Teachers distribute sweets to students after the Class 10 board examination results were declared, in Salem on Wednesday
| Photo Credit: E. Lakshmi Narayanan
Tamil Nadu recorded a pass rate of 94.3% in the Class 10 State board examinations, according to the results announced by School Education Minister Rajmohan in Chennai on Wednesday (May 20, 2026). This year’s pass percentage surpassed the previous year’s 93.8%.
While Pudukottai topped the State with a pass percentage of 97.57%, Sivaganga came second with 97.54%, followed by Thanjavur at 97.41%. However, the total number of students who appeared for the exams has come down from the previous year: while 8,71,239 students wrote the exams last year, only 8,70643 appeared this year.
Girls outshine boys
As many as 4,19,891 girls and 4,01,214 boys from 12,467 schools appeared for the exams. Girls outperformed boys with a pass percentage of 96.47% as against 92.15%. As many as 11,174 students did not write the exams.
The School Education Minister congratulated the students, teachers, and parents on the Class 10 results and stressed that education is foundationally significant for Tamil Nadu and will continue to be so.
Out of the 12,467 schools in the State, including private and aided institutions, 5,171 schools recorded 100% pass. Of them, 1,931 are government schools. As many as 10,476 students scored centum in science, while 3,336 scored 100 in social science. In Tamil, only 34 students scored a centum. In mathematics, 3,194 students scored a centum; in the previous year, the number of students who scored 100 was 1,996.
This year, private schools outperformed others with a 98.14 pass percentage; girls-only schools came second with 96.42%. As many as 13,292 candidates with disabilities wrote the exams, and 11,416 of them passed. Out of the 370 prison inmates who appeared for the exams, 354 passed.
The Directorate of Government Examinations said that students could appear for the Class 10 supplementary exams from July 8, and those who clear them would be eligible for higher education from this academic year.
Students can apply to download a scanned copy of their answer sheets at their schools and get their provisional marksheet from May 22. The revaluation application will be open on June 17.
Published – May 20, 2026 11:39 am IST
