Parents and learners can now breathe a little easier. The Ministry of Education has released Grade 10 placements for candidates who sat the 2025 Kenya Junior Secondary Education Assessment (KJSEA).

The announcement marks a key milestone for the first group of learners under the Competency-Based Education system as they prepare to transition to senior secondary school.

How to check placement

According to the Ministry, placements can be accessed in two ways. Parents can send the learner’s KNEC assessment number via SMS to 22263, or check online through the Ministry’s placement portal.

Learners are expected to report to their assigned senior secondary schools by Monday, January 12, 2026.

How schools were selected

The Ministry said the placement process was fully automated. It took into account a range of factors, including learners’ school choices, performance in the KJSEA, psychometric test results, equity considerations, and available school capacity.

“The top performers in each STEM, social sciences and arts track were given priority for boarding schools of their choice,” the Ministry said in a statement.

About the KJSEA exams

Results for the 2025 KJSEA were released on Thursday, December 11. The exams were conducted between October 27 and November 3, and were designed to assess how ready learners are for senior secondary education under the new system.

In total, 1,130,459 learners sat the assessment. Of these, 578,630 were boys and 551,829 were girls, according to official figures.

Option to change schools

The Ministry has also reminded parents that school placement changes are allowed, but only under strict guidelines.

Requests must be submitted through the learner’s junior school head at least two weeks before the reporting date. Senior secondary schools must first declare available vacancies through county directors of education.

The Ministry cautioned that the replacement process will only be done once and cannot be reversed.

“Once approved, joining instructions will be issued online,” the statement said, adding that schools are not allowed to issue printed letters for replacement cases.

Focus on fairness

Education officials say the goal is a smooth and fair transition for all learners.

“Officers involved are required to work together to ensure a credible and transparent placement process,” the Ministry said.

For thousands of families, the focus now shifts to preparations for the next chapter of learning.