Shillong, Jul 24: The Meghalaya government today launched the Meghalaya School Performance Grading Index (MSPGI) 2025-26, the first-of-its-kind school assessment framework aimed at improving the quality of education through data-driven planning rather than competition.
Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui unveiled the index, which assesses all 11,443 recognised schools across the state’s 12 districts using certified UDISE+ 2025-26 data.
Jyoti Sroat Higher Secondary, a private school in Shillong, was ranked on top with 930 out of 1000 points. This puts it in the Uttam 1 bracket for excellent schools. There are eight state schools in this bracket. No school managed the top-most bracket, Utkarsh (outstanding).
Jyoti Sroat’s PM SHRI school was ranked fourth. Army Public School’s Shillong and Ri-Bhoi institutes came second and third. Delhi Public School Khanapara was fifth, Synod Higher Secondary in Shillong sixth, Montfort PM Shri Lower Primary and Montfort Higher Secondary, both in Tura, seventh and eighth respectively. Star Public School in East Jaintia Hills came ninth and Hill Crest Higher Secondary in Shillong rounded out the top ten. The last two were in the Uttam 2 (very good) bracket.
At the other end of the scale, Step By Step Lawwahskei Lower Primary, a private school in West Khasi Hills, ranked lowest with just 26 points, putting it in the Akanshi 10 (intensive support) bracket.
The MSPGI evaluates schools on 43 indicators across five key domains – accessibility, digital education, infrastructure facilities, National Education Policy (NEP) activities and quality parameters – with a maximum score of 1,000. Each school will receive an individual report card detailing its overall score, performance grade and ranking.
Addressing the launch, Rymbui stressed that the MSPGI is not intended as a ranking exercise but as a diagnostic tool to help schools identify strengths and areas needing improvement. He said the framework is designed to support evidence-based planning by school heads, teachers, school management committees, district officials and the state Education Department.
The grading system is based entirely on self-certified UDISE+ data, ensuring assessments rely on verified information rather than subjective evaluations. Binary indicators are awarded full marks for compliance, while percentage-based indicators are scored proportionately. For indicators that do not apply to certain categories of schools, the weightage is redistributed to ensure fair assessment across different school types.
The state government said the MSPGI has been modelled on the Performance Grading Index (PGI) of the Union Ministry of Education, which evaluates states and Union territories on parameters such as access, infrastructure, governance and teacher-related indicators. While the national PGI assesses state-level performance, the MSPGI brings the same approach to individual schools, enabling them to directly contribute to Meghalaya’s overall education outcomes.
The launch comes as Meghalaya recorded progress in the national PGI, though from a low position. It improved its score from 401.62 in 2022-23 to 525.71 in 2025-26, moving from the Akanshi 3 category to Akanshi 1.
The Education Department has asked schools to use their report cards as the basis for an improvement cycle by reviewing results, identifying gaps, preparing action plans and seeking support from block and district authorities where necessary. High-performing schools have also been encouraged to mentor other institutions through peer learning.
Officials clarified that the MSPGI is intended to complement existing academic inspections and classroom assessments and should not be viewed as a standalone measure of students’ learning outcomes.
The minister reiterated the government’s commitment to evidence-based education reforms, expressing confidence that the new framework would help schools progressively improve institutional standards while strengthening Meghalaya’s performance in the national PGI in the coming years.
