Nationwide Pilot for Revised Senior High School Curriculum
More than 800 schools across the Philippines will take part in the pilot run of the revised Senior High School (SHS) curriculum for the School Year 2025-2026, according to the Department of Education (DepEd). This nationwide initiative aims to enhance the educational experience for Grades 11 and 12 students by introducing a “strengthened” program.
Education officials initially identified 727 schools deemed “highly ready” to implement the new curriculum. However, after receiving input from the Senate Committee on Basic Education, DepEd expanded the list to include “moderately ready” private and rural schools. As a result, the pilot now involves a total of 841 schools.
“Nag-increase [it increased], Mr. Chair, because we looked at the moderately ready so that we can have several more schools implementing the senior high school from the rural and the urban, so that we can address more issues as we do the pilot and the study as well,” an education official explained during a briefing.
Demographics and Selection Criteria for Pilot Schools
The 841 schools participating represent about 6.60% of the country’s 12,739 Senior High Schools. Of these, 580 are public institutions while 261 are private. Most of the schools—806 in total—are located in urban areas, with 35 situated in rural communities.
DepEd carefully considered several factors in finalizing the pilot list. These included the size of the school, whether it is in a rural or urban area, the types of academic tracks offered, and the school’s management structure (public vs. private and stand-alone vs. integrated models).
Implementation and Evaluation of the Pilot Program
As the pilot gets underway, DepEd plans to closely monitor its rollout across various governance levels. The agency has partnered with the Philippine Institute for Development Studies to create and conduct a thorough evaluation of the program’s effectiveness.
Teacher training for the pilot schools is scheduled from May 25 to June 7. This training will cover technical-vocational subjects such as technology and livelihood education (TechPro), agriculture, fisheries, and arts, along with core academic subjects. School leaders will also receive training to ensure smooth implementation.
The upcoming School Year 2025-2026 will officially start on June 16, 2025, and end on March 31, 2026.
Key Changes in the Revised Senior High School Curriculum
Last month, DepEd launched an online public consultation to gather feedback on the updated curriculum guides for Grades 11 and 12. One of the most significant changes is the reduction of core subjects from 15 per semester to just five subjects taught over the entire Grade 11 year.
The five core subjects now are Effective Communication (Mabisang Komunikasyon), Life Skills, General Mathematics, General Science, and Pag-aaral ng Kasaysayan at Lipunang Pilipino. Subjects removed from the core category will become electives, grouped under Academic and TechPro clusters, with updated content and classifications.
For more news and updates on revised Senior High School curriculum, visit Filipinokami.com.