12 January 2026
The feeling in the air was excitement more than nervousness when the Clifton College matric class of 2025 converged on the school to receive their IEB exam results on Monday afternoon, and those results reflected why they felt that way.
For a 20th year in succession, the school delivered a 100 percent pass rate. It also achieved a new highwater mark of 2.6 distinctions per candidate, with 97.8 percent of boys achieving Bachelor Degree passes. In total, there were 231 subject distinctions from the 89 learners.
“We’re really pleased with that,” Fiona King, Deputy Principal: Academics, told Pinnacle Schools about the number of distinctions per candidate.
Clifton College’s Dux, Jack Lawler, produced a spectacular set of results. He achieved nine distinctions and appeared on the IEB Outstanding List, which features learners who finish in the top five percent in the country in six subjects.
His overall average was an eye-opening 95 percent. He will be awarded Honours Cum Laude for his exceptional overall performance.
Vedarshan Moodley was included on the IEB Outstanding List, too. He averaged 92.4 percent while achieving 10 distinctions – in Accounting, Afrikaans, English, Information Technology, Life Orientation, Mathematics, Physical Sciences, Further Studies Mathematics Standard Calculus and Algebra, Further Studies Mathematics Finance, and Further Studies Mathematics Matrices and Graph Theory.
He placed in the top one percent in South Africa in both Afrikaans (First Additional Language) and Physical Sciences.
Huven Moodley, Clifton’s Deputy Head Boy in 2025, recorded nine distinctions, was included on the IEB Outstanding List, and placed in the top one percent in the country for Life Sciences and Physical Sciences.
Lucas Peria, a cornerstone of Clifton’s arts, was seemingly in every production in 2025, yet he scored an exceptional eight distinctions.
Five candidates – Jason Adams, Wasim Mulla, Head Boy Dasyan Naidoo, Julian Puterman, and Imran Vally – achieved seven As.
“What is special about the top set of boys is that they’re not just academics,” Fiona King commented. “Three of them are first team hockey players, there are first team cricket players. There are boys who have been in the school production, and leaders, including the Head Boy and Deputy Head Boy.
“That reflects the holistic education that we pride ourselves on at Clifton. That’s what we want. We want the boys to get out there, be involved, and have a really good set of results that will set them up for the future.”
King pointed to Physical Science as a subject in which Clifton’s boys excelled. “We achieved a 76 percent average for physics, with 58 percent of our boy receiving an A,” she shared.
“On the flip side, our Dramatic Arts boys performed strongly, as well. Their average was 84 percent. Top results!
“Maths, Science, and Engineering Graphics and Design (EGD) results were good, but Arts and Drama, too.”
Apart from an 84 percent average in Drama, 73 percent of the candidates in the subject received an A. In EGD, the distinction rate was 68 percent, with a group average of 82 percent.
History returned a 50 percent distinction rate and an average of 77 percent, while Clifton boys writing Mathematics, a problem subject in South Africa, achieved a 40 percent distinction rate and an overall average of 77 percent.
Visual Arts was also an area of high achievement, with a 63 percent distinction rate and a group average of 79 percent.
“A balance of academics, sport, and culture is really important,” King said. “We want the boys to be well-rounded, so that when they go university, where they’re on their own, they can work within time constraints.
“Here, at Clifton, it’s not just academics. They have to work in their sport, their arts, and community work. Knowing how to manage their time helps them to get through university.”
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