This guide provides a comprehensive analysis of the Eastern Cape 2025 matric results, highlighting the province’s remarkable long-term growth and its historic milestone where every district achieved a pass rate above 80%.
Eastern Cape Matric Results 2025: Province Sustains Progress with 84.17% Pass Rate
The Eastern Cape Department of Education has reported a solid performance for the Class of 2025. While the overall pass rate of 84.17% is a slight dip from the 85.0% achieved in 2024, it remains a powerful testament to the province’s upward trajectory when compared to the 81.4% recorded in 2023.
Out of the 106,561 candidates who sat for the National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations, 89,694 successfully met the requirements, cementing the Eastern Cape’s status as a province on the move.
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1. Quality of Results: National Growth Leader
The Eastern Cape holds a unique distinction: it has seen the most rapid increase in the total number of NSC certificates obtained between 2009 and 2025. This is particularly impressive as the province’s 18-year-old population has actually declined during this period.
Breakdown of Pass Types
- Bachelor Admissions: 44,267 candidates (41.5%) qualified for university studies.
- Diploma Passes: 29,822 candidates (28.0%).
- Higher Certificates: 15,498 candidates (14.5%).
- Distinction Rate: The province achieved a 4.4% distinction rate.
2. Subject Performance: Technical and Gateway Success
Using the “Inclusive Basket of Criteria,” the Eastern Cape showed strong results in technical fields, although a challenging Mathematics paper impacted top-tier scores across the province.
| Subject | Pass Rate |
| Technical Mathematics | 89.3% |
| Accounting | 77.4% |
| Physical Sciences | 74.2% |
| Mathematics (Pure) | 56.8% |
Note on Mathematics: While the participation rate remained high at 39.9%, the number of high-level achievers (scoring 60%+) declined by 32%, a trend attributed to the increased complexity of the 2025 examination papers.
3. District Rankings: A Historic 80% Milestone
In a landmark achievement for the province, all 12 districts in the Eastern Cape registered pass rates of 80% or higher for the first time in history. Joe Gqabi emerged as the provincial leader.
| Rank | District | Pass Rate |
| 1 | Joe Gqabi | 88.42% |
| 2 | Chris Hani East | 88.13% |
| 3 | Nelson Mandela Metro | 87.37% |
| 4 | Sarah Baartman | 86.43% |
| 5 | Buffalo City | 85.33% |
| 6 | Amathole East | 85.06% |
| 7 | Alfred Nzo West | 84.31% |
| 8 | Chris Hani West | 83.83% |
| 9 | OR Tambo Coastal | 82.24% |
| 10 | OR Tambo Inland | 81.17% |
| 11 | Alfred Nzo East | 81.13% |
| 12 | Amathole West | 80.34% |
4. Socio-economic Progress and Throughput
The Eastern Cape is excelling at “throughput”—the percentage of a birth cohort that successfully obtains an NSC. At 69.7%, the province is one of the national leaders in ensuring children stay in school from Grade 1 to Grade 12.
- Gender Achievement: Female learners continued to lead, achieving a higher pass rate (84.4%) and a significantly higher Bachelor pass rate (43.3%) than their male counterparts.
- Fee Status: Fee-paying schools led with 92.9%, while No-fee schools (Quintiles 1–3) maintained a strong 83.2%.
- School Success: 57 schools in the province recorded a perfect 100% pass rate, and 68.2% of all schools achieved a pass rate of 80% or higher.
5. Summary of the 2025 Results
The Eastern Cape’s results reflect a system that is maturing and becoming more inclusive. Despite socio-economic challenges, the province continues to expand access to high-quality education, as evidenced by the high percentage of university-level entrances.
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