Ludhiana's Jainika Jain just 1 shy of perfect score in CBSE Class X examinations, Yamuna Goyal tops Class XII commerce.

Ludhiana: Students from this city breathed a collective sigh of relief and celebration on Monday as the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) declared results for Classes X and XII. Among the top scorers were students from BCM Arya Model School, Shastri Nagar, which emerged as the standout institute this year, with four students scoring above 99.4% in Class X.

From Ludhiana, more than 40,000 students appeared for the Class-XII examinations and nearly 47,000 for Class X, claims district CBSE coordinator Harmeet Kaur Waraich, principal of Nankana Sahib Public School. Leading the city in Class X was Jainika Jain of BCM Arya Model School, who secured 99.8%, just one mark short of a perfect score. Jainika credited her success to consistent self-study and attentiveness in school, saying she avoided tuitions altogether. "Tuitions don't teach anything new," she said.

Following closely were her schoolmates: Ashnoor Kaur, who scored 99.4%, and aspiring to be a heart surgeon, Mehreen Kaur, also at 99.4%, who comes from a family of doctors and aims to join the medical field, Navdha Kukreja, who matched the 99.4% mark and dreams of becoming an aeronautical engineer.

Other city toppers included — Rashmeet Kaur of Amrit Indo Canadian Academy (99.4%), Kavish Jindal of DAV School, Pakhowal Road (99.4%), and students from Guru Nanak International Public School and Atam Devki Niketan School, both reporting scores above 99.2%.

Self-study over tuition

What set the top performers apart this year was their shared reliance on self-study over coaching. Most students devoted between 2 to 5 hours daily during the academic year, with increased preparation closer to exams. Common habits among them included routine discipline, staying attentive in class, and balancing academics with hobbies like music, art, and sports.

The results signal not only academic excellence but also a quiet shift in how students approach learning—valuing consistency and school-based learning over external coaching.

Some of the students who top-scored in the city in Class XII include Yamuna Goyal of BCM Arya Model School, Shastri Nagar, Vidushi Arora from the same school, Jashanpreet Kaur of Nankana Sahib Public School, Gungeet Kaur of Sacred Heart School Sarabha Nagar, Riva Jhanji of Kunan Vidya Mandir, Ananya Jain of DAV Pakhowal and Ajar Singla of Ryan.