Virgin Islands scores 85% pass rate in CXC tests

The results are in, and St. George’s Secondary School came out on top.

The government is reporting an 85.3 percent average pass rate across all subjects for Virgin Islands students who took the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate exams in June.

“This year, students in the Virgin Islands sat a total of 35 subjects, reflecting the breadth of academic engagement across multiple disciplines,” according to a statement issued last Thursday by the Ministry of Education, Youth Affairs and Sports.

Based on the total number of Grade One passes, the VI’s top-performing students for the June sitting were Orrett Donald Kennedy of St. George’s, who took 11 subjects and earned nine Grade One passes; Jaydeen Britany Martin, also of St. George’s, who took 10 subjects and earned seven Grade One passes; and Gorcia Iona Johnson of Claudia Creque Educational Centre on Anegada, who took nine subjects and earned seven Grade One passes, according to the ministry.

“We also want to acknowledge the remarkable success of candidates who completed subjects at the end of their 11th grade year and went on to take additional subjects in 12th grade, achieving outstanding results,” the ministry stated.

All told, students who took the exam achieved a 100 percent pass rate in 11 subjects, a 90-99 percent pass rate in seven subjects, and an 80-89 percent rate in five subjects.

In mathematics, however, they fared less well, with a 46.45 percent pass rate.
“Despite this, our performance still surpasses the regional pass rate of 36 percent [in mathematics],” the ministry noted.

It added that it is taking steps to improve these scores.

“This includes targeted professional development for teachers, increasing classroom resources, and the introduction of a certificate in mathematics instruction for primary teachers in 2025,” the ministry explained. “We are committed to strengthening mathematics education and improving outcomes in the years ahead.”

The ministry is also encouraging more students to take Caribbean Examinations Council tests like the CSEC, which are internationally recognised by hundreds of universities throughout the Caribbean, the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, according to the ministry.

“In fact, CXC results are used in place of SAT scores at hundreds of institutions across the world,” the ministry added. “As such, parents are encouraged to inquire about their children taking CXCs from the time they enter senior secondary school to give them a head start in pursuing tertiary education.”