Antigua and Barbuda recorded a marginal improvement in this year’s Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) results, but education officials remain deeply concerned about poor mathematics performance, which continues to fall below the regional average.

The overall pass rate stood at 77.4%, up slightly from last year’s 76%. Just over half of candidates — 51.5% — achieved five or more passes, the benchmark used for matriculation into tertiary institutions.

However, only 22.4% of students passed five subjects including mathematics, and just 20% earned five passes including both mathematics and English. The regional average for this standard is 44%.

Dr Myrick Smith, the local CXC registrar, described the numbers as “not comfortable” and confirmed Antigua’s maths pass rate was 31.5%, well below the regional average of 38%. English A, by contrast, achieved 85.7%, placing the country above regional levels.

“Mathematics obviously continues to be a struggle,” Dr Smith said, pointing to the importance of logical reasoning and problem-solving skills beyond the classroom.

To tackle the persistent shortfall, the Caribbean Examinations Council will pilot a modular approach to mathematics from June 2026. Instead of sitting the entire syllabus at once in fifth form, students will take the exam in three parts — one at the end of each school year from third to fifth form. Those who pass all modules will receive a combined grade.

Dr Smith said Antigua intends to participate in the pilot, alongside a continued regional shift to fully electronic examinations beginning in January 2026.

While several subject areas showed strong results — including additional mathematics (100%), industrial technology, and information technology (all above 85%) — other subjects such as French and geography remained weak, with pass rates of 56% and 46.7% respectively.

Education officials also flagged declining entries in the natural sciences and technical fields, despite consistently high pass rates.

The Ministry of Education has indicated it will review the results in greater detail to determine where additional resources and support should be directed, particularly to schools performing below the national average.