More than 77,000 pupils were ungraded in the 2025 Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE), effectively failing to qualify for any of the four divisions, according to results released by the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB).
A total of 77,080 candidates did not meet the minimum requirements for grading. Of these, 34,500 were boys and 42,580 were girls, meaning 8,080 more girls than boys were ungraded.
In percentage terms, 10.07% of girls were ungraded compared to 8.97% of boys, indicating a higher failure rate among female candidates.
UNEB further reported that 10,570 registered candidates did not turn up to sit for the examinations.
Overall, 817,883 pupils from 15,388 examination centres registered for the 2025 PLE, an increase from 797,444 candidates in 2024. Of these, 522,036 candidates were from Universal Primary Education (UPE) schools, while 295,847 were from non-UPE schools.
There were more girls than boys registered for the examinations, with 428,324 girls compared to 389,469 boys, continuing a trend observed in recent years.
In terms of performance, 91,990 candidates passed in Division One, 388,293 in Division Two, 165,226 in Division Three, and 84,724 in Division Four.
Boys performed slightly better at the top end, with 48,220 boys attaining Division One compared to 43,770 girls. However, girls recorded higher numbers in the lower divisions as well as among ungraded candidates.
