Southern regions lead Maturità honors, but Invalsi scores lag

Nearly all Italian Maturità students passed in 2026—99.8%—with a record 14,123 earning the top grade “100 e lode,” concentrated in southern regions. The highest honors contrast with Invalsi test results: Campania, Puglia, Sicily and Calabria led in distinctions, while wealthier northern regions recorded far fewer. Plain 100/100 fell to 5.3% of graduates, from 7.1% last year. Classical and scientific lyceums showed the most distinctions, while middle-school promotion reached 98.6%, unchanged from last year; southern regions led.