Class of 2025 scores historic 88% pass rate

The matric class of 2025 has made history with an 88% pass rate, the highest ever recorded in the history of the National Senior Certificate with KwaZulu-Natal leading the pack with a 90.6% pass.

The Northern Cape has become the most improved province with the pass rate of 87,79% , a significant jump from last year’s 84.2%.

Announcing the results last night, basic education minister Siviwe Gwarube noted that all 75 districts across the country achieved more that 80% pass rate which is the first of its kind in the democratic South Africa.

“District performance is one of our clearest quality indicators – because it shows whether improvement is spreading system-wide or remaining concentrated in pockets of strength. We are building stability – but the struggle for quality must now intensify, especially in gateway subjects," said Gwarube.

District performance is one of our clearest quality indicators – because it shows whether improvement is spreading system-wide or remaining concentrated in pockets of strength.

—  Siviwe Gwarube, Basic education minister

“The accounting pass rate decreased from 81% to 78%, while the mathematics pass rate decreased from 69% to 64%. There was, however, an increase in physical science pass rate from 76% to 77%.

Over 900,000 learners sat for their grade 12 exams last year, the highest in the NSC history. She said in the past year the department has worked to stabilise governance across the system; rebuilt trust with provinces, districts, unions and partners and protected the fairness and credibility of national exams.

“People ask about ‘quick wins’. But real reform in a system this size cannot be PR-led. It is deep work that succeeds only when leadership lines up resources, accountability, trust and data behind one clear direction: strengthening the foundations of learning,” said the minister.

She congratulated the class of 2025, which started school in 2014, but also noted there has been a 24% dropout in the cohorts and that her department will forge a partnership to address the challenges.

Gwarube said the achievements of learners from no-fee paying schools stood out as one of the most encouraging indicators of progress in the education system.

She said despite deep socio-economic challenges, learners in disadvantaged communities continue to demonstrate resilience, determination and academic excellence.

An education expert cautioned against viewing the outcomes as a definitive measure of success.

Dr Kathleen Fonseca, head of the department of childhood education at the University of Johannesburg, said that while the Class of 2025 should be congratulated, there is a need to resist the temptation to declare the results either a victory or a crisis too quickly.

“The matric results are not an endpoint; they are a diagnostic tool. They tell us something about what is working, what is fragile, and where collective effort is still required, as highlighted in minister Gwarube’s matric results speech,” she said.

Fonseca added that while pass rates are important, they do not capture the full picture of what learners know, what they can do, or how prepared they are for further study or employment.

“What matters just as much is how learners are performing, the kinds of knowledge and skills they have acquired, and how well prepared they are for post-school pathways. She further noted that the decline in participation and performance in gateway subjects such as mathematics and accounting points to gaps in critical skill development.

“These subjects are built on the pillars of critical thinking, logical reasoning, and problem-solving, without which true understanding cannot be achieved.”

Sowetan