Parakh Rashtriya Sarvekshan: State govt schools fall far behind; SC, ST students lag in Classes 6, 9

Data from the PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024 shows that average student performance in India steadily declines from the foundational stage (classes 1–2) to the middle stage (classes 6–8). While girls and urban students generally perform better, children from historically-marginalised Scheduled Tribes (ST), Scheduled Castes (SC), and those enrolled in government-managed schools tend to score lower across subjects, especially in higher levels.

Learning, across India, shows a clear decline as children progress through school. While the average score in maths is 60% in Class 3, it drops to just 37% by Class 9, according to the PARAKH exam result data.

Girls consistently score higher than boys in language and social science, while urban students perform better than their rural counterparts in every subject. Central and private schools report stronger outcomes compared to state-run and aided institutions. Meanwhile, students from Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) continue to lag behind, pointing to ongoing educational disadvantages for historically marginalized groups.

Over 21.15 lakh children wrote the PARAKH exam 2024 on December 4. The test was conducted in 74,229 schools across the country and for Classes 3, 6 and 9. As large-scale assessment aimed at generating data-driven insights into student achievement, it replaced the National Achievement Survey (NAS). PARAKH – full form, Performance, Assessment, Review and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development – is an autonomous assessment body set up by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT).

Unlike the previous National Achievement Survey, the PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan is aligned with the National Education Policy 2020. The NEP divides school education into four stages – foundational (pre-school to Class 2), preparatory (Classes 3-5), middle (Classes 6-8) and secondary (Classes 9-12) – and the assessment is stage-specific, not class-specific. PARAKH tested a total of 21,15,022 students across India to understand learning levels at key stages of schooling. Of them, 5,99,026 were in Class 3; 6,63,195 in Class 6; and 8,52,801 in Class 9.

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PARAKH exam result: Foundation stage

Gaps between children attending different types of schools are the narrowest at this stage. Students of free state government schools are on par with, if not better than, their counterparts in fee-charging private schools. This is true for both mathematics and language – the two subjects in which the PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan tests students in Class 3.

Language and maths performance at the foundational level is relatively strong, especially among girls and students in private schools. Central government schools report slightly lower scores. Tribal students score lowest in both subjects.

PARAKH Exam for Foundation Stage: Class 3 average performance

PARAKH CEO Indrani Bhaduri sees the strong performance at this level as a sign of the government's foundational literacy and numeracy programme, NIPUN Bharat Mission.

"The results from the PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan offer clear and encouraging proof of the positive impact the NIPUN Bharat Mission is having on foundational learning," she said. "Particularly in Grade 3, there has been a notable rise in students’ foundational literacy and numeracy skills across many states. These outcomes underscore the effectiveness of key initiatives under NIPUN Bharat mission, intensive teacher training, structured classroom instruction, and continuous academic support. Not only are more students consistently reaching grade level benchmarks but they are also exhibiting stronger conceptual understanding of what they learn.”

Bhaduri added that this shows progress toward the foundational learning targets set for 2026-27. "This marked improvement observed at foundational level is expected to drive India’s performance in SDG 4.1.1," she said, referring to the Sustainable Development Goals.

PARAKH Exam Result 2024: Preparatory stage

From this point onwards, the gap between those attending regular government schools and fee-charging private schools opens up. However, the central government schools, such as the Kendriya Vidyalayas and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas, do the best. There is an 18-point difference in scores between state-run government schools and central government institutions.

In general, scores drop significantly in mathematics. Girls continue to lead in language and EVS. ST and SC students remain behind across all subjects.

PARAKH Exam for Preparatory Stage: Class 6 average performance

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PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024 Result: Middle stage

By the end of the middle stage, scores have fallen in math, science and language – in maths, it’s just 37% on average – and the gap between disadvantaged children in free state government schools and the more privileged ones in private schools is yawning.

Girls perform better in language and social science, while boys do marginally better in science. Central schools outperform others by a wide margin and again, Class 9 children from the Scheduled Tribes record the lowest average scores.

PARAKH Exam for Middle Stage: Class 9 average performance

The PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan result also shows that the preparatory and middle stages of schooling severely lack innovative and engaging approaches to teaching.

At the preparatory stage, less than half the maths teachers asked students to solve puzzles daily or attempted to connect learning with their experiences and environments outside the classroom. By Class 9, even fewer teachers are making such efforts. In consequence, the reports “key insights” exhort teachers to “enhance student learning outcomes through innovative teaching strategies”.