Girls outshine boys in 2025 UACE results

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Female candidates have once again outperformed their male counterparts in the 2025 Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) examinations, maintaining a consistent trend of excellence at the highest levels of achievement.

​While releasing the results on Friday, Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) Executive Director Dan Odongo confirmed that girls not only passed in higher proportions but also dominated the top-tier principal pass brackets.

​“Proportionally, female candidates have performed better than their male counterparts,” Odongo noted.

 “The percentage of girls achieving top passes is higher, while their failure rates remain significantly lower than those of the boys.”

According to results presented to the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Janet Museveni, at State House Nakasero on Friday, 165,172 candidates sat the examinations, including 72,374 females and 92,798 males, representing a 17.2 percent increase in enrolment compared to 2024.

Specifically, 44.6 percent of girls achieved three principal passes compared to 39.5 percent of boys, while 28.2 percent of girls earned two principal passes against 25.8 percent of their male peers.

​Nationally, 68.6 percent of all candidates qualified for university admission, which requires at least two principal passes. 

This marks a notable increase from 65.5 percent in 2024. While both genders showed overall improvement, the female lead remained intact throughout the data.

Patrick Kaboyo, an educationist said the stronger performance by girls, despite their smaller numbers, can partly be explained by the level of support they receive from families and society. 

“When extending attention or giving support, the first support will always go to the girls,” he said, adding that this increased attention often motivates them to work harder academically. 

He noted that the trend is positive because it challenges long-standing stereotypes.

 “It offers a challenge to the masculinity which is always there, thinking that boys will always be better than girls,” he explained, adding that it encourages healthy competition between male and female learners.

​Subject performance and trends

​Beyond the aggregates, female students recorded higher pass rates in most Humanities, as well as Mathematics, Physics, General Paper, and Subsidiary ICT. 

However, male candidates maintained a slight advantage at the top grade level in Sciences and Mathematics, a reflection of higher male enrollment in those specific subjects.

​Odongo emphasised that while the trajectory is positive, the data highlights a dual priority: "The results demonstrate the need to continue supporting both boys and girls in secondary education while addressing gender-specific challenges."

​Growth and participation

​The 2025 cycle saw a 17.2 percent surge in registration, totaling 166,400 candidates. Alongside the growth in numbers, UNEB reported a decline in absenteeism and steady performance gains in Chemistry, Agriculture, Geography, Biology, and Literature in English.