By James T. Brooks
MONROVIA – The Liberia National Office of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has officially released the 2026 national examination results, with 60.37 percent of candidates meeting the newly established criteria for graduation.
The official announcement was made on Thursday, August 20, 2026, by Mr. Dale G. Gbotoe, Head of the WAEC Liberia National Office, during the Ministry of Information’s regular press briefing in Monrovia. Addressing the public, Mr. Gbotoe extended a formal apology to students, parents, school administrators, and other key stakeholders for the delay in publishing the scores. Although WAEC had initially scheduled the release for August 14, the announcement was postponed by six days due to circumstances the Council described as beyond its operational control.
Performance across the lower grade levels demonstrated notable shifts compared to previous academic years. At the third-grade level, 36,517 out of 39,263 candidates successfully passed the National Assessment Test, achieving a 93.01 percent overall pass rate. This marks a clear upward trajectory from the 82.55 percent recorded in 2025 and 85.5 percent in 2024. Conversely, sixth-grade results reflected a slight downward trend, with 40,058 of the 46,153 candidates passing the examination. This 83.33 percent overall pass rate represents a decline from the 87 percent recorded in 2025 and 93 percent in 2024.
For the ninth-grade Junior High School Certificate Examination, WAEC reported a robust overall pass rate of approximately 89.56 percent. Subject breakdown revealed strong performance in Social Studies with a 93.55 percent pass rate, while Language Arts stood at 79 percent.
The 12th-grade examinations yielded mixed academic outcomes across various disciplines. Literature in English recorded the lowest performance overall at a 31.98 percent pass rate, whereas Mathematics saw a strong showing with 82.55 percent. In contrast, candidates excelled in vocational and technical subjects, several of which achieved perfect 100 percent pass rates.
A pivotal change defining the 2026 examination cycle is the introduction of a new standardized graduation policy. Under the updated mandate, candidates are required to pass a minimum of five subjects, explicitly including both English Language and Mathematics, to qualify for high school graduation. Under these updated guidelines, 33,741 candidates—comprising 60.37 percent of the total sitting examinees—successfully met the graduation benchmark.
Alongside the general statistics, WAEC highlighted the top-performing candidates for the 2026 academic year. Cho F. Kamara of Faith Foundation School secured the highest national score, followed by Peace Old Female Adiboki of Don Bosco Technical High School in second place, and Edwin Sonny Kekula of Cotton Campus School in third.
With the official release complete, successful candidates, families, and educational institutions across Liberia can now move forward with graduation arrangements and transition into the next phase of the academic calendar.