal decline in the overall pass percentage. For students who may not be satisfied with their results, CBSE has announced a schedule for post-result facilities. These include verification of marks, obtaining photocopies of evaluated answer books, and re-evaluation of answers. The application process for these services will be conducted entirely online and is strictly time-bound, commencing from April 18, 2026. Additionally, the supplementary examination for eligible candidates will be held on July 15, 2026. This exam caters to students placed in the compartment category, those who failed in one subject, previous batch students with pending attempts, and those seeking to improve their scores in one subject. The submission of the List of Candidates (LOC) for supplementary exams will begin from June 2, 2026. Students can access their provisional scorecards through various official platforms including the CBSE websites results.cbse.nic.in and cbse.gov.in, as well as via the DigiLocker and UMANG mobile applications. The digital documents provided through DigiLocker are considered legally valid for higher education admissions.

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