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HSC results 2026: Pass percentage dips to 89.79%; two score 100%
Girls once again outperformed boys, recording a pass percentage of 93.15% against 86.80% for boys—a gap of 6.35 percentage points. Among divisions, Konkan topped with 94.14%, while Latur reported the lowest at 84.14%. The Mumbai division recorded a pass percentage of 90.08%
MUMBAI: The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education on Saturday declared the Class 12 (HSC) results for the February–March 2026 examination, with the overall pass percentage at 89.79%- a drop of 2.09 percentage points from last year’s 91.88%. Two students secured a perfect 100%.
A total of 14,44,713 regular students had registered for the examination, of whom 14,33,058 appeared and 12,86,843 passed.
Girls once again outperformed boys, recording a pass percentage of 93.15% against 86.80% for boys—a gap of 6.35 percentage points. Among divisions, Konkan topped with 94.14%, while Latur reported the lowest at 84.14%. The Mumbai division recorded a pass percentage of 90.08%.
Stream-wise, Science continued to lead despite a marginal dip from 97.35% in 2025 to 96.44% this year. Commerce saw a sharper decline, falling from 92.68% to 87.03%. Arts dropped from 80.52% to 78.02%. Vocational courses declined slightly from 83.26% to 82.74%, while ITI courses fell from 82.03% to 81.78%.
The board conducted examinations for 153 subjects, of which 26 recorded 100% results.
Private candidates recorded a pass percentage of 80.21%, while repeater students lagged at 36.44%. The exams were held between February 10 and March 18.
The board said special efforts were undertaken to ensure a copying-free and stress-free environment. Students can apply online for rechecking and photocopies of answer sheets from May 3 to May 17. Those who did not pass have been advised to appear for supplementary examinations.
As part of a “copy-free exam” campaign, several centres were marked sensitive and placed under heightened surveillance, with anti-copying squads deployed. Despite these measures, 1,983 cheating cases were recorded, including 1,469 cases of mass copying in Nagpur, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Amaravati.
“Students and parents should accept the results without any stress. Instructions have been given to the divisional boards to immediately conduct mark verification, photocopying and revaluation of answer sheets of science students appearing in various competitive examinations,” said State Board Chairman Trigun Kulkarni.
Parag Ajgaonkar, principal of N M College, Vile Parle, said changes in college-level examination patterns had a strong impact on performance. “This year we conducted two preliminary exams, which helped identify problem areas. Last year, 480 students scored above 90%. This year, we set a target of around 550 and achieved it, with 556 students scoring above 90%,” he said.
Krituka Desai, principal of Mithibai College, said strict attendance rules, teacher training on lesson planning, and regular unit tests improved results. She added that guiding students on answer-writing techniques also played a key role.
Zero percent results in some colleges
Ten colleges in the Mumbai division recorded zero pass percentages. Of these, three colleges reported a complete zero result across all streams, while in seven colleges only specific streams had no students passing.
Thane district reported the highest number of such cases, with one college recording a complete zero result and four others reporting zero results in specific streams. In Palghar, one college recorded a complete zero result, while four others saw zero results in specific streams. Mumbai city reported one such college, while no cases were reported in Mumbai Suburban or Raigad.
Concerns over timing of results
The board’s decision to declare results a day before the NEET examination on May 3 drew concern from parents.
Anubha Sahai, a parent activist from the India Wide Parents Association, said, “This timing can negatively affect thousands of NEET aspirants from the Maharashtra Board.”
She added that releasing results just before a national-level exam could increase stress, distraction and anxiety among students.
A parent also pointed out that the National Aptitude Test in Architecture (NATA) 2026 was conducted on Saturday afternoon, and the results were declared barely an hour earlier. “This has put immense pressure on students appearing today itself. Who is responsible for their mental well-being?” the parent asked.
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BOX 1: St Xavier’s students top streams
Aarush Joshi from the arts stream scored 96.67%, while Prathmesh Shinde scored 96.5% in the science stream, emerging as top scorers from St Xavier’s College.
Shinde, whose father is a head constable in the Mumbai Police, plans to pursue engineering. He appeared for the first attempt of CET and is preparing for the second attempt. He scored 93.77 percentile in JEE Main but narrowly missed qualifying for JEE Advanced. “I did not put in extra effort, but regular study helped me achieve this,” he said. He had scored 94% in Class 10 from Holy Cross School, Prabhadevi. “The last two years in college were great, and now I want to become an engineer,” he added.
Joshi, who scored 97% in Class 10, chose arts due to his interest in economics. “I realised after Class 10 that choosing arts would not make a major difference. My family supported my decision,” he said. He is now preparing for entrance exams while deciding his future path.
BOX 2: Commerce topper from NM College
Jyotirmay Bhadech, a student of Narsee Monjee College of Commerce, Vile Parle, scored 98% in Class 12.
A squash player, he aims to become a chartered accountant like his father. “I studied for two to three hours daily, but in the last month, I increased it to six to seven hours, which helped me score well,” he said.
He scored 99 marks in Mathematics and French, and continued playing squash tournaments alongside his studies.
BOX 3: Blind student scores 90%
Siya Shukla, a 100% visually impaired student from NKT College, Thane, scored 90% in the arts stream. She had earlier scored 88.6% in Class 10 as a private candidate through NAB.
“I relied on recorded study material. My family and college supported me throughout,” she said.
Shukla now plans to pursue a degree in psychology.
BOX 4: Couple clears Class 12 after long gap
Harishchandra Pawase, a 40-year-old security guard from Aarey Colony, along with his wife Malika Dalvi and brother-in-law Rohit Dalvi, cleared the Class 12 examination after a long educational gap.
Pawase had failed Class 10 in 2002 and could not continue his studies for 22 years due to financial constraints. With support from MASOOM, an organisation working in evening learning centres, he resumed his education, scoring 78.60% in Class 10 and 71.33% in Class 12.
“Education has given me a second chance in life, and I want to build a better future for my family,” he said.
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