Prayagraj: Students from smaller cities of UP have once again scored higher, as evident from results of the 2026 UP Board Class X and XII exams. Candidates from Sitapur and Barabanki came out with flying colours across both levels. Their consistent dominance in the merit list highlights a clear shift in the state’s academic landscape, with smaller districts outshining larger urban centres.In Class X (High School) results, top rankers Kashish Verma from Sitapur and Anshika Verma from Barabanki, both scored 97.83% marks. On second position, with 97.5% was Aditi from Barabanki, while on third rank with 97.33% marks were Arpita from Sitapur, Rishabh Sahu from Jhansi and Pari Verma from Barabanki. With 97.17% of marks, the fourth rank too was secured by candidates from Sitapur, Farrukhabad, Pratapgarh, Prayagraj, Ambedkar Nagar and Mau. Those on the fifth rank with 97% marks too were students from Sitapur, Saharanpur, Etawah, Fatehpur, Ambedkar Nagar and Gonda.In class XII (Intermediate) exam, Sitapur led from the front, with Shikha Verma securing top rank with 97.6%. The second rank was shared by students from Bareilly and Barabanki, while the third rank also saw representation from these two districts. Candidates from Sitapur continued to take the fifth and sixth ranks as well, Barabanki too boasts of multiple top performers across different ranks.Overall, Sitapur and Barabanki districts have not only matched but clearly outperformed several students from major cities, consistently occupying top positions in both examinations. Along with support from other smaller districts such as Bareilly, Gonda, Etawah and Ambedkar Nagar, this year’s results reflect a significant decentralisation of academic excellence in the state.The 2026 results clearly underline a powerful shift: Smaller cities are no longer in the shadow of larger urban centres. This was evident by the fact that no student from major cities, for that matter even Prayagraj, could feature in top 10 merit holders in Class XII, barring Amit Shahu from Kanpur at No. 7 place.In Class X too, the signature was the same, as if the top five merit holders are considered, it was dominated by students from smaller towns only, as just one student from Prayagraj (Avika Sharma) was at fourth position.
