Jamaica’s top student in the 2026 Primary Exit Profile (PEP) Examinations is from St. Elizabeth.

The parish was one of the hardest hit during the passage of Hurricane Melissa last October.

The Category 5 hurricane resulted in severe infrastructure damage and prolonged learning loss.

However, students were able to manage the exams, as the Education Ministry implemented format changes, targeted community tutoring and intensive catch-up classes.

Speaking at Jamaica House this morning, Portfolio Minister, Dr. Dana Morris Dixon, announced that the top PEP student came from the Park Mountain Primary School in the parish.

12,860 students from seven parishes were significantly impacted by Hurricane Melissa.

The pupils were from 440 schools.

Dr. Morris Dixon noted that despite the challenges, there was no major change in the students’ performance when compared to others who were not so severely impacted.