JPSS Delivers Phenomenal 2025 UCE Results — A Breakthrough Year
We are so excited to share this news: the 2025 Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) results are out, and John Paul Secondary School has once again exceeded all expectations!
For a fourth year in a row, JPSS is the #1 school in the Pallisa District! A celebration parade was organized through the town of Pallisa – see our students, teachers and parents celebrating this success below.
And, these are results put JPSS on par with much larger, urban schools. In fact, JPSS is now in the top 8% of secondary schools in the nation!
Uganda’s grading system now uses a letter-based system, similar to the U.S. But in the U.S., a “C” is often considered average. In Uganda, a “C” is considered a strong and acceptable performance. A Ugandan “A” is rare and significantly harder to earn than a typical U.S. “A”. In Uganda, Grades “A”, “B”, and “C” are all considered strong passes, with D and E grades considered weaker passes.
Overall performance rose substantially: In 2024, 73% of all grades earned were A, B, or C; in 2025, that number jumped to 93%. That is extraordinary progress in a single year. Not only are there exceptional individual performers, our teachers are lifting the entire cohort. Lower grades have been reduced significantly, and only 1 single E grade (and no fails) was registered across all 171 students and the 8 subject exams and paper they each take.
The most dramatic progress happened in Mathematics and Sciences. Please see the Year to Year improvement for the percent of strong passing grades (A, B or C) for each of the following subjects:
For a rural secondary school to more than double strong passes in core STEM subjects within one year reflects intentional academic planning, strong teaching, and disciplined student engagement.
What makes this year even more impressive is that enrollment increased by 29% from the prior year. Often, rapid growth can strain academic performance, but at JPSS, the opposite happened.
As the Board of Friends of John Paul School, we are incredibly proud of our students, teachers, and the entire JPSS community for the extraordinary achievements in this year’s UCE results. We celebrate each student’s hard work and every teacher’s investment, and we are honored to walk alongside you, our passionate supporters, as partners in this journey.
