New Delhi: For the first time, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) evaluated all its affiliated schools and shared their individual School Academic Performance Report Cards with them on Friday, highlighting key parameters such as board exam results, gender-wise and subject-wise performance, and participation in sports and games.
In a statement, CBSE Secretary Himanshu Gupta said that through this initiative, the board aims to empower schools with actionable insights to foster continuous improvement and enhance student learning outcomes. “Schools are encouraged to carefully review their report cards, identify key focus areas, and integrate the findings into their annual pedagogical plans,” he said.
Gupta added that the initiative underscores CBSE’s commitment to promoting “transparency, accountability, and holistic excellence” in school education, in alignment with the vision of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
The first such assessment has been conducted for the 2024–25 academic year. However, board officials clarified that the performance data is not intended for ranking schools.
“Schools can only access their own performance and use it to plan improvement. This is a one-of-its-kind initiative aimed at helping students achieve better outcomes through informed planning,” a senior CBSE official told ThePrint.
School principals appreciated the move, calling it a commendable step toward promoting transparency and data-driven improvement in education.
“By offering comparative insights and holistic indicators, it enables schools to identify strengths and focus areas more effectively. As a school head and educator, we value this initiative as it empowers educators to align teaching strategies with evidence-based outcomes while nurturing both academic excellence and holistic growth,” Jyoti Arora, Principal of Mount Abu School, told ThePrint.
ThePrint explains how this performance has been assessed.
Comparative academic performance insights
According to the board, the report benchmarks the schools’ academic outcomes against state level performance and overall CBSE school average.
For instance, if a school is located in Rajasthan, its board exam performance has been compared with the state average as well as the overall CBSE average for both Classes 10 and 12. Similarly, gender-wise and subject-wise performances have also been analysed.
“This will help schools identify their relative strengths and areas for improvement. It also highlights performance trends among male and female students, enabling schools to take informed steps toward ensuring gender equity in learning outcomes,” the board states.
Holistic performance indicators
Beyond academics, schools have also been evaluated on their participation and achievements in sports and games, benchmarked against performance at the cluster and zonal levels.
This comparison will cover various sports and games, including badminton, basketball, chess, kabaddi, volleyball, and others. “It will also help schools to encourage more participation in sports to ensure the holistic development of students,” said the official quoted above.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
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