Mumbai: The success rate for CBSE Class 10 results in 2025 rose marginally, nationally, for the state as well as for the Pune region, which comprises Maharashtra. In campuses across the country, of the 22.2 lakh students who crossed the finish line, nearly 9%—about 2 lakh hopefuls— scored over 90%, and a determined 45,516 of them vaulted over the elite 95% mark.While state-specific data for high scorers are not available, nationally their numbers have dropped.The 90% and above scorers have fallen from 2.12 lakh in 2024 to 2 lakh this year. Of these, the number of students scoring above 95% at 47,983 in 2024 have reduced to 45,516.The Pune region, comprising Maharashtra, Goa, Daman, and Diu, quietly moved up too, its success rate inching to 96.5% from last year’s 96.4%, standing fifth among the board’s 17 zones.This year, the board announced the biggest single-day exam event ever held—when 24.1 lakh students sat together for science, maths and social sciences papers across 7,837 centres. This was also the second year of the new exam pattern, with its uncompromising 50% competency-based questions—a reform—CBSE said, was designed to reward thinking minds over rote memories.”This pattern is giving an edge to students who are a shade above the rest,” said Sanyam Bharadwaj, CBSE’s controller of examinations, hinting at the shift in the pattern of examining. Principals agreed the papers were indeed tougher this year. Suman Samarth, headmistress at R N Podar School, said 108 of their 266 students crossed the 90% mark. However, scores dropped, especially in social sciences, where many felt the questions wandered into “ambiguous” terrain. At their Powai campus, principal Priya Rajwade shared a brighter view: 113 students there crossed 90%.In the Kendriya Vidyalaya network, Shahida Parween, deputy commissioner of the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, Mumbai Region, said her region—covering Maharashtra and Goa—posted a 98.68% success rate, with 37 schools hitting the 100% result mark. At KV-2 Colaba, science may have weighed some scores down, but artificial intelligence —a subject many opted for — provided an unexpected boost, pulling averages back up.Gender lines told a familiar but heartening tale: Girls outshone boys once again. Nationally, their pass rate stood at 95% against boys’ 92.6%. In Maharashtra, that gap widened — 97.3% girls, 96.1% boys. CBSE did not announce a merit list but will honour top 0.1% students in each subject with merit certificates. The number of compartmental results swelled again this year—1.4 lakh students, or nearly 5.9% of the total, will have to clear Class 10, up from 1.3 lakh last year. Among Children with Special Needs, 9,160 candidates appeared, and 8,795 cleared the exams. CBSE’s reach expanded to 26,675 schools, up from 25,724.