46% of HSC’s 90% club from Mumbai, but dip in performance across Maharashtra and divisions

Mumbai: The state's Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) results declared on Saturday registered a marginal dip in performance for the Mumbai division, with the overall pass percentage falling to 87.5% compared with 90.4% last year.The number of high scorers also reduced, with 3,466 students crossing the 90% threshold, over a thousand fewer than the previous year. Despite this, Mumbai continued to account for the largest share of top performers, contributing 46% of all students scoring above 90%. The division, the most populous in the state, saw over 3.5 lakh candidates appear for the Class 12 examination. In 2026, the stream-wise results showed Science leading at 93.8%, followed by Commerce at 84.24%, while Arts trailed at 81.5%, maintaining the typical performance hierarchy across streams.A similar trend was observed across Maharashtra, where the overall pass percentage dropped to 87.8% from 90.2% last year. Of the approximately 15.2 lakh students who appeared for the examination, 7,510 secured 90% and above. Across divisions, 2026 saw a broad-based decline compared to 2025, with Mumbai slipping from 90.4% to 87.5%, Pune from 89.6% to 89.3%, Nagpur from 89.2% to 87%, and Latur recording one of the sharpest drops from 87.6% to 81.8%, while Konkan remained the top-performing division despite a fall from 96% to 93.35%, indicating a statewide dip with varying degrees of impact across regions.The state's stringent anti-copying drive appears to have curbed malpractices at several exam centres, which may, in turn, be one of the factors contributing to the dip in overall results, said Sachindra Pratap Singh, commissioner of school education.Another board official said that more than 90% of exam centres across the state were brought under CCTV surveillance this year, acting as a strong deterrent against unfair means and practices. "A few district officials have reported poor performance in English and Mathematics at some centres that earlier reported cases of mass copying. When the quality of teaching and learning and the students have remained unchanged, the state's drive to have copy-free examinations could have helped rationalise results," added the official.The official said districts such as Latur have recorded a significant decline in pass percentages. A detailed analysis will be undertaken soon to understand the factors behind the sharper drop in certain regions.City colleges reported stable overall outcomes but indicated tighter evaluation standards. "Correction looked tougher, and English seems to have pulled down scores," said HR College principal Pooja Ramchandani. At St Xavier's College, vice-principal Savio D'Souza linked the dip to declining attendance. "Students need to return to attending lectures and practicals. Many colleges are witnessing shrinking classrooms. At Xavier's, attendance is mandatory, and while we face resistance, it contributes to better performance," he said. The college recorded 100% results in arts and commerce, while science stood at 98.73%.At N M College of Commerce and Economics, performance improved. From around 480 students scoring above 90% last year, the college set a target of 550 and surpassed it. Of the 1,064 Commerce students, more than half secured 90% and above. "We set a clear target and conducted two preliminary exams, which helped students prepare better," said principal Parag Ajgaonkar. The college also reported over 50 students scoring a perfect 100 in Mathematics and likely recorded the city's top commerce scorer, with Jyotirmoy Badeck securing a 98% aggregate.Across Mumbai's 1,436 junior colleges, nearly three-fourths recorded pass percentages above 80%, with a concentration in the 90% range. Girls continued to outperform boys, recording a pass percentage of 90% against 85.1% for boys. The statewide trend mirrored this, with girls at 91.7% ahead of boys at 84.42%, widening the gender gap.In a parallel move to strengthen examination processes, the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education piloted GPS-enabled digital locks to secure the movement of question papers in Baramati taluka under the Pune division. Officials said the system, which tracked sealed trunks from custody centres to examination venues, was successful and may be scaled up.The board has also introduced administrative changes this year, merging marksheets and passing certificates into a single document. The format for printing student names has been standardised, shifting from the earlier surname-first format to first name, father's name, and surname.
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