Beyond CBSE 2026 toppers: Inspiring stories of brilliant Orchidians living with a disability

Every year, quietly, some students do something remarkable. They sit for their board exams while carrying challenges most people never see. There is no shortcut through it. No way to borrow someone else’s focus or set aside what makes the journey harder. They simply prepare, persist, and show up. The CBSE 2026 results from Orchids The International School carry a few of those stories worth telling.

A result that means more than you know

These results carry something no marksheet can fully capture. They carry courage. Across branches, students from the ‘Children with Special Needs’ category cleared their examinations this year. Each of them found their own path through the process while living with conditions such as ADHD, ASD, intellectual disabilities, learning difficulties, and anxiety-related challenges. Each result represents something deeper: time, effort, emotional strength, and an enormous amount of quiet, unseen persistence. That is what we are celebrating here.

The students whose journeys moved us

These are not just names on a results list. Each represents a journey worth recognising.

Jubilee Hills Branch

• Vismay scored 530 out of 600, earning 88.3%, while managing ADHD and a specific learning disability. That level of sustained focus and consistency across an entire academic year is something every parent and student knows is hard to maintain. Vismay did it anyway.

• Nathan secured 70% in his board exams. For a student on the autism spectrum, the structure and sustained pressure of a board examination is its own kind of challenge. He met it.

• Saadulla cleared his exams with 53.2% while navigating ADHD alongside significant cognitive strengths. His result reflects both potential and perseverance in equal measure.

New Town Branch

• Vatsal Tomar scored 61.4%, including an impressive 81 in English. For a student with a specific learning disability, excelling in a language-heavy subject makes this achievement especially meaningful.

• Rachit Tharad (45.6%), Aashika Agarwal (51.8%), and Ansh Mathur (49.6%) each completed their board exams while navigating intellectual disabilities and ASD. Each of them stayed committed and crossed the finish line.

Nigdi Branch

• Mayuri secured 66%, managing both learning and speech-related challenges.  

• Swaraj scored 78%, overcoming learning difficulties alongside a vision impairment. 

Their results speak to determination in its most honest form.

Palagully Branch

• Aarush Gandhi, Aadish Jain, Siya Bhansali, Shubham Bhansali, and Heath Jain all passed. That word may look simple on paper, but behind it lie years of effort, setbacks absorbed, and mornings when showing up took real courage.

Thane Branch

• Mohit Chettri passed his exams while managing severe anxiety and a conduct disorder. To sit in an examination hall and write, with that level of internal pressure, is not a small thing. It is an act of will. And Mohit did exactly that.

What the marksheet will never show

A result sheet captures numbers. It does not capture the journey. It does not show the repeated attempts it took to understand a single concept. It does not show the emotional effort required to stay consistent across months. It does not show the parent waiting outside or the teacher who stayed late.

For many of these students, reaching the examination hall was itself a milestone. What they did once they got there is something even more meaningful.

This is, at its core, why inclusive education matters. Not as a policy position, but as a daily practice of recognising that every child's starting point is different and that every child's progress deserves to be seen on its own terms.

Also read: Nurturing empathy and equal opportunity: Why inclusive education in India is crucial

What it actually takes

Results like these don’t happen by chance. They are built through teaching that adapts to the child, consistent encouragement, and an environment where students are understood rather than simply compared. 

At Orchids The International School, this belief shapes how we teach. Students are supported in ways that match their specific needs, building confidence gradually and moving forward at a pace that works for them. It is the same philosophy that underlies the preparation of every student who sits for their boards, whether they are aiming for a distinction or simply aiming to pass.

Also read: What does it really take to score 98%? A closer look at Orchids’ CBSE Class 10 toppers 2026

Rethinking what success looks like

There is a kind of success that does not announce itself. The student who overcame anxiety to sit for an exam. The child who improved slowly but never stopped. The learner, who needed more time, support and patience, and got there anyway. These are successes too. They may be quieter, but they are no less real.

If you are a student reading this and your result today felt small, know this: getting there was not small. Not even close.

A note to every parent reading this

Result season can feel overwhelming. It is easy to get pulled entirely into numbers and percentages, to measure your child against a column of marks.

But your child is more than a marksheet. Their effort, their resilience, and their willingness to keep going are the qualities that will carry them forward long after the scores have faded. The results you see today are one moment in a much longer story, and you have been part of every chapter that led here.

Also read: CBSE Class 10 result 2026: 5 things you should do immediately after checking your score

Every journey deserves recognition

Not every child's success looks the same. And that is not something to fix. It is something to recognise and respect. Some journeys end with ranks. Others end with a hard-earned pass. Both deserve to be celebrated.

Explore how Orchids The International School supports diverse learning needs through personalised attention, strong academic foundations, and an environment built on confidence and resilience. Connect with our admissions team to learn more.