Explainer: How KJSEA 2025 results determine senior school pathways
Kenya has released the 2025 KJSEA results under a new eight-level grading scale. Here is how scores are reported, what the points mean and how they guide senior school placement.
The release of the 2025 Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) results has raised widespread questions among parents, teachers and learners, many of whom are trying to understand what the new report format means for academic progress and future school placement.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba announced the results, but the unfamiliar system left many unsure about whether learners passed, how performance should be read and what options lie ahead at the senior school level.
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Unlike previous national assessments, the junior school results do not rely on a single mark or grade.
Instead, they describe how well learners demonstrate skills in each subject. The reporting style combines descriptive feedback with numerical scores, a shift that many families are encountering for the first time.
Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) CEO David Njeng’ere said the approach follows global education standards that focus on learner ability rather than ranking alone.
Performance in every subject is grouped into four levels.
These are: Exceeding Expectations, Meeting Expectations, Approaching Expectations and Below Expectations. Each level is divided into two categories, creating an eight-step scale that ranges from EE1 at the top to BE2 at the bottom.
Learners who score between 75 and 100 per cent are placed under Exceeding Expectations. Scores between 90 and 100 per cent fall into EE1 and attract eight points, while marks of 75 to 89 per cent fall under EE2 and earn seven points.
Meeting Expectations covers learners who score between 41 and 74 per cent. Those with marks of 58 to 74 per cent are classified as ME1 and receive six points, while learners who score between 41 and 57 per cent are placed in ME2 and earn five points.
Approaching Expectations applies to learners who score between 21 and 40 per cent. Scores of 31 to 40 per cent fall under AE1 and earn four points, while those between 21 and 30 per cent are classified as AE2 and receive three points.
Below Expectations is the lowest level and applies to learners who score below 20 per cent. Those with 11 to 20 per cent fall under BE1 and earn two points, while learners who score 10 per cent and below are placed in BE2 and receive one point.
The assessment covered nine learning areas. These are English, Mathematics, Agriculture and Nutrition, Kiswahili or Kenya Sign Language, Integrated Science, Pre-technical Studies, Creative Arts and Sports, Social Studies and Religious Education.
Based on the points awarded across all subjects, the highest possible score a learner can attain is 72.
While KNEC has not released individual percentage marks to the public, the scores are used internally to guide placement decisions.
The Ministry of Education applies the results to determine which senior school pathway best suits each learner.
There are three senior school pathways. These are: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, Social Sciences, and Arts and Sports Science. Each pathway has its own subject requirements and minimum performance levels.
For STEM, learners must achieve a composite score of 20 per cent in the required subjects listed on the results transcript. The other two pathways require a composite score of 25 per cent.
Ogamba said most learners met the basic standards needed to continue with their education.
“75 per cent of learners performed at Approaching Expectations and above across all subjects. Creative Arts and Sports registered the strongest performance at 96.84 per cent,” the CS said.
He added that the results allow learners to move on to senior school. “An Approaching Expectations grade (above 20 per cent) is sufficient for learners to progress to senior school pathways that require basic competencies in the subject area,” he said.
Placement, however, will not depend on performance alone.
Other factors will be considered, including how many learners apply for a specific school or pathway, how candidates compare with others from their sub-county, gender balance, and the choices selected by learners.
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