2026 PEP results show higher proficiency and 90% school placement after Hurricane Melissa

The Ministry of Education has released the 2026 Primary Exit Profile (PEP) results, reporting that nine in ten students secured placement at one of their chosen schools and that national performance targets were surpassed in three of the four assessed areas, despite disruption linked to Hurricane Melissa.

Maria Ho Young, deputy chief education officer for the exams and assessment branch, said outcomes improved incrementally compared with last year. Proficiency now stands at 69% in mathematics and 72% in language arts, up from fewer than half of students reaching that level when PEP began in 2019. The ministry's language arts target of 70% was exceeded slightly, while mathematics remained just below that mark. Officials said the long-term goal is for 85% of students to achieve proficiency or higher.

Placement rates also edged up. A few years ago, about 86% of students received one of their seven ranked school choices; that figure has risen modestly. Ho Young attributed the gain partly to falling birth rates, which have eased pressure on school spaces, and to parents making more realistic selections based on their children's progress from grades four through six.

She said the merit-based placement system mirrors the former Grade Six Achievement Test approach, ranking students by cumulative scores from highest to lowest. Where applicants share identical scores and the same school preference, all would be placed at that institution.

After Melissa severely affected half the island, the ministry tracked roughly 12,000 students across seven western parishes and 440 schools. Comparisons with national averages, other parishes, and past trends found no meaningful drop in performance, with any decline put at about one per cent.

Science and social studies were removed from this year's assessments, along with performance-task papers, following consultation with principals in storm-affected areas and to offset lost teaching time. Ho Young stressed those changes applied nationally to keep placement fair. Core mathematics and language arts skills were still measured through multiple-choice papers.

High schools accept PEP placements up to 95% of declared capacity, with the remaining 5% reserved for transfers and registration. Schools submit annual intake figures by gender for ministry approval. Ho Young said lessons from COVID and Melissa are captured in the ministry's education-in-emergencies plan, which uses dedicated committees to guide assessment and recovery decisions.