Noida region ranks second last across India in Class 12 results

Schools attributed the poor performance to the recent introduction of the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) for admissions to Delhi University

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) declared the results of the classes 10 and 12 board exams on Monday, with students from the Noida region — comprising Gautam Budh Nagar, Ghaziabad, and 16 other districts in Uttar Pradesh — performing poorly yet again.

The results were also marginally worse than last year’s performance — in 2023, the pass percentage for class 12 was 80.36%, and for class 10 was 92.50%. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

According to data released by CBSE, the pass percentage of students in the Noida region for class 12 was 80.27%, and for class 10 was 90.46%. These results mean that the Noida region came 15th out of 16 CBSE regions across the country — the marks for both classes were well below the national average of 87.98% and 93.6% for classes 12 and 10, respectively. Only the Prayagraj region fared worse than Noida with respect to class 12 (pass percentage of 78.25%), while in class 10, Noida only bettered Guwahati (pass percentage of 77.94%).

The results were also marginally worse than last year’s performance — in 2023, the pass percentage for class 12 was 80.36%, and for class 10 was 92.50%.

Schools attributed the poor performance to the recent introduction of the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) for admissions to Delhi University.

“There is a drop in pass percentage of class 10 and 12. Since Delhi University has also introduced entrance exams, motivation among students to score high in class 12 board exams is low now. Students tend to focus more on entrance exams for college rather than CBSE board exams which could explain the low pass percentage compared to earlier years,” said Amity International School, Noida principal Renu Singh, the district coordinator for CBSE.

According to officials, GB Nagar has 219 CBSE schools, from which 19,339 students appeared for the class 12 exams, with 16,936 passing.

“The total pass percentage of class 12 (in GB Nagar) is 87.57%. Out of these, a total of 7,685 girls passed the CBSE exam from the district out of 8,309 girls who appeared for the test, while 9,251 boys passed the exam out of 11,030 boys who appeared,” said Piyush Sharma, CBSE regional director (Noida region).

Meanwhile, 27,271 students in GB Nagar appeared for the class 10 test, of which 25,012 cleared, for a pass percentage of 91.72%. “A total of 13,998 boys passed the exam out of 15,564 who appeared. A total of 11,014 girls passed the exam out of 11,707 who appeared,” Sharma said.

Similarly, Ghaziabad has 224 CBSE schools, from which 19,980 students wrote the class 12 exam, of which 17,128 passed with a pass percentage of 85.73%. Out of these, 7687 out of 8411 girls who appeared for the exam passed, while 9,441 out of 11,569 boys passed.

“Similarly, the overall pass percentage of the district in class 10 is 92.58%. A total of 23,703 students passed the exam out of 25,602 who appeared for the exam,” said Sharma.

Despite poor overall results, some students shine

Despite the Noida region performing poorly as a whole, students at some schools did well, with the marks going as high as 99.6%.

To be sure, CBSE continued with the practice of withholding a merit list of toppers to “avoid unhealthy competition”, though the board said it will issue merit certificates to the 0.1% of students who have scored the highest marks.

DPS Greater Noida’s class 12 student Samya Gautam, who scored 99.6%, said she is on cloud nine.

“I focused on sticking to the NCERT books and did not use any reference books. Our school provided in-house workbooks that proved to be very helpful during preparations,” said the 17-year-old, who is a resident of Pi-2, Greater Noida.

At Amity International School, Noida, 38 students scored over 95% in class 12. At Shiv Nadar School, Noida, 11 students scored above 95%. At DPS Noida, 146 students scored 90% and above.

Anjali Jyoti, who scored 98.6% in class 12 board exams, said that she wants to be an IAS.

“With class 12 results out, my focus is on the entrance tests of Delhi University as my aim is to get into St Stephen’s and pursue BA Political Hons. My ultimate goal in life is to become an IAS,” said Jyoti, who is a student of Sarla Chopra DAV Public School in Sector 56.

Meanwhile, Manya Singh, a student of DPS GBN in Sector 135 has secured 97.8% in the class 12 CBSE results. “As these students celebrate their well-deserved success, they serve as inspirations to their peers and future generations,” said Supriti Chauhan, principal.

Akhil Dhyani, topped in Somerville School, Noida with 99.2% in class 12 board results. “I am proud of my class 12 board results but my focus now is to perform well in JEE Mains examinations which are due in two weeks. My goal is to become an engineer from a top IIT, “ said Dhyani, who is a resident of Sector 71.

At DPS Noida, Mridul Goyal topped with 99.6% in class 10 board exams. “We are celebrating the resounding success of our students whose hard work, determination, and commitment to excellence have shone brightly in the recent board examinations. Their achievements are a testament to the unwavering support of our dedicated faculty, the guidance of their parents, and their own relentless pursuit of knowledge,” said Kamini Bhasin, principal of DPS Noida in Sector 30.

At DPS Knowledge Park-5, Arpita Saxena topped in class 10 with 99.2%. “The amalgamation of the hard work of students along with strategic academic support in the form of personalised attention, regular assignments and guidance by the teachers made it possible for our students to achieve this stellar success,” said Manju Verma - Principal, DPS Knowledge Park-5.

At Apeejay School, Noida, Sohini Mondal also topped in class 10 with 99.2%.

In Ghaziabad, KDB School in Kavi Nagar student Riddhima Takkiar scored 99.6% in class 12 board results. “I am happy, delighted and proud of my class 12 score. I used to thoroughly revise everything I studied when I was preparing for the exams. Now I plan to pursue psychology from Delhi University, and make a career in the same field,” said Takkiar, who is a resident of Nehru Nagar, Ghaziabad.

At Cambridge School Indirapuram, Bhavika Sharma topped with a score of 99.2% in class 12 board exams. “All students of class 12 at our school have passed with first division and we are hopeful they will continue to make the school proud,” said Hardeep Kaur, principal.

At Amity International School, Vasundhara, Ananya Mittal topped the school with 98.8% in class 12 board results. While Ananya Garg topped at Silverline Prestige School in Nehru Nagar with 98.75% in class 12, Darshiya Sharma topped in class 10 with 98.6% . At Nehru World School in Shastri Nagar, 26 students scored 95% and above in class 12 while 42 students scored above 90% in class 10.