Page 232 - EW September 2025 Final

Cover Story EW INDIA IVY LEAGUE DAY-CUM-BOARDING SCHOOLS RANKINGS 2025-26

INDIA’S IVY LEAGUE DAY-

CUM-BOARDING SCHOOLS

In the inaugural Ivy
League tables in EWISR
2025-26, the number
of capital-intensive and
relatively well-equipped
day-cum-boarding schools
included is only five. All
these schools are ranked
#1 although they are
differentiated inter se by
stars and total scores

ne of the few progressive
policy initiatives imple-
mented by the Central Daly College principal Dr. Gunmeet Bindra: double celebration
Oand state governments of
post-independence India is to have most competitive. status and ranked highest. (For rank-
encouraged co-education (mixed Yet within the broad category ing methodology details see p.40).
gender education). This was a bold of day schools, day-cum-boarding Dr. Gunmeet Bindra, an
step towards attaining the goal of schools, because they tend to be more alumna of Calcutta University and
gender equality incorporated into capital-intensive and differ sub- the Delhi School of Economics, ap-
the Constitution over 70 years ago by stantially in terms of infrastructure pointed the first woman principal
newly independent India’s Congress and institutional culture, are widely of Daly College, Indore in 2022,
party under pressure from Mahatma regarded as the glamour section. welcomes the “brilliant and inspir-
Gandhi, because girl’s education was Taking this reality forward, day- ing idea” of carving out a separate
accorded low priority. As a result the cum-boarding schools have been Ivy League category for consistently
great majority of the country’s 1.10 separately evaluated for award of high ranked schools. “It relieves EW
million primary-secondary govern- Ivy League status. Moreover, since readers of the tedium of seeing the
ment schools are co-ed institutions, they constitute a minority within same names in the Top 10 league
although boys and girls still tend to the broad category of day schools, tables, incentivises schools to strive
be grouped separately in classrooms. the number of Day-cum-boarding for Ivy League status while enabling
Taking a cue from this progres- schools elevated to Ivy League status new schools to rise to the top in non-
sive official initiative, most private in EWISR 2025-26 is a mere five Ivy League categories,” says Bindra,
sector schools promoted after — Daly College, Indore; Green- also the first woman principal of the
independence were mixed gender. wood High, Bangalore; SAI top-ranked Welham Boys School,
Therefore ever since the pioneer International, Bhubaneswar; Dehradun (2012-20).
EducationWorld India School Rank- Neerja Modi School, Jaipur, and Bindra has double cause for
ings was initiated in 2007 to evaluate DPS, R.K Puram, Delhi. Although celebration. Not only has DC been
and rank India’s 3,000-5,000 best all these schools are ranked #1, elevated to Ivy League category,
schools, the league table of co-ed among them Daly College, Indore this vintage CBSE and Cambridge
day schools has been the longest and (DC, estb. 1882) is awarded 5-star International (UK)-affiliated co-ed

232 EDUCATIONWORLD SEPTEMBER 2025