GHS extends CSEC dominance with 97.39% pass rate 

By Admin. Updated 2:54 p.m., Wednesday, September 9, 2026, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4). 

The St. Vincent Girls’ High School (GHS) has once again emerged as the country’s top-performing secondary school in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations, maintaining its long-standing dominance after recording an outstanding 97.39 per cent pass rate in the 2026 examinations.

The preliminary results, released by the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training, Innovation, Digital Transformation and Information, show that GHS remained comfortably ahead of the national field despite a slight decline from its 98.92 per cent pass rate in 2025.

For yet another year, the all-girls institution led a strong group of high-performing schools, underlining its reputation for academic excellence and consistent performance in the regional examinations.

Following GHS were St. Vincent Grammar School with 96.75 per cent, St. Martin’s Secondary School with 96.73 per cent, St. Joseph’s Convent Kingstown with 90.63 per cent, Thomas Saunders Secondary School with 89.66 per cent, St. Joseph’s Convent (Marriaqua) with 86.06 per cent, and Bishop’s College Kingstown with 84.31 per cent.

Overall, seven secondary schools achieved pass rates of 80 per cent or higher this year.

The Ministry said updated preliminary results for the May/June 2026 CSEC examinations were received in St. Vincent and the Grenadines on 31 August 2026.

A total of 1,996 candidates registered for the examinations, comprising 1,542 school candidates and 454 private candidates.

Among school candidates, 1,530 students from 28 secondary schools sat Papers I and II, accounting for 10,709 subject entries across 31 subject areas. Of those entries, approximately 78.63 per cent were awarded Grades I to III.

The most popular subjects remained English A with 1,393 entries, Mathematics with 1,301, Social Studies with 701, and Electronic Document Preparation and Management with 677.

At the other end of the spectrum, Religious Education attracted just 28 entries, followed by Music with 36 and Additional Mathematics with 46.

Of all successful grades awarded, 20.60 per cent were Grade I, 40.11 per cent Grade II and 39.28 per cent Grade III.

The strongest subject performances were recorded in Physical Education and Sport and Religious Education, both achieving 100 per cent pass rates, while Theatre Arts followed closely with 98.31 per cent.

Mathematics continued to pose the greatest challenge, recording the lowest pass rate at 35.97 per cent.

Among Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) subjects, Food, Nutrition and Health recorded the highest pass rate at 93.20 per cent, followed by Industrial Technology with 89.20 per cent.

The weakest-performing TVET subjects were Textiles, Clothing and Fashion at 75.32 per cent and Technical Drawingat 78.76 per cent.

Another 16 schools recorded creditable pass rates ranging between 60 and 80 per cent. 

These were:

• Mountain View Adventist Academy — 76.40%
• St. Clair Dacon Secondary School — 75.38%
• Bequia Seventh-day Adventist School — 74.79%
• Adelphi Secondary School — 73.79%
• Canouan Secondary School — 72.97%
• Petit Bordel Secondary School — 72.50%
• North Union Secondary School — 70.21%
• Troumaca Secondary School — 70.20%
• Intermediate High School — 68.69%
• Sandy Bay Secondary School — 68.37%
• Buccament Bay Secondary School — 67.66%
• Charles Adams Anglican High School — 66.83%
• George Stephens Sr. Secondary School — 66.25%
• Emmanuel High School Mesopotamia — 64.44%
• Union Island Secondary School — 64.19%
• Georgetown Secondary School — 61.76%

The Ministry also highlighted significant gains by two schools.

Petit Bordel Secondary School improved from 54.31 per cent in 2025 to 72.50 per cent this year, representing an increase of 18.19 percentage points.

Meanwhile, George Stephens Sr. Secondary School moved from 53.90 per cent in 2025 to 66.25 per cent in 2026, an improvement of 12.35 percentage points.

While several schools recorded notable progress, the latest results once again reinforce the sustained academic excellence of St. Vincent Girls’ High School, which has now led the national CSEC rankings for consecutive years and continues to set the benchmark for secondary education in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

The Ministry of Education congratulated all students who sat the examinations and thanked principals, teachers and support staff across the country’s secondary schools for their continued commitment to student success.

It also noted that educational achievement should not be measured solely by examination statistics, emphasising that the value added to the lives of every student, whether among the highest performers or those needing additional support, remains an important measure of the education system’s success.

END