Record Results, Real Questions: What the 2025 Matric

Pass Rate Tells Us About Our Schools
South Africa is celebrating a historic milestone in
education. The Matric Class of 2025 has achieved the
highest National Senior Certificate pass rate on record
— 88%, with more than 656,000 learners passing and a
record 345,000 achieving bachelor’s passes. For the
first time ever, all 75 education districts across the
country recorded pass rates above 80%, and
provinces like KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State and
Gauteng led the rankings.