The Ministry of Education has released the results of the Grade 10 Senior School placement review, approving applications from 211,636 learners out of more than 355,000 requests lodged after the initial placement, in a major milestone in the transition to Senior School under the Competency-Based Curriculum.
In a press statement issued on December 30, 2025, Cabinet Secretary for Education Julius Migos Ogamba said the placement exercise began on December 14 and ran until December 19, when the initial results were released.
Learners dissatisfied with their placement were then allowed to apply for a review from December 23, with the processing of those applications concluded on December 29.
“Following the initial placement, we received a total of 355,457 applications for review, with each learner allowed to lodge up to four applications,” he said. “Upon consideration, applications by 211,636 learners have been approved.”
However, the Ministry noted that not all requests could be accommodated. According to the statement, the remaining applications were declined “largely due to the absence of the preferred subject combinations or the lack of capacity in the selected schools.” Learners affected by the rejections have been advised accordingly through the placement system.
The statement highlighted intense competition for places in top national schools, underscoring capacity constraints within the system.
“There were, for example, up to 20,000 applications for schools like Alliance High School, Kenya High School and Mangu High School, against an average capacity of 500 slots,” Ogamba said.
Despite the challenges, the Ministry reported significant progress in aligning learners with their choices.
“Thus far, a total of 88% of all learners have been placed in line with their original or revised selections,” the statement said, signaling broad success in the placement process.
The distribution of learners across Senior School pathways shows a strong inclination toward science and technology subjects. According to the Ministry, 51 per cent of learners have been placed in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) pathway, while 38 per cent joined the Social Sciences pathway.
The remaining 11 per cent were placed in the Arts and Sports Science pathway.
The Ministry has also provided another opportunity for learners who may still wish to seek changes.
“Interested learners will still have an opportunity to apply for further review from 6th January, 2026 to 9th January, 2026,” the Cabinet Secretary announced.
Joining instructions for all successfully placed learners are now available for download on the placement portal, effective December 30, 2025, as schools prepare to receive the first cohort of Grade 10 learners under the new Senior School structure.
