# NASH Results 2025 Explained: Pass Rate and the Score of 65

FY 2025 NASH (formerly NQESH) results: 25.6% and 25.9% of takers met the PPSSH standards in four domains. What a 65 means and why the lists are not rankings.

This is the Markdown copy of [NASH Results 2025 Explained: Pass Rate and the Score of 65](https://nash.com.ph/blog/nash-results-2025-explained), an article on the NASH Reviewer Blog by Mark Anthony Llego, published Oct 26, 2026, updated Nov 4, 2026. Topics: Aspiring school heads, DepEd data. NASH Reviewer is an independent practice platform not affiliated with DepEd, BHROD, or NEAP.

The NASH (formerly NQESH) is the National Assessment for School Heads, which the Department of Education (DepEd) gives to aspiring school heads. DepEd released the results in [DepEd Memorandum No. 097, s. 2025](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2025/10/21/october-21-2025-dm-097-s-2025-results-of-the-national-assessment-for-school-heads-for-fiscal-year-2025-batch-1/) for Batch 1 and [DepEd Memorandum No. 044, s. 2026](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2026/07/04/july-4-2026-dm-044-s-2026-results-of-the-national-assessment-for-school-heads-for-fiscal-year-2025-batch-2/) for Batch 2. In both batches, about one taker in four met the Philippine Professional Standards for School Heads (PPSSH) in four domains: 25.6% in Batch 1 and 25.9% in Batch 2.

In this post, "pass" means reaching one of the two "Meeting PPSSH standards" levels. The memoranda do not use the word. They call takers at those two levels "Prospective candidates" for an entry-level School Principal position (DepEd Memorandum No. 097, s. 2025, p. 2).

## Key points

- **About one taker in four met the PPSSH standards in four domains in both batches.** In Batch 1, 2,899 of 11,308 completers (25.6%) reached that level. In Batch 2, 6,180 of 23,848 (25.9%) did.
- **Counting both "Meeting PPSSH standards" levels, the NASH pass rate was 39.0% in Batch 1 and 36.8% in Batch 2.** That is 4,408 and 8,771 takers who became prospective candidates for School Principal I.
- **Batch 2 did not do measurably worse.** The difference between the batches can be detected because the groups are large. It amounts to two or three people in a hundred at the lower two levels (2.5 and 2.2 percentage points). The memoranda give no basis for reading it as a change in performance.
- **A score of 65 is a standing relative to the other takers in the same batch.** It is not a percentage of items answered correctly. The memoranda do not state the formula that converts the standardized scores to the scale of 1 to 100.
- **The Regional Top Performer lists are not a ranking of regions or schools divisions.** Batch 2 lists run from 1 entry (NIR) to 551 (Region II). The sizes reflect how each region compiled its list.
- **Not being on a list does not mean you failed.** The two lists name 2,869 people, while 13,179 takers met the standards in three or four domains.

## NASH results 2025 by competency level

Both memoranda place every taker who completed the assessment at one of three competency levels. The level depends on the overall score and the domain scores, each on a scale of 1 to 100, with a cut of 65. The first level requires "a score of 65 or higher in the overall rating and in the specific ratings of at least 4 domains" (DepEd Memorandum No. 097, s. 2025, p. 2). The second requires 65 or higher overall and in at least three domains. Everyone else is "With Developmental Areas".

| Competency level | What it requires | Batch 1 takers (share) | Batch 2 takers (share) |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: |
| Meeting PPSSH standards in four domains | 65 or higher overall and in at least four domains | 2,899 (25.6%) | 6,180 (25.91%) |
| Meeting PPSSH standards in three domains | 65 or higher overall and in at least three domains | 1,509 (13.3%) | 2,591 (10.86%) |
| With Developmental Areas | 65 or higher overall but 65 in fewer than three domains, or below 65 overall | 6,900 (61.0%) | 15,077 (63.22%) |
| Completed the assessment | | 11,308 of 11,385 (99.32%) | 23,848 of 23,994 (99.39%) |

Batch 1 took the assessment on September 14, 2025, at 42 sites. Batch 2 took it on May 17, 2026, at 65 sites. The shares are of takers who completed the assessment, as the memoranda report them. Batch 1 figures are published to one decimal place and Batch 2 figures to two. Every published percentage agrees with its counts to within rounding.

The two "Meeting PPSSH standards" levels together are the NASH passers in the sense this post uses. They number 4,408 in Batch 1, or 39.0% of completers, and 8,771 in Batch 2, or 36.8%. Takers at the four-domain level are prospective candidates for School Principal I, subject to the qualification standards and DepEd's hiring guidelines. [School Principal I to IV: Promotion Under the ECP](https://nash.com.ph/blog/school-principal-reclassification-ecp) explains that path. Takers at the three-domain level are prospective candidates on the same terms. They must also take part in a Targeted Development Program (TDP) from the National Educators Academy of the Philippines (NEAP) within three months of appointment. Takers With Developmental Areas must complete Professional Development Interventions (PDI) and a Work Application Plan before they can be considered. The [NASH results page](https://nash.com.ph/nash-results) on the app describes each memorandum's next steps and how to get your certificate.

The competency levels are the memoranda's own. The memoranda also describe the NASH as a "developmental assessment tool" (DepEd Memorandum No. 097, s. 2025, p. 1). A level of With Developmental Areas is a referral to development, with a path back to candidacy, not a bar.

## Did Batch 2 do worse than Batch 1?

Batch 2 had a slightly smaller share at the three-domain level and a slightly larger share With Developmental Areas. The four-domain share was the same within the margin of uncertainty. The table gives each difference in percentage points, with its 95% interval. A percentage point is the difference between two percentages: from 13.3% to 10.9% is a change of about 2.5 points. A 95% interval is the range of differences that the counts are consistent with. If the interval includes zero, the two batches may have the same share at that level.

| Competency level | Batch 1 | Batch 2 | Difference, Batch 2 minus Batch 1 (95% interval) |
| --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| Meeting PPSSH standards in four domains | 25.6% | 25.9% | +0.3 points (−0.7 to +1.3) |
| Meeting PPSSH standards in three domains | 13.3% | 10.9% | −2.5 points (−3.2 to −1.8) |
| With Developmental Areas | 61.0% | 63.2% | +2.2 points (+1.1 to +3.3) |

![Two-panel chart. The upper panel shows horizontal bars of the share of completers at each competency level in Batch 1 and Batch 2: 25.6% and 25.9% met the PPSSH standards in 4 domains, 13.3% and 10.9% in 3 domains, and 61.0% and 63.2% were With Developmental Areas. The lower panel shows the difference between the batches with its 95% interval: +0.3 (−0.7 to +1.3) for 4 domains, −2.5 (−3.2 to −1.8) for 3 domains, and +2.2 (+1.1 to +3.3) for With Developmental Areas.](https://nash.com.ph/blog/_astro/competency-levels-by-batch.BdCnP5wE_Z1F7qrG.webp)

*Figure 1. The share of completers at each competency level in Batch 1 and Batch 2, and the difference between the batches with its 95% interval. Only the four-domain interval crosses zero. Chart: © 2026 Mark Anthony Llego, NASH Reviewer. [Download the full-resolution chart (PNG)](https://nash.com.ph/blog/charts/nash-results/competency-levels-by-batch.png).*

The two batches do not have the same spread across the three levels: a chi-square test, which asks whether two groups are divided in the same way, rejects that with p below 0.001. On Cramér's V, a scale from 0 (identical) to 1 (completely different), the difference is 0.036. By the usual convention, anything below 0.10 is called small. In plain terms, the two batches are divided in nearly the same way. A difference this small is detected only because the groups are so large.

The difference cannot be read as a change in performance, for three reasons. First, the memoranda do not say whether the two batches answered the same items, or whether the two sets of scores were linked in any way. Batch 2's memorandum says only that scores were computed "Consistent with the methodology used in the FY 2025 NASH (Batch 1)" (DepEd Memorandum No. 044, s. 2026, p. 2).

Second, the scores were standardized against the other takers in the same batch, as the next section explains. A method of that kind holds the share above any cut nearly fixed, whatever the batch's level of skill. The near-identical shares at the four-domain level may therefore be a feature of the method, not evidence that the two batches performed alike.

Third, the two groups of takers were not the same kind of group. Batch 2 was twice as large, and its mix of regions and positions is not published. Batch 1's memorandum also allowed Head Teachers and Assistant School Principals rated With Developmental Areas to retake the assessment: they "may opt to take" Batch 2 (DepEd Memorandum No. 097, s. 2025, p. 3). How many did is not published. With the published figures, a change in performance, a change in who took the test, and the scoring method cannot be separated.

## What a NASH score of 65 means, and what it does not mean

Both memoranda describe the same four steps for computing scores (DepEd Memorandum No. 097, s. 2025, p. 2). Each item was scored from 0 to 3. The scores for each indicator were totaled, "standardized using z-statistics to ensure comparability", and "converted to a scale of 1-100 for easy interpretation and comparison". Each domain score is a weighted average of the z-scores of its indicators, converted again to 1 to 100. The overall score is a weighted average of the domain z-scores, on the same scale.

A z-score shows how far a score is above or below the average of the group it is compared with, measured in standard deviations. A standard deviation is the usual distance of scores from the average. The memoranda give no fixed reference values and do not name the group, which is most likely the takers in the same batch. If so, a domain score or an overall score shows where a taker stands among the other takers of the same batch. A score of 65 does not mean that a taker answered 65% of the items correctly, and it does not mean that a taker met 65% of the PPSSH standard.

The memoranda do not publish the formula that converts the standardized scores to the scale of 1 to 100. That formula decides what a 65 is. The published counts set a floor, because the two "Meeting PPSSH standards" levels both require 65 or higher overall. At least 39.0% of Batch 1 completers and at least 36.8% of Batch 2 completers scored 65 or higher overall. Figure 2 compares that floor with two common conversions.

![Horizontal bar chart of the share of completers who scored 65 or higher overall. The published counts imply at least 39.0% in Batch 1 and at least 36.8% in Batch 2. If 65 were a percentile rank, about 35% would score 65 or higher. If 65 meant 1.5 standard deviations above the batch average, as in a T-score, about 6.7% would.](https://nash.com.ph/blog/_astro/what-a-score-of-65-could-mean.CY3UcrYS_18wKTq.webp)

*Figure 2. The share of takers at 65 or higher overall that the published counts imply, against two common score conversions. The memoranda do not state which conversion was used. Chart: © 2026 Mark Anthony Llego, NASH Reviewer. [Download the full-resolution chart (PNG)](https://nash.com.ph/blog/charts/nash-results/what-a-score-of-65-could-mean.png).*

One common conversion, called a T-score, sets the average at 50 and each standard deviation at 10 points. Under it, a 65 would be 1.5 standard deviations above the batch average, and only about 6.7% of takers would reach it if scores followed the usual bell shape. The published floor of 39.0% rules that out. A second conversion reads the number as a percentile rank. Under it, about 35% of takers would be at 65 or higher, which is below the Batch 1 floor and only just below the Batch 2 floor. That reading is unlikely too. A third conversion, which places the lowest taker at 1 and the highest at 100, is consistent with these published counts, but not with the actual scores from one region. Region IX's Batch 2 master list gives every taker's five domain scores. Each domain score moves in equal steps that stop short at 100: the strongest takers' scores were cut back to 100, and between 1.0% and 10.0% of the region's takers sit at exactly 100 in a domain. A conversion from the lowest taker to the highest never cuts a score back, so the Region IX scores rule it out, at least for Batch 2. Their equal steps also rule out a percentile rank. They fit a straight-line conversion of each domain's raw total, capped at 100; the post on [NASH results in Region IX](https://nash.com.ph/blog/nash-results-2025-region-9-zamboanga-peninsula#what-the-region-ix-scores-show-about-how-the-nash-is-scored) sets out the evidence. The constants of that conversion are still unpublished, so without the formula no one outside DepEd can say what share of takers a score of 65 is above.

Two scores from different batches may not stand for the same level of skill. Each batch was standardized against its own takers, unless DepEd linked the two scales in a way the memoranda do not describe. A 65 in Batch 1 and a 65 in Batch 2 are the same position in two different groups.

The memoranda say the scores were computed with the "Ordinal Partial Credit Model" (DepEd Memorandum No. 097, s. 2025, p. 2). The Partial Credit Model is a statistical model that estimates each taker's ability from the pattern of their answers and the difficulty of each item. The four steps the memoranda describe total the item scores and standardize them, which does not use that model's output. The memoranda do not make clear which of the two produced the published scores. Either way, the scores are relative to the batch.

Three details of the classification rule are also left open. The memoranda do not say how many domains there are; the PPSSH, under [DepEd Order No. 024, s. 2020](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2020/09/07/september-7-2020-do-024-s-2020-national-adoption-and-implementation-of-the-philippine-professional-standards-for-school-heads/), has five. The first two levels use "65 or higher" for the domain ratings. The third describes takers who "received above 65 in specific rating in fewer than 3 domains" (DepEd Memorandum No. 097, s. 2025, p. 3). A taker with exactly 65 in three domains fits both descriptions as written, and the memoranda do not say how such a case was decided. And a taker with four domains at 65 or higher also has at least three. The levels must therefore have been applied in order from the top, though the memoranda do not say so.

For a taker, the practical point is that the domain cuts decide the level. A taker can score 65 or higher overall and still be With Developmental Areas because fewer than three domains reached 65. The Individual Development Report (IDR), which Batch 1's memorandum says is sent to each taker's DepEd email, names the domains to work on. It tells you more about what to do next than the overall number does.

## Are the Regional Top Performer lists a ranking of regions?

Each memorandum ends with an enclosure that names the Regional Top Performers by region, with each person's schools division and examinee code. Batch 1's list has 1,009 entries in 16 regions. Batch 2's has 1,860 entries in 17 regions, with the Negros Island Region (NIR) added. The enclosures give no scores. Neither memorandum states how top performers were chosen or how many takers each region had. The full list of takers in each region, the "master list of all the FY 2025 NASH Batch 1 takers per region", goes to the regional office (DepEd Memorandum No. 097, s. 2025, p. 4), and whether to issue it is "at the discretion of each RO" (p. 4). To find a name or read a full list, use the app's [NASH results](https://nash.com.ph/nash-results) page, which has the [Batch 1](https://nash.com.ph/nash-results/fy-2025-batch-1) and [Batch 2](https://nash.com.ph/nash-results/fy-2025-batch-2) lists.

The lists are not a ranking. The chart shows why. Batch 1's counts run from 22 (Region XII) to 108 (Region IV-A) per region. Batch 2's run from 1 (NIR) to 551 (Region II). Between the batches, the number of completers grew by a ratio of 2.11, and the list grew by a ratio of 1.84. The regional ratios run from 0.05 (Region VI, from 56 entries to 3) to 5.40 (Region II, from 102 to 551). The number of takers and their performance cannot plausibly change that much from one batch to the next.

![Paired horizontal bar chart of Regional Top Performers per region in Batch 1 and Batch 2, in DepEd's region order, with a tick mark at each Batch 1 count times 2.11, the growth in completers. Batch 1 counts run from 22 to 108; Batch 2 counts run from 1 (NIR) to 551 (Region II). CAR has 96 and 339, Region I 107 and 322, Region IX 75 and 270, Region IV-A 108 and 26, Region VI 56 and 3. Totals are 1,009 and 1,860.](https://nash.com.ph/blog/_astro/top-performers-by-region.A8PFgN3V_1B7weG.webp)

*Figure 3. Regional Top Performers per region in each batch. The tick marks show what each Batch 2 count would be if every region's list had grown with the number of completers. The counts reflect how each region compiled its list, not how its takers performed. Chart: © 2026 Mark Anthony Llego, NASH Reviewer. [Download the full-resolution chart (PNG)](https://nash.com.ph/blog/charts/nash-results/top-performers-by-region.png).*

Three more signs point to each region compiling its own list under its own rule. In the Batch 2 memorandum, the page numbers restart with each region: page 4 of 10 for Region I, page 1 of 1 for NCR. The table style also changes from region to region. In 13 of the 17 Batch 2 regions, the entries are sorted by schools division, as a roster assembled from division lists would be. In 15 of the 16 Batch 1 regions, the entries are sorted neither by division, by name nor by code. That is consistent with some other order, such as rank by score, but the memorandum does not say. Inside regions, the Batch 2 lists lean on single divisions: Zamboanga del Norte holds 219 of Region IX's 270 entries, Isabela 235 of Region II's 551, Palawan 16 of MIMAROPA's 18, and Leyte 48 of Region VIII's 57. In Batch 1, Pangasinan II holds 81 of Region I's 107.

The Batch 2 list is far more concentrated than the Batch 1 list. The four largest regions hold 40.9% of Batch 1's list and 79.7% of Batch 2's.

![Line chart of the share of each batch's Regional Top Performer list held by its largest regions, counted from the largest down. The largest single region holds 10.7% of Batch 1's list and 29.6% of Batch 2's. The four largest regions hold 40.9% of Batch 1's list and 79.7% of Batch 2's.](https://nash.com.ph/blog/_astro/top-performer-list-concentration.B0PIIYba_28T50v.webp)

*Figure 4. How much of each batch's list its largest regions hold. The sizes reflect how regions compiled their lists, not how their takers performed. Chart: © 2026 Mark Anthony Llego, NASH Reviewer. [Download the full-resolution chart (PNG)](https://nash.com.ph/blog/charts/nash-results/top-performer-list-concentration.png).*

| Measure | Batch 1 | Batch 2 |
| --- | ---: | ---: |
| Regions with at least one entry | 16 | 17 |
| Smallest, median and largest regional count | 22, 63, 108 | 1, 27, 551 |
| Share of the list held by the four largest regions | 40.9% | 79.7% |
| Gini coefficient across regions (0 = all equal, 1 = one region has all) | 0.276 | 0.665 |
| Schools divisions with at least one entry | 172 | 89 |

What can the counts tell a reader? They show which regions and divisions put forward long lists and which put forward short ones. They give a floor on the number of takers in each region who met whatever standard that region applied. They do not show which region's takers did best, what share of a region's takers met the PPSSH standards, or how likely a taker from a given division is to be named. Two readings remain open. Regions may have used different cut-offs, for example all four-domain takers in one region and a fixed top number in another. Or the lists may reflect real differences in size and performance. The 551-fold range between the smallest and largest Batch 2 lists makes the first reading far more likely. Any ranking of regions or divisions built from these lists would rank reporting practice, not performance.

If your name is not on a list, you have not failed. The two lists name 2,869 people, while 13,179 takers met the standards in three or four domains. Your own result is on your Individual Certificate of Rating (ICR) in the DepEd Learning Management System (LMS); Batch 2's memorandum calls it the ICOR. Your Schools Division Office can help if you cannot open it.

## NASH results by region

The national memoranda report results for the whole country only. Eight regional offices also published counts for their own region, most of them with each schools division's takers at each level. The posts below compare each of these regions with the rest of the country within each batch. The figures below are the shares of takers who met the PPSSH standards in four domains.

- [Region I (Ilocos Region)](https://nash.com.ph/blog/nash-results-2025-region-1-ilocos): 56.5% in Batch 1 and 52.7% in Batch 2
- [Region V (Bicol Region)](https://nash.com.ph/blog/nash-results-2025-region-5-bicol): 17.1% in Batch 2
- [Negros Island Region (NIR)](https://nash.com.ph/blog/nash-results-2025-negros-island-region): 20.5% in Batch 1 and 12.5% in Batch 2
- [Region VII (Central Visayas)](https://nash.com.ph/blog/nash-results-2025-region-7-central-visayas): 28.6% in Batch 1 and 26.3% in Batch 2
- [Region VIII (Eastern Visayas)](https://nash.com.ph/blog/nash-results-2025-region-8-eastern-visayas): 19.5% in Batch 1 and 15.4% in Batch 2
- [Region IX (Zamboanga Peninsula)](https://nash.com.ph/blog/nash-results-2025-region-9-zamboanga-peninsula): 14.1% in Batch 1 and 30.2% in Batch 2, a Batch 2 figure that rests on one division
- [Region XII (SOCCSKSARGEN)](https://nash.com.ph/blog/nash-results-2025-region-12-soccsksargen): 13.5% in Batch 1
- [Region XIII (Caraga)](https://nash.com.ph/blog/nash-results-2025-region-13-caraga): 19.6% in Batch 1

The regions differ far more than the two batches do. The four-domain share runs from 12.5% (NIR, Batch 2) to 56.5% (Region I, Batch 1), around national shares of 25.6% and 25.9%. The regional counts describe who took the assessment in each region. They do not explain the differences, and like the top-performer lists, they are not a ranking of regions.

## What the memoranda do not publish

The memoranda give the counts at each level, the four scoring steps and the lists. They leave out the information a reader would need to answer the questions above with certainty. The main gaps are these.

- **The conversion to the scale of 1 to 100.** Without the formula and its constants, no one can say what share of a batch a score of 65 is above, or reproduce any score.
- **The number of domains and the order in which the three rules were applied.** The PPSSH has five domains, but the memoranda do not say so. They also do not resolve the overlap between "at least three" and "at least four", or the boundary at exactly 65.
- **The spread of scores.** The average, the standard deviation and the percentiles of the overall and domain scores in each batch would show where 65 sits.
- **How precise the scores are.** A test score carries measurement error. The memoranda give no reliability figure and no standard error at the cut. So no one can say how many takers sat close enough to 65 that a retest could move them to another level.
- **Whether the two batches are on one scale.** Nothing is said about shared items or any linking of Batch 2 scores to Batch 1.
- **Per-region counts of takers at each level.** The master lists went to the regional offices, so these counts could be published without names. Eight regional offices published them for at least one batch (see [NASH results by region](#nash-results-by-region)); for the other nine regions, none are publicly available.
- **The rule for choosing Regional Top Performers,** and whether each region used its own.
- **How many Batch 2 takers were repeating from Batch 1,** and their Batch 1 level.

DepEd may hold a technical report that answers some of these questions. The memoranda do not include or cite one. With the per-region counts, a reader could compute each region's pass rate with its uncertainty. With the formula and the spread of scores, a reader could say what a 65 means. With the reliability figures, a reader could say how firm a level near the cut is. With the selection rule, the lists could be read for what they are.

## What to do with these results if you will take the next NASH

1. **Read your score as a standing among your batch, not as a percentage.** A 65 says where you stood among the people who took the same administration. Do not compare your score with a colleague's score from the other batch.
2. **Work from your domain profile.** The level is decided domain by domain. Your IDR names the domains below the cut. Study those first, using the PPSSH guides for [Domain 1](https://nash.com.ph/blog/ppssh-domain-1-leading-strategically), [Domain 2](https://nash.com.ph/blog/ppssh-domain-2-managing-school-operations), [Domain 3](https://nash.com.ph/blog/ppssh-domain-3-teaching-and-learning), [Domain 4](https://nash.com.ph/blog/ppssh-domain-4-developing-self-and-others) and [Domain 5](https://nash.com.ph/blog/ppssh-domain-5-building-connections).
3. **Expect a similar share at the top.** In both batches, about one completer in four met the standards in four domains (25.6% and 25.9%). About two in five passed in the sense used here (39.0% and 36.8%). The next administration's memorandum will give its own figures.
4. **Do not use the Regional Top Performer lists to judge your region or division.** The sizes reflect how each region compiled its list. Use them to find a name, nothing more.
5. **Follow the memoranda's next steps for your level.** Three-domain takers take the TDP within three months of appointment. Takers With Developmental Areas complete the PDI and a Work Application Plan certified by the Schools Division Superintendent. NEAP issues the guidelines for both.
6. **Prepare for the format as well as the content.** The [NASH study guide on the PPSSH](https://nash.com.ph/blog/nash-study-guide-ppssh) explains what the assessment covers. The [practice questions with answers](https://nash.com.ph/blog/nash-practice-questions-with-answers) show the situational item style. The [Batch 2 mock assessment post](https://nash.com.ph/blog/nash-batch-2-mock-assessment-results) lists the setup problems that cost takers time on the day.

## How this analysis was done

This section is for readers who want the statistics behind the figures above. The two enclosures list 2,869 entries. For the 1,351 entries on pages without a region heading, the region is the one named by the region number inside the examinee code. Neither batch lists anyone twice, and no Batch 1 top performer can be identified in the Batch 2 list, matching by surname, first given name and middle initial, which is approximate.

The shares in the first table carry 95% confidence intervals computed by the Wilson score method: 25.6% (24.8 to 26.5) and 25.9% (25.4 to 26.5) at the four-domain level, 13.3% (12.7 to 14.0) and 10.9% (10.5 to 11.3) at the three-domain level, and 61.0% (60.1 to 61.9) and 63.2% (62.6 to 63.8) With Developmental Areas. The intervals treat each batch's completers as a sample from a larger population of potential takers. They cover that kind of uncertainty only, not measurement error at the cut, which the memoranda do not report. The differences between the batches use the Newcombe score interval. The chi-square test of homogeneity gives chi-square(2) = 46.63, p below 0.001, and Cramér's V = 0.036. Cohen's h, a standardized difference between two proportions where 0.20 is the usual threshold for small, is 0.006, −0.076 and 0.045 for the three levels.

The concentration of the lists uses three measures. The Herfindahl-Hirschman index, the sum of the squared regional shares, is 0.077 for Batch 1 and 0.178 for Batch 2. Its reciprocal, the number of equal-sized regions that would give the same concentration, is 13.0 and 5.6. The Gini coefficient across regions is 0.276 and 0.665. The Spearman rank correlation between the regional counts of the two batches is 0.55 (p = 0.027). A region's position in one list is only a moderate guide to its position in the other. The two conversions in Figure 2 were computed for the chart. Under a T-score, the share 1.5 standard deviations or more above the average is 6.7% if scores are normally distributed. Under a percentile rank, the share at or above the 65th percentile is about 35%.

Standardization within each batch is an inference; the memoranda do not say. The Region IX Batch 2 scores are consistent with it: their averages and spreads differ from domain to domain, so they were not standardized within the region.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the NASH passing rate for 2025?

The memoranda do not report a passing rate, because they do not use the word "pass". The two "Meeting PPSSH standards" levels make a taker a prospective candidate for School Principal I. Counting both, 39.0% of Batch 1 completers (4,408 of 11,308) and 36.8% of Batch 2 completers (8,771 of 23,848) passed.

### What score do you need to pass the NASH?

The memoranda use a cut of 65 on a scale of 1 to 100. A score of 65 or higher overall and in at least four domains meets the PPSSH standards in four domains; in at least three domains, it meets them in three. Both make you a prospective candidate for School Principal I. Otherwise, your level is With Developmental Areas. The 65 is a standing among the takers in your batch, not a percentage of correct answers.

### Did Batch 2 takers do worse than Batch 1 takers?

Not in any way the memoranda can show. The four-domain share was the same within the margin of uncertainty (25.6% and 25.9%). The three-domain share was 2.5 percentage points lower in Batch 2 and the With Developmental Areas share 2.2 points higher. That difference is detectable but small, and it could come from a change in performance, from a different mix of takers, or from the scoring method itself. The memoranda do not let anyone separate the three.

### Is the Regional Top Performers list the list of NASH passers?

No. The lists name 2,869 people across both batches, while 13,179 takers met the PPSSH standards in three or four domains. Each region's full list of takers goes to its regional office, which decides whether to publish it.

### Can I compare my Batch 1 score with a Batch 2 score?

Not on the published information. Each batch's scores were standardized against its own takers, and the memoranda describe no link between the two scales. A 65 in each batch is the same position among two different groups.

### Where can I see the NASH results 2025 and search for a name?

The app's [NASH results page](https://nash.com.ph/nash-results) lets you search the Regional Top Performers by name or examinee code and shows the full [Batch 1](https://nash.com.ph/nash-results/fy-2025-batch-1) and [Batch 2](https://nash.com.ph/nash-results/fy-2025-batch-2) lists. Your own result is on your ICR or ICOR in the DepEd LMS.

### Where are the NQESH results?

The NASH replaced the NQESH under [DepEd Memorandum No. 069, s. 2025](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2025/08/11/august-11-2025-dm-069-s-2025-administration-of-the-national-assessment-for-school-heads-for-fiscal-year-2025/). The FY 2025 NASH results are the two memoranda above. DepEd Memorandum No. 097, s. 2025 cites [DepEd Order No. 024, s. 2025](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2025/08/28/august-28-2025-do-024-s-2025-guidelines-on-the-implementation-of-the-expanded-career-progression-system-for-teachers-and-school-heads-in-the-department-of-education/), the Expanded Career Progression System guidelines, to let Head Teachers and Assistant School Principals rated With Developmental Areas take Batch 2, since that order treats them as on-stream candidates during the transition period (item 6). DepEd Memorandum No. 044, s. 2026 does not cite it. The [qualification standards FAQ](https://nash.com.ph/blog/nash-qualification-standards-faq) covers who may apply.

## Sources

- [DepEd Memorandum No. 097, s. 2025](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2025/10/21/october-21-2025-dm-097-s-2025-results-of-the-national-assessment-for-school-heads-for-fiscal-year-2025-batch-1/), Results of the National Assessment for School Heads for Fiscal Year 2025 (Batch 1), issued October 21, 2025.
- [DepEd Memorandum No. 044, s. 2026](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2026/07/04/july-4-2026-dm-044-s-2026-results-of-the-national-assessment-for-school-heads-for-fiscal-year-2025-batch-2/), Results of the National Assessment for School Heads for Fiscal Year 2025 (Batch 2), issued July 4, 2026.
- [DepEd Memorandum No. 069, s. 2025](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2025/08/11/august-11-2025-dm-069-s-2025-administration-of-the-national-assessment-for-school-heads-for-fiscal-year-2025/), Administration of the National Assessment for School Heads for Fiscal Year 2025.
- [DepEd Order No. 024, s. 2025](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2025/08/28/august-28-2025-do-024-s-2025-guidelines-on-the-implementation-of-the-expanded-career-progression-system-for-teachers-and-school-heads-in-the-department-of-education/), Guidelines on the Implementation of the Expanded Career Progression System for Teachers and School Heads in the Department of Education.
- [DepEd Order No. 024, s. 2020](https://www.deped.gov.ph/2020/09/07/september-7-2020-do-024-s-2020-national-adoption-and-implementation-of-the-philippine-professional-standards-for-school-heads/), National Adoption and Implementation of the Philippine Professional Standards for School Heads.
- Regional results memoranda of DepEd Regions I, V, VII, VIII, IX, XII and XIII (Caraga) and the Negros Island Region, and the Region IX Batch 2 master list. Each regional post cites its own.
- NASH Reviewer, independent statistical review of the FY 2025 NASH results in DepEd Memorandum No. 097, s. 2025 and No. 044, s. 2026, October 2026.

*Written by Mark Anthony Llego for NASH Reviewer. Sources: DepEd Memorandum No. 097, s. 2025 and No. 044, s. 2026; DepEd Memorandum No. 069, s. 2025; DepEd Orders No. 024, s. 2025 and No. 024, s. 2020; the regional results memoranda; the NASH Reviewer independent statistical review of the FY 2025 NASH results. NASH Reviewer is not affiliated with DepEd.*

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© 2026 Mark Anthony Llego, NASH Reviewer. All rights reserved. You may quote up to 100 words from this article with the author's name, its title and a link. In research, cite it as: Llego, M. A. (2026, October 26). *NASH Results 2025 Explained: Pass Rate and the Score of 65*. NASH Reviewer. https://nash.com.ph/blog/nash-results-2025-explained. Any other reuse of the article, its charts or its data needs written permission: email support@nash.com.ph. Terms of Service: https://nash.com.ph/terms#website-content-and-data
