LUCKNOW, May 14 -- The performance of Uttar Pradesh students fell below the national average in the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Class 12 examinations, the results of which were declared on Wednesday. The overall pass percentage for 2026 was recorded at 85.20%, down from 88.39% last year - a decline of 3.19 percentage points. The overall pass percentage of UP students stood at 77.22%. A total of 379,573 students from 75 districts had registered for the examination, of whom 375,837 appeared and 290,237 passed. The performance of students from the three UP regions featured in the CBSE region-wise list - Prayagraj, Noida and Lucknow - also remained below the national average. The Lucknow region, carved out for the first time, made its debut with a pass percentage of 82.21% - better than Prayagraj's 72.43% and Noida's 79.02% - though still nearly three percentage points below the national average of 85.20%. The region was placed 15th in the rankings. From the Lucknow region, 91,291 candidates registered for the Class 12 examination, of whom 90,537 appeared and 74,427 passed. Students from 956 schools appeared for the examination. For the fifth consecutive year, the Prayagraj region recorded the lowest pass percentage among all 22 CBSE regions in the country. The region registered a pass percentage of 72.43%, significantly below the national average of 85.20%. A total of 125,795 candidates registered from the region, of whom 124,331 appeared and 90,054 passed the examination. Students from 1,101 schools appeared for the exam. The Noida region recorded a pass percentage of 79.02%, placing it 20th among the 22 regions. Last year, the region had secured the 16th position with 81.29%, while in 2024 it had also ranked 16th with 80.27%. This year, 123,490 candidates registered from the Noida region, of whom 122,322 appeared and 96,661 passed. The region covers several districts in western Uttar Pradesh. Students from 1,212 schools appeared for the examination. Meanwhile, continuing the trend of southern regions dominating the rankings, Trivandrum emerged as the best-performing region in the 2026 Class 12 results with a pass percentage of 95.62%. Chennai (93.84%), Bengaluru (93.19%) and Vijayawada (92.77%) secured the second, third and fourth positions, respectively, among the 22 regions. Last year, Vijayawada had topped the rankings with a pass percentage of 99.60%, followed by Trivandrum (99.32%), Chennai (97.39%) and Bengaluru (95.95%)....