The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Wednesday declared the results for the Class 12 examination.
The results show that the overall pass percentage dipped by over three percentage points compared to the last year, with more than 85 per cent candidates clearing the exam.
Examination Controller Sanyam Bhardwaj confirmed that more than 85 per cent of the students have passed the exams.
A total of 94,028 candidates -- 5.32 per cent of all examinees -- scored 90 per cent and above, while 17,113 candidates (0.97 per cent) scored 95 per cent or more.
He said the number of students placed in compartment rose to 1,63,800 (9.26 per cent) in 2026, up from 1,29,095 (7.63 per cent) in 2025.
It means that these students may have failed in one or two subjects in the main board exam but have passed in the other subjects.
Girls once again outperformed boys in the examinations and recorded 88.86 pass percentage, while for boys, it stood at 82.13 per cent.
Transgender candidates achieved a 100 per cent pass rate.
Among the 22 Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) regions, Trivandrum led with the highest pass percentage at 95.62, followed by Chennai (93.84) and Bengaluru (93.19).
Prayagraj recorded the lowest pass rate at 72.43 per cent, followed by Patna at 74.45 per cent.
Among institution types, Kendriya Vidyalayas posted the best performance at 98.55 per cent, followed closely by Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas at 98.47 per cent.
Government schools recorded 89.55 per cent pass rate, while for independent schools, it stood at 84.22 per cent.
The examinations were conducted across 19,967 schools and 7,573 centres, with over 5.06 lakh invigilators deployed.
Marking a first, the CBSE carried out full-scale evaluation of class 12 exam answer sheets through 'On Screen Marking' (OSM), under which 98,66,622 answer books were digitally assessed by around 70,000 evaluators.
Students placed in compartment or wishing to improve performance in one subject may appear in the supplementary examination scheduled for July 15, officials said.
The 'List of Candidates' (LOC) submission window will open on June 2.
Results can be accessed at cbse.gov.in or on DigiLocker.
(With inputs from PTI)