2024 NATIONAL SENIOR CERTIFICATE (NSC) SCHOOL PERFORMANCE REPORT
MINISTER’S FOREWORD
I am proud to present the 2024 National Senior Certificate (NSC) Report. This occasion is not only a moment to recognise the accomplishments of our learners and the collective efforts and unwavering commitment of all stakeholders in the basic education sector, but it also an opportunity for us as a country to reflect on the health of our basic education system at the start of 2025. It is a pivotal moment in which we must reflect on the quality of the education outcomes we are achieving and what we need to do to expand access to quality in the schooling system for all learners.
As we reflect on the achievements and challenges encapsulated in this Report, we are reminded of the significance of education in shaping the future of our youth and, by extension, our country. The NSC is not just a certificate – it is a gateway to opportunities that empower our young people to pursue further education, enter the workforce and contribute to the socioeconomic development of South Africa.
As a country we have been largely successful in improving access to basic education with 98% of all children between the ages of 7 and 15 years enrolled in schools. However, with Grade R becoming part of compulsory school attendance with effect from the 2025 school year, more work needs to be done urgently to ensure that we expand access to basic education from Grade R. This is no small feat and will require significant planning and investment and a renewed commitment to the well-being of our children.
While good progress has been made in expanding education access, we must turn our attention to improving the quality of the education that our learners receive. Learners must leave our schools with an education and a qualification that allows them to pursue higher education and training opportunities or enter the job market and ultimately thrive in either or both of those post-schooling endeavours.
When we assess the quality that our schooling system is able to achieve, we must consider various indicators of quality beyond those offered by NSC results. The recently released international benchmarking studies (including the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and the Southern and East Africa Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality (SEACMEQ) assessment) and our own recently released.
South African Systemic Evaluation (SASE) results, for example, show that our learners in Grades 5 to 9 significantly underperform in relation to their global counterparts in Mathematics and Science. They also show that too many of our learners cannot read for meaning in any language by Grade 4.
Put simply, this means that too many learners progress through the basic education system without mastering foundational skills, particularly in literacy and numeracy, which are critical for performing well in gateway subjects, like Mathematics and Physical Sciences. These deficits accumulate over time, limiting learners’ abilities to succeed in higher grades and in these gateway subjects and diminishing their prospects of accessing further education and employment opportunities. This trend manifests itself in the perennial decrease of enrolment in subjects such as
Physical Sciences, Mathematics, Accounting and Economics, which are all subjects that are critical for a nation’s ability to advance in science, innovation and economic development. In response to these trends, the Department of Basic Education will embark on an urgent strategic reorientation of the system towards strengthening foundational learning. Furthermore, provinces, districts and schools must put together plans to arrest the decline of enrolment in critical subjects.
The systemic interventions that we will undertake in this regard include expanding access to quality Early Childhood Development (ECD) for learners before they enter the basic education system and improving the quality of teaching and learning in the Foundation Phase. This strategic reorientation towards ECD and the Foundation Phase will improve the quality of the learning outcomes we are able to achieve throughout the system. In doing so, we can expect to see more learners moving through our schooling system with greater confidence to take on The release of the NSC results is an annual milestone that not only marks the culmination of years of hard work, dedication and resilience by our learners, but also serves as a testament to the unwavering commitment of educators, parents and communities across our nation.
As an education system, we continuously evaluate our progress in terms of the social justice principles of access, redress, equity, quality, efficiency and inclusivity. In the 2024 NSC examinations, we saw the following that show that we are making progress in upholding these principles:
• 615 429 candidates obtained the NSC – more than any other year in our history;
• 337 158 learners obtained Bachelor passes, of which 67% come from Quintile 1 to 3 schools (which are typically found in our poorer communities). This marks a 6.9% increase on the number of Bachelor passes achieved in 2023 and a notable improvement in the performance of Quintile 1 to 3 schools;
• 3 321 learners with special education needs obtained Bachelor passes;
• The total number of distinctions achieved increased by over 65 000 from 2023, with every province improving on the number of distinctions achieved provincially;
• More of our high schools achieved a pass rate of between 80% and 100% than in 2023 with the number of underperforming high schools decreasing;
• Every province improved on its performance from 2023 and achieved a pass rate above 80%; and
• 73 out of our 75 education districts achieved pass rates above 80%.
Mathematics and Physical Sciences are gateway subjects that are essential for South Africa’s socio-economic development. In 2024, 69.1% of learners passed Mathematics, which is an increase from 63.5% in 2023. However, in Physical Sciences, whilst 75.6% of learners passed, this is a decrease from 76.2% in 2023. While the number and percentage of learners achieving distinctions in Mathematics increased in 2024 from 2023, the number and percentage of learners achieving distinctions in Physical Sciences has dropped.
The improvement in performance in Mathematics is encouraging. However, the decreasing participation rates in these key subjects, and the decrease in performance in Physical Sciences, highlight the urgent need to improve foundational literacy and numeracy to ensure that our schooling system produces learners who are confident and capable enough to choose and excel in Maths and Science subjects throughout their schooling career.
As we celebrate these remarkable results, let us remember that the success of our education system is not measured solely by statistics but by the lives transformed, the barriers broken and the futures unlocked. There is urgent and substantial work to be done to improve the quality of education outcomes that our schooling system must achieve. Let us recommit ourselves to working together to build a schooling system that leaves no learner behind and ensures that every child in South Africa has the opportunity to reach their full potential.
1. INTRODUCTION
The overall results of the 6 933 schools and examination centres that participated in the 2024 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examination have been consolidated into a national report. This report serves as a valuable tool for school managers and officials at national, provincial, and district levels, enabling them to thoroughly analyse learner performance data. Detailed school-level data is available within each of the 75 districts, reflecting the number of candidates who sat the examination and the number who successfully obtained the NSC in 2024.
All school communities are encouraged to engage actively with this data, allowing for reflection on their performance in the 2024 NSC examination. Schools are urged to compare this year’s results with those of previous years to assess progress and identify areas for improvement. This process will facilitate the identification of strategies and interventions that can be integrated into the school programme to achieve tangible and measurable improvements in the upcoming academic year. Additionally, schools within the same quintile are encouraged to compare their historical performance with that of other schools in the same quintile over the past three years. This will provide insights into whether the efforts and resources invested by the education system have led to better outcomes and a more motivated school community. Schools will also have the opportunity to share best practices and form collaborative clusters for mutual benefit.
This report should be read alongside the following complementary documents published by the Department of Basic Education:
• The 2024 National Senior Certificate Examination Report;
• The National Schools Subjects Report, which presents performance trends for each subject over the past three years;
• The National Diagnostic Reports, which analyse learner performance in the 11 Gateway Subjects, the 12 Home Languages, and Technical
Subjects, highlighting areas of underperformance and recommending appropriate remedial actions. Together, these reports provide a comprehensive overview of learner, school, and subject performance in the 2024 NSC examination.
2. SCOPE OF THE SCHOOL PERFORMANCE REPORT
This report presents data on the performance of all schools that participated in the 2024 National Senior Certificate (NSC) Examination, including public schools, special schools, and independent schools. It also provides an overview of the overall performance of these institutions over a three year period, enabling schools to assess and track their performance across this timeframe. 2024 marks the eleventh year of the CAPS-aligned NSC Examination, allowing schools to compare their historical performance within a stabilised curriculum and assessment policy framework. This continuity enables schools to evaluate whether they have achieved stability in the effective implementation of the intended curriculum.
The report includes detailed information on the number of candidates who wrote the examination, the number of candidates who achieved the NSC, and the pass percentage for each school over the last three years. Additionally, it highlights schools that achieved a 100% pass rate as well as those that obtained a pass rate below 40% over a five-year period, providing valuable insights for performance analysis and improvement planning.
3. USE OF THE SCHOOL PERFORMANCE REPORT
This report is an essential resource for school managers, subject advisors, curriculum specialists, and district planners, offering a comprehensive tool for conducting a comparative analysis of the overall performance of schools within a circuit, cluster, or district. The data it presents allows each school to monitor its progress over time, facilitating the comparison of current performance with results from previous years. This enables institutions to evaluate the impact of past strategies and to pinpoint areas requiring innovation or adjustment for the coming school year.
With 2024 marking the eleventh year of the NSC examination aligned with the CAPS curriculum, schools have the opportunity to track their performance across three full years of stable assessment and curriculum implementation. This longitudinal data is invaluable in helping schools assess how well they have adapted to the CAPS framework and whether their academic strategies are yielding the desired outcomes.
Moreover, this report provides critical insights for education officials, enabling them to identify schools that have consistently underperformed over multiple years. Such data is instrumental in shaping targeted support programmes, ensuring that support and resources are directed where they are most needed. Schools that continue to struggle with performance must take a proactive approach to reflect on their practices and consider fundamental changes to improve learner outcomes. This reflection should focus on identifying gaps in teaching, learning, and resource allocation, while also considering the adoption of new strategies or methodologies.
This report not only serves as a tool for measuring individual school progress but also as a guide for fostering collaboration, identifying areas for targeted support, and ultimately driving educational improvement across the broader school community. It encourages all stakeholders to engage with the data thoughtfully, use it as a catalyst for positive change, and contribute to the ongoing enhancement of the education system.