At the national level, Chandigarh leads as the top performer, securing a spot in the 'Uttam-3' category.
The latest government Performance Grading Index (PGI) 2025-26 offers a nuanced look at India’s school education system, moving beyond simple rankings to a grade-based evaluation. By grouping regions into specific performance bands, the index creates a balanced framework that highlights both structural progress and areas needing critical academic reform across various states and territories.
At the national level, Chandigarh leads as the top performer, securing a spot in the 'Uttam-3' category. Meanwhile, Punjab, Kerala, Delhi, and the union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu follow closely in the next tier. Notably, no state has yet reached the elite 'Utkarsh' grade, reflecting significant room for growth.
The evaluation relies on 70 indicators across two core categories: outcomes and governance. These encompass six domains, including infrastructure, equity, administrative processes, and teacher training. This multidimensional approach ensures that states are assessed not just on resources, but on the effectiveness of their educational management systems, providing a comprehensive metric for success.
District-level data reveals a challenging landscape: no district achieved the 'Utkarsh' status. While one district attained 'Uttam-1', only 13 reached 'Uttam-2', a decline from 16 in the previous year. Top-performing districts include seven from Punjab, four from Delhi, three from Kerala, two from Maharashtra, and one each from Chandigarh, Diu, and Himachal Pradesh.
Ultimately, the data confirms that while governance and infrastructure are steadily improving, the core challenge remains translating these resources into superior student learning outcomes. The absence of top-tier grades signifies that the national education system is currently in a transitional phase, needing deeper focus on academic quality rather than just administrative compliance to climb into the higher performance brackets.
