Chennai: Students improvedvtheir performance by 2.3% percentage points compared to 91.55% the previous year in the state board Class X exam results, which were declared on Friday.Of 8,71,239 students who appeared, 8,17,261 cleared it. The pass percentage is 93.8%.The pass percentage among girls is 95.9%, while boys recorded a 91.7% pass. Girls registered 4% more passes compared to boys. School education minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi released the Class X results at the Directorate of Govt Examinations.Two students—SS Subhashree, a student of Vigneshwar Vidya Mandir Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Sirukalandai near Pollachi, KK Dhivya Lakshmi, a student of Srinivasa Vidhyalaya Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Udumalpet in Tirupur have scored 499 of 500. Both secured centums in English, maths, science, social science and scored 99 in Tamil.Subhashree and Dhivya Lakshmi plan to join the Biology-Mathematics group in Class XI. They aspire to become doctors.V Sofia, the daughter of TNSTC bus conductor and a student of Gokilambal Academy in Kuzhavadaiyan in Udayarpalayam taluk in Ariyalur also got 499 of 500. She too aims to become a doctor.Jerald Ruban J from Zion Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Tambaram scored 498 of 500. He scored centum in maths, science, social science, and 99 in Tamil and English. “The question papers were quite easy. My teachers asked me to stay away from gadgets, social media, and games. It helped me score high marks,” he said.In science, the number of centums increased from 5,104 last year to 10,838 this year, while the full scores in social science increased from 4,428 last year to 10,256 this year. Meanwhile, the number of full scores in maths dropped sharply from 20,691 last year to 1,996 this year. There is no big variation in full marks in Tamil and English.Southern districts performed well in the Class X exams, with Sivaganga district topping with a 98.3% pass. It was followed by Virudhunagar at 97.4% and Tuticorin at 96.8%. Meanwhile, Chennai district dropped by four places to 34th place with a 90.7% pass percentage compared to last year. Of 63,995 students who appeared from the district, 58,061 cleared the exam.The pass percentage among differently-abled candidates is 92.8%, and among prisoners, the pass percentage is 97%. Of 12,290 differently-abled candidates, 11,409 of them cleared while 230 out 237 prisoners cleared the exam. This year, of 23,769 students who appeared as private candidates, 9,616 cleared it. The pass percentage is 40.5%.Private schools recorded a 98% pass percentage, while govt-aided schools registered 93.6%, and govt schools got a 91.3% pass this year.GCC schools show marked improvementSchools coming under the Greater Chennai Corporation witnessed a remarkable improvement in the SSLC public examination results for the academic year 2024–2025, as compared to the last. The overall pass percentage increased significantly to 86.10%, up from 79% in 2023-24, marking 7% rise in performance.Among the top achievers, B S Tejasvini from Chennai Girls Higher Secondary School, Saidapet, became the Chennai school topper, scoring 492 of 500. This year, 14 schools under the Chennai Corporation achieved 100% pass results, including CGHSS Nungambakkam, Chennai Boys Higher Secondary School at Purasawalkam, and Chennai Higher Secondary School, Choolaimedu.The pass percentage for girls stood at 88.44%, while boys recorded 83.93%. A total of 12 students from Chennai Corporation schools scored a centum in the SSLC board examination. Additionally, 1,963 students secured 350 of 500. All 80 Chennai High and Higher Secondary Schools recorded a pass percentage above 65%.Meanwhile, Class XI students at Greater Chennai Corporation schools recorded an overall pass percentage of 81% for the academic year 2024–2025. A total of 5,361 students appeared for the exams this year, including 2,995 girls and 2,366 boys. Of these, 1,783 boys (75.36%) and 2,557 girls (85.38%) passed the exams. This overall pass percentage marks a 1% improvement compared to the 80% recorded in the previous academic year (2023–2024).At least six students scored centum in Commerce, Computer Science, and Computer Applications. As many as 9 students scored between 551 and 600 marks, 68 students scored between 501 and 550, and 249 students scored between 450 and 500. Chennai Higher Secondary School at Lloyds Road achieved a 100% pass result in the Class 11 board exams. Pass percentage gap steep in Class XITamil Nadu students registered a 92% pass rate in the Class XI board exam results, which is 0.9% higher compared to last year. However, girls recorded a 6.4% higher pass percentage compared to boys, which is a significant gap compared to Class X and XII board exams. While girls registered a 95.1% pass, boys registered 88.7% pass. The gap was even wider last year, with 7.4% more girls clearing the exam.“Many boys are distracted by gadgets and also lack ambition in life. It is difficult to motivate them compared to girls,” said E Iraivan, headmaster, Chennai Boys Higher Secondary School in Nungambakkam. Post-pandemic, many students were forced to do part-time jobs, and some of them continue to do so.The gap between boys’ and girls’ schools in pass percentage remains significant, as girls’ schools register 11.4% more passes compared to boys’ schools in the state. While girls’ schools recorded a 95% pass percentage, boys’ schools recorded 83.6% in the board exam. However, the pass percentage of co-ed schools is much better at 92.4%.Class XI students fared better in maths, as the number of centums increased from 779 last year to 1,338 this year. The pass percentage also increased by 0.5% this year. The full marks in chemistry increased by 100, while in physics, it decreased by 300 this year. There is not a significant difference in the number of students scoring full marks in at least one subject.Among the districts, Ariyalur topped with a 97.8% pass rate, followed by Erode at 97% and Virudhunagar at 96.2%. In Class XI, Chennai district was ranked 25th. The pass percentage among differently-abled candidates is 91.9%. Of 9,205 candidates, 8,460 cleared the exam. Among prisoners, the pass percentage is 90.4%, with 113 out of 125 candidates clearing the exam. The pass percentage of private candidates is 22%, with only 950 out of 4,326 clearing the Class XI board exam. Computer science top pick for Class XI students in 2025For the second year in a row, computer science emerged as the preferred choice over biology-maths and commerce groups in Class XI. Teachers cited the enthusiasm for generative AI and difficulty in getting BCom admission in good colleges as the reasons.Post-pandemic, there were fewer takers for science groups, and even toppers preferred commerce. “Of 30 admissions in Class XI on the first day, 25 students joined computer science. The interest has shifted towards science instead of commerce,” said G Jebadoss Thinakaran, headmaster, MCC Higher Secondary School, Chetpet.“Many students opt for computer science and it might be because of the emergence of AI,” said V Shanthi, headmistress of Vidyodaya Girls Higher Secondary School in T Nagar. Among the toppers, the choice of stream is equally divided between computer science and biology groups.“Among the Class X students, the first preference is for maths-computer science, and the next is biology. Commerce follows the two,” said Rathna Kumar S, principal of Zion Matriculation Higher Secondary School.Tough competition for BCom seats in city colleges have turned the tide in favour of science.“Students don’t get seats in reputed colleges due to high cut-offs. Science offers them BBA, BCA, and computer science-related courses,” said K John, HM of Thiru Vi Ka Higher Secondary School in Shenoy Nagar.