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NCLEX pass rates by nursing school: where to find them

School-level NCLEX-RN pass rates come from state boards, such as Texas, California, Ohio and New York; NCSBN publishes state and national totals only.

Checked November 15, 2026
A hand holding a graduation cap
Photo: Pexels

Short answer: School-by-school NCLEX-RN pass rates are published by state boards of nursing, not by NCSBN: for example, Texas posts five years of first-time results for every program (its 2025 state average was 88.63%), and California, Ohio and New York post their own program lists. NCSBN's annual statistics stop at national and state totals, broken down by degree type, so start with the board of the state where the school is.

A checklist card for reading a school's NCLEX pass rate: first-time testers only, which year or period, how many tested, and the state's own rule, with the Texas 2025 average of 88.63%

Who publishes school-level pass rates

The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) runs the NCLEX and publishes yearly statistics. Its 2025 report gives results by type of candidate and, for first-time US-educated candidates, by state and degree type. It does not list individual schools. For national figures by year, see NCLEX pass rates by year.

School lists come from the boards that approve nursing programs. Four examples, read on November 15, 2026:

State Where the report is What it counts Latest period on the page
Texas Texas Board of Nursing, "Approved Texas Programs and NCLEX Pass Rates", PDF "NCLEX - RN Pass Rates for Last 5 Years by Program" First-time test takers, passed out of total, per program 2025 (calendar year)
California Board of Registered Nursing, "NCLEX Pass Rates" page First-time, California-educated testers, number taken and percent passed 2024/2025 (July 1 to June 30)
Ohio Ohio Board of Nursing, yearly "Pass Rate Report" memo to the Board First-time candidates who tested within six months of finishing the program Calendar year 2024 (memo dated March 11, 2025)
New York NYSED Office of the Professions, "New York State RN NCLEX Results: 2023-2027" First-time test-takers, percent with passed out of total Page covers 2023 onward

Other boards publish in their own way, or not at all. Find your board through NCSBN's directory and look under education or nursing programs.

How to read a first-time pass rate

A first-time pass rate is the share of a school's graduates who passed the NCLEX-RN on their first attempt. Repeat test takers are left out. Boards such as Ohio use this rate to review programs.

Check four things before you compare schools:

  1. Which testers count. California counts every first-time tester in the period, "even first-time testers who did not take the exam immediately" after graduating. Ohio counts only those who tested within six months of finishing.
  2. Which period. Texas and Ohio use calendar years. California uses July 1 to June 30. Two numbers from different periods are not a fair comparison.
  3. How many tested. Every board above shows the count with the rate. In a small class, a single pass or fail moves the rate a lot. Look at several years before you decide.
  4. Corrections. California notes that rates can change after it posts them in October or November.

What a board does with a low rate

Boards use first-time rates to monitor programs. Ohio, for example, sets its benchmark at 95% of the national average for first-time candidates in the same calendar year. A program below it must write a plan of action steps after the first year. After three years in a row, the Board may act on the program's approval status. Each state's rule is different, so read your board's own rule.

For students, a low or falling rate is a reason to ask the school direct questions: how it prepares students for the NCLEX, and what support it gives graduates who do not pass.

Comparing a school with the state and the nation

The Texas PDF prints the state and national averages under the school list. For 2025 it shows a Texas average of 88.63% for first-time RN candidates from Texas programs (14,580 of 16,451) and a national figure that matches NCSBN's published total: 86.7% of 192,916 first-time, US-educated candidates passed in 2025.

A school well above both, for several years in a row, with a reasonable number of testers, is a strong sign. One good year is not.

What to do next

  1. Find the program on its state board's list, not only on the school's website.
  2. Write down at least three years of first-time rates and the number tested each year.
  3. Ask the school which period its own advertised rate uses, and compare it with the board's number.

Common questions

Why does the school's website show a different number?

A school may count a different period or group of graduates than the board does. The board's report applies one rule to every program, so use it to compare schools in the same state.

Are NCLEX-PN school results published too?

Some boards publish them. Texas, for example, posts a separate "NCLEX - VN/PN Pass Rates for Last 5 Years by Program" PDF. Read PN results on their own, not against RN results.

Does NCSBN rank nursing schools?

No. NCSBN's public statistics report national and state totals. Any school ranking you see comes from another source.

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