Saint Lucia has recorded its strongest overall CSEC performance in five years, with the national pass rate improving for a fourth consecutive year, according to the Ministry of Education.
Registrar of Examinations Patterson Abraham, in a press conference on Thursday, said the 2026 results show continued progress in student performance, although mathematics remains a significant challenge for the education system.
“The national pass rate, as I said, has now risen for four consecutive years, from 72.88% in 2023 to 78.93% in 2026,” Abraham said.
“And that is a gain of 6.05% points, but mathematics here this year recording its strongest result for the period.”
Several subjects recorded particularly strong performances, with eight subjects achieving pass rates of between 90 and 99 per cent.
Food and Nutrition and Health recorded a 96.52 per cent pass rate, followed by Theatre Arts at 96.18 per cent. Industrial Technology Electrical recorded 92.92 per cent, while Technical Drawing achieved 92.73 per cent.
Biology recorded a 92.47 per cent pass rate, Industrial Technology Building 91.44 per cent, Agricultural Science Single Award 90.48 per cent and Additional Mathematics 90 per cent.
The results also included perfect performances in several subjects, with Agricultural Science Double Award, Industrial Technology Mechanical, Physical Education and Sport, and Religious Education each recording 100 per cent pass rates.
Technical Drawing registered the largest year-on-year improvement, increasing by almost 10 percentage points, while Chemistry, Biology and Social Studies also recorded notable gains.
Despite the broader improvement, mathematics continues to pose a major challenge. The subject’s pass rate increased from 42.2 per cent to 46.8 per cent, but more than 1,000 candidates still failed to achieve a pass.
The Ministry has therefore highlighted mathematics as an area requiring continued attention even as overall CSEC performance improves.
At the CAPE level, the national pass rate reached 96.82 per cent among 351 registered candidates. The Ministry said this represented a substantial increase compared with the previous year.
Abraham also used the results presentation to clarify the introduction of CTEC, which appeared on the preliminary slips of some candidates and has prompted questions about the qualification.
He explained that CTEC is not a separate or inferior examination pathway.
“What it is, it’s derived from the same CTEC syllabus assessing the same prescribed learning outcomes. It’s not different,” Abraham said.
He added that the qualification is “governed by the same quality assurance principles as established by CXC’s qualifications.”
According to Abraham, CTEC provides an alternative route for learners to demonstrate their abilities.
“It is a pathway that lets learners demonstrate competence in focus modules over time,” he said.
The pathway is available to a broad range of learners, including students currently enrolled in school as well as people outside the traditional education system.
“It is open to in-school candidates, out-of-school youth, adult learners, and flexible pathways,” Abraham said.
The 2026 examination results therefore present a mixed picture for Saint Lucia’s education system. While overall CSEC performance has improved steadily for four consecutive years and several subjects have produced exceptional results, mathematics continues to highlight the gaps that educators and policymakers must address as the country seeks to sustain its academic progress.