This guide provides a comprehensive breakdown of the Western Cape 2025 matric results, highlighting the province's historic performance and its status as the national leader in Mathematics.
Western Cape Matric Results 2025: Province Hits Record 88.20% Pass Rate
The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) has celebrated its best-ever performance with the release of the 2025 National Senior Certificate (NSC) results. The province achieved an overall pass rate of 88.20%, a significant increase from the 86.6% recorded in 2024.
MEC David Maynier hailed the Class of 2025 for making history, noting that the province not only increased its pass rate but also maintained the highest retention rate in South Africa, ensuring more learners stayed in school to finish their journey.
1. Quality & Excellence: Leading in Mathematics
The Western Cape continues to set the gold standard for "quality" passes. It officially topped the country in Mathematics performance and produced the nation's overall top-achieving learner.
Key Performance Indicators
- Bachelor Admissions: 32,474 learners (49.2%) qualified for university — the 2nd highest percentage in the country.
- Mathematics Leader: The province achieved a 73.7% pass rate in Mathematics, the highest in South Africa.
- Physical Sciences: Achieved an 80.6% pass rate, ranking 2nd nationally.
- Distinctions: 13,234 candidates earned a total of 31,220 distinctions, the 2nd highest distinction rate in SA.
National Spotlight: Abigail Kok from York High School in George was named the Top National Candidate for 2025, marking the fifth consecutive year that the country's top learner hails from the Western Cape.
2. Retention and Throughput: The "True" Pass Rate
The Western Cape achieved a 70.0% retention rate (also referred to as throughput), the highest in the country. This metric is crucial as it shows the province is the most successful at keeping learners in the system from Grade 10 through to Matric.
While other provinces may have higher "pass rates" among those who wrote, the Western Cape’s high retention means a larger proportion of the age-group cohort actually reached the finish line.
3. District Rankings: Overberg and Metro East Shine
All eight districts in the Western Cape scored above 84%, with Overberg and Metro East breaking the 90% barrier.
| Rank | District | Pass Rate |
| 1 | Overberg | 92.36% |
| 2 | Metro East | 90.20% |
| 3 | Metro North | 89.16% |
| 4 | Eden & Central Karoo | 89.12% |
| 5 | Metro South | 87.73% |
| 6 | West Coast | 87.38% |
| 7 | Metro Central | 86.96% |
| 8 | Cape Winelands | 84.55% |
4. Inclusivity and Social Justice
The province made massive strides in ensuring that learners from all backgrounds and needs achieved success.
- No-Fee Schools (Quintiles 1-3): Performance in no-fee schools showed encouraging growth. Quintile 2 schools increased to 85.5%, while Quintile 3 reached 84.3%, outperforming the Quintile 4 average.
- Special Education Needs (LSEN): The LSEN cohort achieved a remarkable 91.9% pass rate. Takunda Muchuweni from Jan Kriel School was named the Top LSEN Candidate in South Africa.
- Gender Achievement: Female learners achieved a higher Bachelor pass rate (51.5%) compared to their male counterparts (46.3%).
5. Top Performing Schools
A total of 78 schools in the province achieved a 100% pass rate. Notable mentions include:
- York High School (Home to the national top achiever)
- Cannons Creek Independent School (Maintained 100% since 2003)
- Silikamva High School (A no-fee school in Hout Bay that achieved a 100% pass rate)
- Fish Hoek High School (Achieved 100% and a 99.9% "Grade 8 to Matric" pass rate)