CBSE 12th toppers list 2026: Humanities shines as schools celebrate scores above 97% despite overall dip

NEW DELHI: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Class XII results this year recorded an overall pass percentage of 85.20%, down from 88.39% last year. Even as the national pass percentage fell by 3.19 percentage points, several schools across the country reported standout individual performances, with students securing scores above 95% across Humanities, Commerce and Science streams.Girls once again outperformed boys, recording a pass percentage of 88.86% against boys’ 82.13%. Despite concerns over tougher papers and the introduction of On-Screen Marking (OSM), schools including The Somaiya School, EuroSchool, Billabong High International School, Phoenix Greens School of Learning and VidyaGyan School announced strong stream-wise performances, multiple centums and high subject scores.Overall toppers from participating schoolsHumanities students continue strong showingHumanities students featured prominently among the top scorers this year, with multiple schools reporting scores above 97%. Kritika Mina from The Somaiya School and Nithila S from EuroSchool Whitefield both secured 97.20%, while Apurva Pathak topped VidyaGyan School with 97%.Manav Rachna International School, Sector 14, Faridabad, also reported strong Humanities-linked performances, with Devanshi Ahuja securing 97.80%.Billabong High International School also reported a strong Humanities performance, with Avani Pagedar securing 96%.Humanities toppers across schoolsCommerce stream records highest individual scoreCommerce students delivered some of the strongest performances among the schools that released detailed results. Manya Narang from Manav Rachna International School, Sector 51, Noida, recorded 98.6%, the highest score reported among participating schools this year.Vihaan Singhal from Billabong High International School, Malad, secured 98.4%, while Akshit Bhatnagar from Manav Rachna International School, Sector 46, Gurugram, scored 98%.The Somaiya School, EuroSchool North Campus and Phoenix Greens School of Learning also reported multiple students scoring above 94%.Commerce toppers across schoolsScience stream records strong performances despite tougher papersScience students also registered strong scores despite widespread concerns this year regarding the difficulty level of Physics and Mathematics papers.Avnita Shyam from EuroSchool North Campus secured 97.0%, while Borrayagari Sai Siddhartha Reddy from Phoenix Greens School of Learning scored 96.8%. Ghulam Abdul Qadir from VidyaGyan School secured 96.75% in Science.Phoenix Greens School of Learning also reported several high subject-wise scores, including 100 in Informatics Practices, 99 in English Core and Chemistry, and 98 in Biology and Psychology.Science toppers across schoolsSchools highlight consistency and holistic developmentSchools attributed the strong performances to conceptual learning, academic discipline and holistic development.“We are very proud of our Grade XII students for doing so well in their board exams. Their performance is proof that academic excellence comes from holistic development,” said Ms Jyothi Malhotra, Principal, The Somaiya School.At EuroSchool, students credited structured academic support and conceptual clarity for their performances. “The academic support and guidance I received at EuroSchool helped me stay focused and confident,” Humanities topper Nithila S said.Billabong High International School Principal Ms Kavita Sadanand Panikar said the results reflected “resilience, dedication and academic excellence”.Phoenix Greens School of Learning announced that 16% of its students scored above 90%, while VidyaGyan School recorded a 100% pass percentage with all 107 students clearing the examination. VidyaGyan School also reported that 19 students secured 95% and above, while 13 students scored full marks in subjects including Painting, Accountancy and Geography.The Principal of VidyaGyan School said the results reflected “determination, discipline and dreams pursued with purpose”, adding that the achievements reflected not just marks but also perseverance and character.More than 15 lakh students cleared the CBSE Class XII examinations this year despite the decline in the national pass percentage.