# Italian high school exam outcomes 2025/2026 > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/italian-high-school-exam-outcomes > Updated: 2026-09-03T05:56:05.000Z. Sources: 9. Developments: 3. In the 2025/2026 school year, the Italian Ministry of Education reported a modest rise in overall admission to the final state exam, with 96.7% of candidates admitted and 99.8% of those sitting the test receiving a diploma. While the share of perfect 100 scores fell from 7.1% to 5.3%, the proportion of students earning 100 with honors (lode) rose slightly to approximately 2.9% (14,123 students). This represents a record number of top honors, with the figure growing significantly from 3,000 in the 2006/2007 school year. However, these rising grades contrast with standardized Invalsi test results, which have shown a nearly constant decline in student competencies since the Covid-19 pandemic. Regional data shows a high concentration of lodi in Southern Italy, led by Campania (3,018), Puglia (2,104), Sicily (1,928), and Lazio (1,165). In Lombardy, the 2026 results showed a 99.5% pass rate, but top honors were notably lower than the national average. In Lombardy, the combined 100-and-lode category fell to roughly 1% of diplomas. Provincial analysis in Lombardy identified Cremona (6.7%), Mantova (5.8%), and Sondrio (5.0%) as leaders in top marks. Within the region, lodes were most common in licei (1.5%) compared to technical institutes (0.7%) and professional schools (0.2%). ## Timeline ### 2026-09-03: Italian Maturità exam sees record number of students achieving top honors Italian Maturità exam results show a record 14,000 students achieved “100 e lode” honors, though standardized test scores suggest a decline in actual competencies since the pandemic. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/italian-maturit-exam-sees-record-number-of-students-achieving-top-honors ### 2026-08-05: Italian high school exam results 2025/2026 show slight rise in pass rate and drop in perfect scores Italian Maturità 2025/2026 saw a 96.7% pass rate, a drop in perfect 100 scores to 5.3%, and a slight rise in 100 + lode to 2.9%, with the South leading in top honors. 3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/italian-high-school-exam-results-20252026-show-slight-rise-in-pass-rate-and-drop-in-perfect-scores ### 2026-07-29: Lombardy 2026 High School Exam Shows 99.5% Pass Rate as Lodes Drop Below 1% Lombardy's 2026 high‑school exam saw a 99.5% pass rate, a rise in 81‑90 grades, and lodes falling to about 1%, with Cremona topping provincial excellence. 4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/lombardy-2026-high-school-exam-shows-995-pass-rate-as-lodes-drop-below-1 --- Cite as: Italian high school exam outcomes 2025/2026. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/italian-high-school-exam-outcomes