The Ministry of Education has released the highly anticipated 2025 Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) results, marking a major milestone for the first Competency-Based Education (CBE) cohort transitioning from Junior School to Senior School.
Speaking during the official announcement on Thursday, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba confirmed that all 1,130,459 candidates who sat the national assessment will be placed into one of the three Senior School pathways: STEM, Arts & Sports Science, or Social Sciences.
Performance Bands and Scoring
The CS explained that learner performance was graded across four competency levels:
- Exceeding Expectation
- Meeting Expectation
- Approaching Expectation
- Below Expectation
Scores were reported on a 1–8 scale, with 8 being the highest (Exceeding Expectation 1) and 1 the lowest (Below Expectation 2).
“The creation of these bands serves to distinguish exemplary performance from good performance,” Ogamba noted.
Subjects With Strong Performance
Out of the 12 subjects assessed, seven recorded strong results, with the highest proportions of learners performing at Meeting and Exceeding Expectation levels:
- Hindu Religious Education – 84.62%
- Integrated Science – 61.77%
- Social Studies – 58.56%
- Creative Arts & Sports – 58.04%
- Kiswahili – 57.98%
- Christian Religious Education – 53.96%
- Agriculture – 52.26%
Overall, 75% of all learners scored at least Approaching Expectation, enabling progression into their preferred pathways.
Creative Arts & Sports had the strongest performance nationally, with 96.84% of learners scoring Approaching Expectation 2 and above. Agriculture (96.24%), Kiswahili (93.11%), and Social Studies (92.93%) also posted impressive results.
Ogamba emphasized that an Approaching Expectation grade is sufficient for progression into Senior School pathways that build on foundational competencies.
Gender Performance Differences
The Ministry also highlighted that girls outperformed boys in 10 out of 12 subjects. The widest gaps were seen in:
- Kiswahili – 64.86% (female) vs. 51.41% (male)
- CRE – 59.77% vs. 48.39%
- English – 52.86% vs. 48.45%
- Social Studies – 62.98% vs. 54.35%
However, Mathematics and Kenyan Sign Language remain areas of concern, with only 32.44% and 22.14% of learners meeting or exceeding expectations respectively.
Senior School Pathway Potential
The assessment also revealed learners’ aptitude for specific pathways:
- STEM – 59.09%
- Social Sciences – 46.52%
- Arts & Sports – 48.73%
Placement Timeline
CS Ogamba confirmed that Senior School placement begins next week and will run until December 20, 2025.
Learners joining Grade 10 are expected to report on January 12, 2025.
