Grade six PEP results show gains in literacy, maths and language arts after Hurricane Melissa

Senator Dr Dana Morris Dixon, Minister of Education, Youth, Skills, and Information, presented the 2026 grade six Primary Exit Profile (PEP) national results on June 22, describing measurable gains across core subjects even after Hurricane Melissa disrupted schooling in seven parishes.

Roughly 3,000 fewer students sat PEP than in 2024, reflecting Jamaica's declining school-age population. Of those registered, 86.1 per cent came from public schools and 13.9 per cent from private institutions, across 971 schools. Absenteeism among registered candidates fell, and ministry officials said exam sites reopened quickly in storm-hit areas where 12,860 pupils—about one third of the cohort—faced severe impact.

For the first time, dedicated grade six literacy and numeracy assessments were administered alongside the standard PEP battery. Using Jamaica's functional literacy standard, which tests comprehension rather than basic reading and writing, 79 per cent reached mastery, 17 per cent almost mastery, and 4 per cent non-mastery. Numeracy mastery rose to 75 per cent from 69.9 per cent when the same cohort was tested at grade four.

On the main PEP papers, 69 per cent of students were proficient or highly proficient in mathematics, just below the 70 per cent target but up from 57 per cent in 2023. In language arts, 72 per cent reached proficient or above, exceeding the 75 per cent ministry benchmark and improving from 60 per cent in 2023. Girls outperformed boys in both subjects, though seven of the top ten performers nationally were boys. The leading primary student attended Park Mountain Primary School in St. Elizabeth; individual names were withheld pending formal release.

Placement data showed 99 per cent of registered students assigned to secondary schools, with 90 per cent receiving one of their seven preferences and 9.5 per cent placed by proximity. Seventy-six students were excluded, mainly those with special needs or whose families declined placement. Minister Dixon said summer remediation and diagnostic testing would target pupils at the lowest performance tiers before they enter high school, and urged parents to review detailed PEP reports rather than focus only on school placement.