Kenya’s education sector enters a historic phase on December 11, 2025 as 1.1 million Grade Nine learners receive their first Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) scores under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
The results, released without ranking, place learners in four performance bands ranging from exceeding expectations to below expectations, marking a shift from traditional exam grading.
The Ministry of Education has activated an SMS platform for accessing school placement results. Parents, teachers and learners can now obtain a learner’s selected senior secondary school by sending the student’s assessment number to 22263 at a cost of Ksh30.
The results outline the learner’s preferred career pathway and the institution they are projected to join based on their performance.
The assessments, conducted between October 27 and November 3, 2025, are intended to gauge the readiness of the pioneer CBC cohort to transition into senior secondary school in January 2026.
The Ministry earlier indicated that all placement letters will be available before December 25, enabling students to prepare for reporting on January 12, 2026.
Basic Education authorities had earlier confirmed that the national assessment results would be released by December 11 to ensure smooth progression timelines. The rollout of result access systems is part of the wider transition plan designed to operationalize the CBC at senior levels.
The Kenya National Examinations Council has urged parents and candidates to rely solely on official communication channels, warning that no individual or institution can alter KJSEA or KCSE results.
The caution follows increased incidents of fraud targeting anxious parents during national exam release periods.
Today’s release marks a major turning point as Kenya shifts from high-stakes examinations to learner-centred assessments aimed at identifying each child’s strengths and career potential while promoting a more holistic transition to senior secondary school.
