THE more than 47,000 11 and 12 year-olds who sat the Grade Six Achievement Test in March will know today which high school they will attend in September.

The GSAT results, containing students’ individual scores in five subjects, were yesterday dispatched to the six regional offices of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture.

According to the ministry’s communications director, Dorrett Campbell, the regional offices will send the results to their respective primary schools today.

Some 47,456 students sat the March 28 and 29 tests, in Mathematics, Language Arts, Social Studies, Science and Writing, 1,383 less than the number registered for the exams.

Head of the ministry’s Student Assessment Unit, Sephlin Myers-Thomas told the Observer it was not unusual for students to drop out at the last minute. “We never know until the very day of the exam how many will sit it. Students can drop out due to illness (or some other reason),” she said.

In the meantime, the ministry has awarded government and private sector scholarships to 62 of the students. Twenty-eight or 45 per cent of whom will attend Campion College in Kingston.

The Scotia Bank Award, given to the highest performing boy and girl in the island, went to Francis Xavier from Mt Alvernia Preparatory and Christina Thompson from St Andrew Preparatory. Scotia Bank also awards the top performers in each of the three counties: Cornwall, Middlesex and Surrey and these went to, Michelle Johnson from Black River Primary and Infant, Peta-Gaye Phillips from Naggo Head Primary and Craig Nicholas from Pembroke Hall Primary, respectively.

For the students with the highest mark from a primary, all-age or junior high school, the government awarded the JAG Smith Scholarship to Ashley Hamilton from Black River Primary and Infant and Rovaj Shirley from Mona Heights Primary.

The George William Gordon Scholarship, which is given to the boy with the second highest mark from a primary, all age or junior school, went to Odaine McMillan from Kilsyth Primary and Infant, while the Paul Bogle Scholarship, awarded to the boy with the highest mark from a primary school in the parish of St Thomas, went to Kymarni Hunt from Port Morant Primary and Junior High.

The Jamaica Teachers Association’s Aubrey Phillips Memorial Scholarship which goes to the child with the highest mark in the parish of Manchester, was awarded to Meshika Brown from Christiana Primary and Infant.