For more than a million Kenyan families, December 2025 is shaping up to be a month of anticipation, relief, and perhaps a little anxiety. The Kenya Junior Secondary Education Assessment (KJSEA) has become a pivotal moment in the country's transition to the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), and this year, the process is seeing a technological twist that could reshape how parents and students experience school placement.
According to Eastleigh Voice and Education News KE, 1,130,669 grade nine students sat for the 2025 KJSEA exams, which were conducted between October 27 and November 3, 2025. This marks a significant milestone in the ongoing shift from the phased-out KCPE system to the CBC, a change that emphasizes holistic assessment and individualized learning pathways.
In an effort to streamline the placement process and reduce uncertainty, the Ministry of Education, in collaboration with Safaricom PLC, has introduced a secure SMS service. Now, parents and guardians can verify their children’s school placements before the official results are even released. As Safaricom explained in a statement issued on December 4, "To check a KJSEA learner’s selected schools, send their assessment number to 22263. The SMS costs Ksh30." This service is expected to be a game-changer for families eager to plan for the upcoming academic year.
The new system doesn’t stop at SMS. Parents can also check school selections online by visiting https://selection.education.go.ke/my-selections and entering their child’s assessment number. The online portal, launched by the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC), allows parents to view not only the schools their children have been placed in but also the academic pathways selected. This dual approach—mobile and web—aims to make the process more accessible and transparent, regardless of a family’s location or technological savvy.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba confirmed on December 4 that the long-awaited KJSEA results would be released during the week of December 6, 2025. Speaking at the closing ceremony of the inaugural conference on the future of legal education and training in Kenya and the East African region, Ogamba highlighted that the exams were marked electronically, facilitating a faster and more efficient release of results.
"Senior schools should be ready to receive their first cohort of grade 10 learners by the 12th or from the 12th of January 2026," Ogamba emphasized. He recognized that these learners, transitioning under the competency-based education framework, would need support to adapt and coexist with students still undertaking the 8-4-4 curriculum in the institutions they are joining.
The KJSEA, as detailed by Education News KE, assesses competencies across a wide range of subjects, including English, Kiswahili, Mathematics, Integrated Science, Social Studies, Religious Education, Agriculture, Pre-Technical Studies, Creative Arts, and Physical Education. Unlike the old KCPE system, learners will not receive certificates but rather result slips showing their performance in each subject. The final score is a composite: 60% from the KJSEA exam itself and 40% from classroom assessments in grades seven and eight. This approach is designed to provide a more holistic evaluation, reflecting both exam performance and ongoing classroom achievement.
Under the new placement system, learners were required to select 12 schools according to their preferred pathways: seven as first-choice, three as second-choice, and two as third-choice. Of these, nine must be boarding schools—three within the learner’s home county and six outside—while the remaining three are day schools in the learner’s sub-county. Placement decisions are based on a mix of factors: learner choice, merit from the KJSEA and previous assessments, psychometric test results, equity to ensure regional balance and affirmative action, and the capacity of schools to accommodate students. Special arrangements have also been made to ensure that top-performing learners and those with special needs are given priority in their preferred schools.
The CBC’s senior school phase (grades 10–12) introduces new academic pathways, with schools offering triple or double options such as STEAMS (STEM + Arts & Sports) or STEMS (STEM + Social Sciences). Placement depends on both performance and alignment with these career pathways, and schools remain categorized under the traditional C1 to C4 ranking: National, Extra County, County, and Sub-County.
As the results release approaches, KNEC has been proactive in warning parents and learners to stay alert against fraudsters. Social media has been awash with claims of individuals offering to manipulate exam results for a fee—a practice the council has categorically condemned. In a statement released on December 3, KNEC cautioned, "Beware of fraudsters purporting to be able to alter candidates’ scores during the marking of the KCSE examination or KJSEA. Please note that all candidates’ answer scripts are anonymised to protect their identity and ensure integrity during marking." The council’s commitment to transparency and fairness has been echoed by education officials throughout the process.
The timeline for the transition is tight but clear. The Ministry of Education has announced that official results will be released by December 11, 2025. School placements are expected within a week after the announcement, and learners will be able to access their placement letters before December 25. Reporting to senior secondary schools is scheduled to begin on January 12, 2026—a date that schools across the country are now preparing for in earnest.
This year’s KJSEA is not just a test for students; it is a test for the entire education system as it adapts to the CBC’s demands. The new system’s emphasis on holistic assessment, student choice, and equitable placement is a far cry from the one-size-fits-all approach of the past. The shift has not been without its critics, and many parents are still adjusting to the complexities of the new school selection and placement process. However, for many, the ability to check placements instantly—whether by SMS or online—represents a step forward in transparency and empowerment.
For teachers and administrators, the transition also brings new responsibilities. Senior secondary schools must not only be ready to receive their first cohort of CBC grade 10 students but also ensure that they can support these learners as they navigate unfamiliar academic pathways and coexist with peers still enrolled in the 8-4-4 curriculum. It’s a balancing act that will require flexibility, empathy, and a willingness to innovate.
As the dust settles on the 2025 KJSEA, one thing is clear: Kenya’s education system is in the midst of a profound transformation. The integration of technology into the placement process, the focus on holistic assessment, and the commitment to equity and transparency all point toward a future where students are better prepared for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. For now, though, the nation’s attention is fixed on the coming weeks, as families await the news that will shape their children’s educational journeys for years to come.
