Overall performance in the Caribbean Examinations Council’s 2026 May-June examinations improved across the region, although mathematics continues to present a significant challenge for students in several territories.
The Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination recorded a regional pass rate of 93.52 per cent, while the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate recorded a 72.18 per cent regional pass rate.
The results were announced by CXC Director of Operations Dr Nicole Manning during the official results release ceremony in Anguilla on Tuesday.
Mathematics remained among the areas requiring attention, despite an improvement in regional performance.
Dr Manning said Pure Mathematics Unit 1 presented particular concerns in some territories, where performance remained relatively low.
“Pure math, Unit One, there are some concerns for some of our territories who are performing between 30, at the 33 per cent level,” she said.
“There’s work to be done, but we want to continue the story. The fact that it goes all the way up to 89 per cent, even though it’s below the regional percentage.”
Despite the challenges, Manning highlighted the improvement in mathematics results compared with the previous year.
“For math, the regional percentage being 42 per cent, this is a 5 per cent increase, sorry, 4 per cent increase over the previous year,” she said.
Manning urged stakeholders to recognize the progress rather than focusing solely on the areas where students continue to struggle.
“And this is a good story. I don’t want anybody to be crying, because any improvement in math is a good improvement,” she said.
“And so it’s important for us to be happy about that. There’s nothing about any bad, there’s nothing, improvement is improvement.”
According to Manning, 14 territories recorded performance ranging from 43 per cent to 77 per cent, placing them above the regional percentage.
“Fourteen territories had 43 per cent to 77 per cent in terms of above the regional percentage, and seven territories had between 30 per cent and 38 per cent,” she said.
The results suggest that while mathematics remains an area requiring sustained intervention, there has been measurable regional progress.
CAPE recorded particularly strong results in several subject areas, contributing to the overall 93.52 per cent regional percentage of candidates achieving acceptable grades.
Caribbean Studies was among the strongest performing areas, with 10 territories recording between 98 and 100 per cent of candidates achieving acceptable grades.
Information Technology also maintained high levels of performance, recording regional rates of 95 per cent for Unit 1 and 99 per cent for Unit 2.
Environmental Science, Physics and Entrepreneurship were also highlighted for strong performances, with several territories reaching the 100 per cent threshold for acceptable grades.
However, Manning also identified areas requiring greater attention, including Chemistry and Accounting at both Unit 1 and Unit 2 levels.
The 2026 results therefore present a mixed picture for the Caribbean education system. Overall performance has improved, particularly at CAPE level, while mathematics continues to require focused attention across several territories.
For Manning, however, the gains in mathematics should be recognized as part of a longer-term effort to improve student achievement.
“Improvement is improvement,” she said.