Antigua & Barbuda has seen a 13 per cent drop in the pass rate for CSEC (Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate) mathematics in 2016 as compared to 2015.
The pass rate in 2016 dropped to 42 per cent for school entries, or 39 per cent for all territory entries compared to a 55 per cent pass rate in 2015. Last year represented a marked improvement from a 43.3 per cent pass rate in 2014.
This year, 14 of 20 schools had a worse pass rate in mathematics, while three saw improvements, two remained level and one school entered candidates for the first time.
In government institutions the decline was most significant: Sir McChesney George High School, in Barbuda, went from a 47 per cent pass rate in mathematics in 2015 to an 8 per cent pass rate in 2016.
Barbuda has had a particularly hard time with mathematics having had a 0 per cent pass rate in 2014, 13 per cent pass rate in 2013 and 0 per cent pass rate in 2012, but many had hoped 2015 was the start of a prolonged turnaround on the sister island.
Meanwhile, schools fared much better in English A, in which 13 of 20 schools had improved pass rates, three remained level, three saw very slight declines and one — Irene B Williams — entered candidates for the first time.
The overall English A pass rate was 77.5 per cent. The overall picture saw a slight deterioration with the overall pass rate going down to 74.2 per cent from 76.7 per cent in 2015, while it was 73.3 per cent in 2014.
Looking at overall pass rates, the worst performing schools were Ottos Comprehensive at 55.4 per cent, Jennings Secondary at 57.5 per cent, Glanville’s Secondary with 59.6 per cent, Princess Margaret Secondary at 60.2 per cent, and St Mary’s Secondary at 61.7 per cent.
The best performing schools in terms of overall pass rate were Baptist Academy at 99.4 per cent, Antigua Girls’ High at 94.4 per cent, St Joseph’s Academy at 90.4 per cent, St Anthony’s Secondary at 88.2 per cent and Christ the King at 88.0 per cent.
Meanwhile, based on overall passes, there was a very minimal gap between the performance of boys and girls with males passing 71.2 per cent of subjects sat compared to 72.7 per cent for females.