The South African matric class of 2023 delivered the best set of results the country has seen, recording an 82,9 pass rate – a 2,9% increase from the 2022 rate – in the National Senior Certificate examinations.
The results were released by the Department of Basic Education in Pretoria last Thursday (18 January).
Grade 12 learners of the Western Cape also increased the overall pass rate of the province in 2023, delivering a 81,54%, pass rate against the 81,4% overall pass of the previous year.
Said provincial education minister, David Maynier: “Every single one of our 50 520 candidates who passed met the requirements to access higher education, with 26 182 candidates (42,2%) qualifying with a bachelor’s pass to attend university – our highest number of bachelors passes ever!
“Our Western Cape candidates achieved the top mathematics pass rate at 75,4%, and the top physical sciences pass rate at 82,2%. These are critical subjects for the national and provincial economy, so we are pleased to see improvements in both compared to 2022.”
The province’s matric class of 2023 also produced the second-most distinctions in the country, with 24 982 subject distinctions awarded to candidates in the Cape.
“What is even more impressive is that the retention rate from Grade 10 to 12 has also increased to 69,3%,” Maynier pointed out.
“Getting both the pass rate and the retention rate to move in a positive direction is a difficult task, and we are pleased that more of the Grade 10 class from two years’ prior are writing and succeeding in their final matric exams.”
In 2023, only two schools in the greater Stellenbosch area achieved flawless pass rates, with Rhenish Girls’ High School increasing its 99,3% pass in 2022 to 100% in 2023 and Hoër Meisieskool Bloemhof maintaining its 100% overall pass.
Kayamandi High School’s matrics of 2023 increased the school’s overall pass rate, upping the 65,6% pass of 2022 to 70,5% in 2023.
Similarly, the 2023 pass rate of Makupula Secondary School enjoyed a slight increase from the 84% it achieved the previous year, with the 2023 class scoring a 85,9% overall pass.
The Paul Roos Gymnasium matriculants achieved a pass of 98,8%, declining from the 100% pass of the previous year. Hoërskool Stellenbosch also delcined from its 100% rate of 2022, recording a 99,1% pass.
Kylemore Secondary School also achieved a good overall pass, despite a slight decline when compared to the 2022 results.
The class of 2023 recorded a 94,5% pass in comparison to the 95,1% achieved in the previous year.
Calling Academy also experienced a slight decline in its results, with the class of 2023 achieving a 82,7% pass against the 90,7% pass of the class of 2022.
Franschhoek High School also saw a decline in its overall Grade 12 pass rate of 97,7% in 2022, achieving an 89,9% pass in 2023.
Hoërskool Cloetesville saw a dramatic decline in its results, achieving a 59,1% pass compared to the 78% it achieved in 2022.
Similarly, Lückhoff Secondary School’s 2023 results showed a decrease in 2023, with 54,5% of its matrics making it over the line compared to the 69,7% pass achieved the previous year.
Stellenzicht Secondary School had a slight decrease in its Grade 12 results in 2023, recording a 57,6% pass compared to the 59,3% of 2022. Stellenbosch Waldorf School’ pass rate also declined in 2023; the school’s matrics achieved a 88,9% overall pass against the flawless pass of the previous year.
Groendal Secondary School also had a decrease in its overall pass rate, recording a 68,6% pass compared to the 71,1% the previous year.
