What Happens After KJSEA 2026: The Steps From Grade 9 to Grade 10

Last reviewed: 24 October 2026

The last KJSEA paper is sat on Friday 30 October 2026. For Grade 9 families, that is the end of junior school assessment and the start of a new process: results, placement and the move to senior school. KNEC and the Ministry of Education have not yet published dates for the 2026 cohort’s results and placement, so this guide explains the sequence based on how the first cohort was handled in 2025, and tells you what to watch for.

On this page

1. Step 1: Marking
2. Step 2: Results
3. Step 3: Placement
4. Step 4: Revising Choices
5. Step 5: Admission Letters
6. Step 6: Transfers if Needed
7. Step 7: Fees and Shopping
8. What to Do Now
9. Using the Holiday Well

Step 1: Marking

After the written papers, KNEC marks the scripts. The projects in Creative Arts and Sports, Pre-Technical Studies and Agriculture were done earlier in the year and already count. School-based assessment scores from Grades 7 and 8, and the KPSEA result from Grade 6, are combined with KJSEA.

Step 2: Results

For the pioneer cohort, KJSEA was sat in November 2025 and results were released on 11 December 2025, according to the Ministry of Education. The 2026 papers are earlier, in late October, but no 2026 release date has been announced. Treat any date you see on social media as unconfirmed until KNEC or the Ministry publishes it. Schools access results on the KNEC portal and print result slips. Our guide on checking a KJSEA result slip explains what to look for.

Step 3: Placement

The Ministry places learners in senior schools using a combined score: 60% KJSEA, 20% school-based assessment in Grades 7 and 8, and 20% KPSEA. Placement also weighs the learner’s pathway, their 12 school choices and the space available. In 2025, top learners in each sub-county got priority boarding slots, and slots were shared between counties using a formula. Read our placement and pathways guide for the detail.

Step 4: Revising Choices

In 2025 the Ministry said learners could revise their school choices for five days after results. Whether the same window applies in 2026 has not yet been confirmed. See revising senior school choices after results.

Step 5: Admission Letters

Admission letters are issued online, and Grade 10 admission is recorded in NEMIS/KEMIS. Principals may not admit a learner in the system before the learner physically reports. Our guide to Grade 10 admission letters and reporting covers what to check.

Step 6: Transfers if Needed

If the placement does not suit your family, transfer requests go through the junior school, with priority for learners who had chosen the target school. See Grade 10 transfer requests.

Step 7: Fees and Shopping

Public day senior schools charge parents nothing in 2026. Boarding schools may charge up to gazetted ceilings of KSh 53,554 or KSh 40,535 a year, spread over three terms. Read senior school fees 2026.

What to Do Now

• Let your child rest for a few days after 30 October.
• Keep the KJSEA assessment number somewhere safe.
• Look up the schools your child chose in the Senior School Finder, which covers all 9,569 public senior schools by name, KNEC code, county and cluster.
• Start budgeting for uniform and shopping lists if boarding is likely.
• Follow official announcements from KNEC and the Ministry of Education.

Using the Holiday Well

The long break before Grade 10 is a good time for reading and keeping Mathematics fresh, especially for learners heading to STEM, who take Core Mathematics. Our holiday after KJSEA guide has ideas. The Year Pass at KSh 4,000 keeps every paper, quiz and revision book open for younger siblings too.