GCSE results for the Island's two public high schools were released by the Ministry of Education this week the first reported publicly since 2007.

Students at CedarBridge Academy and the Berkeley Institute achieved an overall pass rate of 43.8 percent and 45.7 percent respectively.

The Ministry did not state the total number of students that sat the examinations, which are optional in both schools.

Results for students enrolled in private schools, where the tests are part of the formal curriculum, were announced in September. Warwick Academy recorded an overall pass rate of 89 percent; the Bermuda High School for Girls 85 percent and Saltus Grammar School 79 percent.

At Berkeley, students sat exams in 12 subjects including science, English, maths, drama, Spanish and business. None of the students achieved an A* the highest possible rating. Six were awarded an A three in drama, one in Spanish and one in business. Two further students received As in Spanish at the GCE level.

Thirty-six of the 86 students who took the English exam passed ten were awarded a B, with the remainder receiving a grade of C.

Sixty-five students sat the maths exam six attained a B grade, 19 achieved a C grade. Nineteen students received a U.

At CedarBridge, students sat exams in eight subjects including art & design, English, maths, geography, business studies and Spanish.

Twelve students sat an unendorsed art & design exam one student received an A, seven a B and one a C.

Thirty-six students sat the English exam two were awarded an A, four a B and nine a C.

Ten students at the school sat the maths exam. One received an A*, two a B and three a C.

Two students received an A* grade in English literature. One student received an A in geography.

The Ministry did not respond to questions by press time yesterday.

Shadow Education Minister Grant Gibbons said: "Students who achieved GCSE A-C results must be congratulated. However it is difficult to evaluate whether the overall results are improving unless the Ministry releases information on the actual number of students who took the exam in 2008 and 2009, and how the results compare."