Even as Ludhiana dominated the merit list in the Class 10 results declared by the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) on Monday, the district also registered the lowest overall pass percentage among all districts in the state, exposing a stark contrast in academic performance.
According to official figures released by the board, Ludhiana recorded a pass percentage of 89.2%, the lowest in Punjab for the academic session 2025–26. A total of 36,872 students from the district appeared in the examination this year, the highest among all districts, but only 32,888 students managed to clear the exams.
While the district produced the largest number of merit holders in the state, its overall performance placed it at the bottom of the pass percentage rankings.
In contrast, Punjab’s border districts emerged as the top performers in the state. Amritsar recorded the highest pass percentage at 98.41%, with 26,022 students passing out of 26,443 who appeared. Firozpur followed closely with 98.39%, where 9,184 out of 9,334 students cleared the examination.
Pathankot secured the third position with a pass percentage of 97.99%, as 5,716 students passed out of 5,833 candidates. Tarn Taran recorded 97.95%, with 12,402 students passing from a total of 12,662 examinees, while Gurdaspur stood fifth with a success rate of 97.84%, where 16,590 students passed out of 16,956.
{{/usCountry}}Pathankot secured the third position with a pass percentage of 97.99%, as 5,716 students passed out of 5,833 candidates. Tarn Taran recorded 97.95%, with 12,402 students passing from a total of 12,662 examinees, while Gurdaspur stood fifth with a success rate of 97.84%, where 16,590 students passed out of 16,956.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, the lowest number of candidates appeared from Malerkotla district, where 4,037 students took the examination. Out of them, 3,720 students passed, taking the district’s pass percentage to 92.15%.
At the state level, the overall pass percentage for the 2025–26 academic session stood at 94.52%. Out of 2,69,505 students who appeared in the examination across Punjab, 2,54,744 cleared the exams.
The figures also reflected a slight decline compared to the previous academic session 2024–25, when the overall pass percentage was recorded at 95.61%. Last year, 2,77,746 students had appeared for the examination, out of which 2,65,548 students passed.