New Delhi, May 1 -- The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) on Thursday declared Class 10 and Class 12 board examination results for 2026 that showed a marginal improvement in overall pass percentages from last year. A total of 99.18% students cleared Class 10 (ICSE) and 99.13% cleared Class 12 (ISC) this year, up from 99.09% and 99.02%, respectively, in 2025. This year, 2,58,721 students from 2,957 schools appeared for the ICSE (Class 10) examination, compared to 2,52,557 students from 2,803 schools in 2025. And 1,03,316 students from 1,553 schools appeared for the ISC (Class 12) examinations, up from 99,551 students from 1,460 schools last year. CISCE does not release toppers list or merit ranking for ICSE and ISC exams. It last announced the toppers list in 2023 and discontinued the practice from 2024 onwards to reduce unwanted stress and competition among students. "Ensuring the availability of qualified teachers and maintaining quality education remain key challenges, particularly in rural areas, which is reflected in the relatively lower number of schools and students at the Class 12 level compared to Class 10. The data indicates steady improvement with each passing year," said Dr Joseph Emmanuel, Chief Executive and Secretary of CISCE.htc...