Top scorers aplenty, yet Ludhiana ranks last in overall pass percentage

Ludhiana recorded a pass percentage of 87.04% among government school students for the academic session 2025-26, the lowest in Punjab

Even as Ludhiana students figured prominently among Punjab’s top scorers in the PSEB examinations, the district finished last in overall pass percentage in both Class 10 and Class 12, presenting a starkly uneven academic picture.

In contrast, Amritsar emerged as Punjab’s best-performing district in both board examinations. (HT File)

In the Class 12 results declared on Wednesday, Ludhiana recorded a pass percentage of 87.04% among government school students for the academic session 2025-26, the lowest in Punjab. Official figures showed that 33,468 students from the district appeared in the examination, of whom only 29,131 were declared successful.

Despite the weak aggregate performance, Ludhiana produced the second-highest number of merit holders in the state in Class 12, reinforcing the district’s contrasting academic profile.

A similar pattern had emerged in the Class 10 results declared earlier this week. Ludhiana again ranked last among all districts, registering a pass percentage of 89.2%. Of the 36,872 students who appeared in the examination, 32,888 managed to clear it.

Ironically, despite posting the lowest pass percentage, Ludhiana produced the highest number of merit holders in the state in Class 10, with 38 students securing places in the merit list. Girls notably dominated the rankings in both Class 10 and Class 12 results.

In contrast, Amritsar emerged as Punjab’s best-performing district in both board examinations. In Class 12, the district recorded the highest pass percentage of 96%, with 24,941 students passing out of 25,981 candidates.

Similarly, in Class 10, Amritsar topped the state with an impressive pass percentage of 98.41%, as 26,022 out of 26,443 students successfully cleared the examination.

At the state level, the overall Class 12 pass percentage for the academic session 2025-26 stood at 91.46%. Across Punjab, 2,65,417 students appeared in the examination, of whom 2,42,755 passed.