Minister for Education, Youth Affairs and Sports, Hon Sharie B. de Castro (AL) is flanked by Heida Selwood, Deputy Chief Education Officer (left) and Mr Claude A. Kettle, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Youth Affairs, and Sports, at EDFEST VI at Multi-Purpose Sports Complex on August 24, 2026. Photo: Facebook

Educators at the official opening ceremony of EDFEST VI at Multi-Purpose Sports Complex on August 24, 2026. Photo: Facebook

Speaking to educators, students, and partners at the start of the new school year, Honourable Sharie B. de Castro (AL) framed the past academic cycle as a turning point in which deliberate investments in early literacy and numeracy are now showing measurable results across the system. Photo: GIS

Speaking to educators, students, and partners at the start of the new school year at Multi-Purpose Sports Complex on Monday, August 24, 2026, Honourable de Castro framed the past academic cycle as a turning point in which deliberate investments in early literacy and numeracy are now showing measurable results across the system.

Regional assessments: Virgin Islands No. 1 in OECS for Grade 2 reading and maths

Hon de Castro highlighted that more than 7,400 Grade 2 students across eight Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) member states sat the regional Reading and Mathematics assessments last school year, with Virgin Islands pupils ranking number one in the OECS in both subjects. She reported that 97% of Virgin Islands Grade 2 students reached minimum proficiency in reading and 95% reached minimum proficiency in Mathematics, stressing that “foundations matter” and that the Territory has deliberately strengthened literacy and numeracy from the earliest years and continues to reinforce those basics daily.

Class of 2026: 97% graduation rate, 100% of males graduate, strong honours performance

Turning to secondary education, Hon de Castro pointed to the Class of 2026 as further proof of progress, noting that 248 students graduated with a 97% graduation rate, that 100% of male students graduated, and that 69% graduated with honours or high honours. She added that 54% of the cohort had already earned college credits before leaving secondary school, telling educators that “our children are not simply finishing one stage of the building” but are increasingly “already laying the foundation for the next.”

CSEC 2026: Overall pass rate 87%, 14 subjects at 100%, Mathematics up 20 points over regional average

The Minister also detailed the Territory’s June 2026 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) results, which the Ministry of Education has publicly reported as showing broad-based improvement. She said the overall CSEC pass rate rose to 87%, with 14 subjects achieving 100% pass rates, while English A reached a 96% pass rate compared with about 80% regionally. On Mathematics, she reported a 62% pass rate in 2026, up from 46% two years ago and 20 percentage points above the regional pass rate of 42%, adding that government data show the Mathematics pass rate climbing from 46.45% in 2024 to 52.61% in 2025 and 62.0% in 2026.

“Is 62% where we intend to stop? Absolutely not,” Hon de Castro said. “But we saw the crack. We did not cover it up. We measured it, we reinforced it, and the structure is getting stronger. That is what builders do, educators—that is what you do.”