GUWAHATI, May 13: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) officially declared the Class 12 board examination results for 2026 today, ending the wait for lakhs of students across India and the Northeast. Students can now access their scores via the official portals cbse.gov.in and results.cbse.nic.in, as well as through DigiLocker and the UMANG app.

National Highlights According to CBSE data, the national pass percentage stands at 85.20%, a marginal dip from the previous year. Continuing a long-standing trend, girls have once again outshone boys. Excellence remained high nationally, with over 94,000 students scoring above 90% and more than 17,000 securing the elite 95% mark.

Regional Performance: Northeast Stays Strong In the Northeast, students recorded encouraging success rates, particularly within Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs), Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs), and premier private institutions. The Guwahati Region maintained its reputation for high academic standards, with several schools reporting 100% pass rates and numerous distinctions in the Science and Commerce streams.

While southern regions led the national rankings, institutions across Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, and Sikkim performed steadily, keeping pace with the national average.

State Board Parallel The CBSE announcement follows the successful declaration of the Assam State School Education Board (ASSEB) Higher Secondary results, which were released earlier on April 28. In those examinations, the Science stream led with an 89.79% pass rate, followed by Commerce at 81% and Arts at 79.54%. Districts such as Baksa, Darrang, and Bajali emerged as the top performers in the state.

Digital Growth and Future Steps Educationists attribute the region’s steady performance to enhanced digital learning tools and better access to academic resources. “The growing focus on career planning and competitive exams has clearly motivated students to excel,” noted a city-based educator.

As celebrations continue across campuses, schools and career counselors are urging students to carefully navigate their upcoming college admissions and vocational choices.

• D Dutta