The Ministry of Education has revealed the criteria that will guide the placement of learners to grade 10.

Speaking on Wednesday, April 23, the Deputy Director of Education, Fred Odhiambo, said placement of learners in senior schools will be based on pathways and accommodation.

The three pathways include Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM); Arts and Sports Science; and Social Sciences, while accommodation is based on gender, day, and hybrid senior schools, and special needs.

Learners currently in Grade 9 are set to transition to Grade 10 in 2026, marking the start of the senior school phase under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).

According to Odhiambo, learners will select 12 schools for their chosen pathways in three different categories.

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Nine of the selected schools should be boarding schools, three from the learners’ home county and six should be outside the learner’s home county. Additionally, three of the selected schools should be day schools in the learner’s home sub-county.

According to Odhiambo, learners will also be placed to senior schools depending on their choice of pathways, tracks, subject combinations, and schools.

Additionally, the learner’s academic performance in Grade 9 will also determine the senior school they will be placed to.

The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) will also consider the learner’s aptitude, interest, and talent identification during placement.

Other factors that the ministry will observe when placing Grade 9 learners to senior schools are regional balance, and school’s capability in terms of resources and space.