Kerala climbs to Prachesta-1 grade in latest school education index

Follow TNM's WhatsApp channel for news updates and story links.Kerala has improved its standing in the latest Performance Grading Index (PGI) for school education, securing 716.8 out of 1000 points and moving up to the ‘Prachesta-1’ grade. Among states, Kerala ranks second behind Punjab, which scored 723.6 points. Across both states and union territories, Chandigarh topped the rankings with 766 points and was the only administrative region to achieve the ‘Uttam-3’ grade.The Performance Grading Index, prepared by the Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL) using data from the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE), evaluates school education across 28 states and eight union territories. The assessment is based on 70 indicators grouped under two categories and six domains, with a maximum score of 1000.Kerala’s overall score improved from 687.7 in 2024-25 to 716.8 in 2025-26, enabling the state to move up from the ‘Prachesta-2’ to the ‘Prachesta-1’ grade.The state performed particularly well in the Access and Teacher Education and Training domains, achieving the highest ‘Utkarsh’ grade in both. Kerala scored 73.8 out of 80 in Access, reflecting strong student retention and transition rates. It also scored 92.4 out of 100 in Teacher Education and Training, making it one of only two administrative regions in the country to achieve the highest grade in that domain. Kerala also recorded 140.3 out of 240 in the Learning Outcomes and Quality domain, outperforming Chandigarh, which scored 110.6 out of 240.Despite the improvement, the report says Kerala still has “considerable ground to cover” to reach the maximum score of 1000 points and the ‘Utkarsh’ grade. It identifies governance and infrastructure as key areas requiring attention, including faster administrative processes, wider implementation of digital attendance systems for students and teachers, and further improvements in school infrastructure.The report also notes that while Kerala scored 220.3 points in the Equity domain, it continues to trail top performers such as Delhi and Chandigarh. It recommends continued efforts to bridge learning outcome gaps across different social groups and improve student transition rates.Among other south Indian states and union territories, Lakshadweep scored 672.8 points and received the ‘Prachesta-2’ grade, while Tamil Nadu scored 628.4 points, placing it in the ‘Prachesta-3’ category. Overall, the report notes that southern states continue to perform strongly in domains of student retention, learning outcomes, teacher education, access, and equity, while emphasising the need for continued improvements in digital governance and infrastructure.The article was written by a student interning with TNM.One of Kerala’s lowest paid professionals: The private school teacher