Page 52 - EW October 2025

Cover Story EW CO-ED BOARDING SCHOOLS RANKINGS 2025-26

As a result of Rishi Valley, Chit-
toor, Pinegrove, Dharmapur and
CIRS, Coimbatore — all co-ed board-
ing schools — having been elevated
to the new Ivy League category,
there’s been a re-arrangement of
seating at the top table of co-ed
boarding schools this year.
The superbly equipped Kasiga
School, Dehradun with top score
under the parameter of infrastruc-
ture, has been promoted to #2 (from
#3 in 2024-25); Miles Bronson
Residential, Guwahati to #3 (4)
and #1 in North-east India; Selaqui
International, Dehradun is #4
(2) jointly ranked with Punjab Pub-
lic School Nabha (5). This year’s
sample respondents have awarded
big promotions to New Era High, Sagar School, Alwar principal Tanu Tiwari: pandemic exodus recovery priority
Panchgani (#10 last year), Sagar
School, Alwar (9) and Anubhuti the parameters of co-curricular For reasons enumerated earlier,
School, Jalagaon (6) which are education and internationalism and it is encouraging that the 2025-
jointly ranked #5, completing the top pastoral care. To revive the morale 26 league table of co-ed boarding
table cohort. of our children and parents, we give schools is lengthier than last year’s
Tanu Tiwari, a medical sciences, high importance to co-curricular and substantially longer than of
education, English and life sciences subjects such as the performing arts, boys and girls boarding schools. It’s
postgrad of Guru Nanak University, sports and international outreach by important to note that all the institu-
Amritsar with a Masters in zoology participating in events and activi- tions included in this year’s table are
from Hemnandan Bahuguna Univer- ties of Round Square, UK, AFS and carefully curated fully residential
sity, Garwahl whose career trajectory Model United Nations organised by schools which by definition are likely
includes teaching stints in Mussoorie schools and various organisations, as to be more capital-intensive than day
International, Scindia Boys, Gwalior also students and faculty exchanges schools.
(2010-19) and Vidya Devi Jindal with schools abroad. This outreach It’s also pertinent to bear in mind
Girls (2019-24) and currently princi- has lifted parents and children’s that schools modestly ranked in the
pal of the Sagar School Alwar, is morale and I am confident that we national league tables may well be
elated by the big promotion awarded will recover our pre-pandemic enrol- top or highly ranked in their host
to this co-ed boarding school (estb. ment in the near future,” says Tiwari. states which are more populous than
2001). Especially since SSA is still Currently SSA has 120 students, in- most European countries.
in the process of recovery from a cluding 50 girls on its scenic 155-acre For instance the Rajghat Besant
large exodus of children during the campus in Alwar. School, Varanasi ranked India
Covid-19 pandemic of 2021-23. Beyond the top five, several other #9 is the #1 co-ed boarding school
“The big promotion awarded to high-quality co-ed boarding schools of Uttar Pradesh (pop. 220 million);
SSA by your knowledgeable sample have been awarded promotions in Ahbyasa International, Toopran
respondents indicates that there is the Top 10 table. Among them Isha ranked India #18 is top-ranked
rising awareness of the efforts that Home School to #7 (10); Sai In- in Telangana (pop.38 million)
the school management is making ternational Residential, Cuttack and St. Thomas Residential,
to recover from the pandemic when #7 (8); St. Michael’s Siliguri #10 Thiruvnanathapuram India #31
our enrollment declined from 280 (12) and #1 in West Bengal. Further is #1 in Kerala (pop.36 million).
in 2020 to 150 currently. There- down the Top 20, Himali Board- For parents anxious to provide
fore I am very encouraged by the ing School, Kurseong at #14 (20) the numerous advantages of
big promotion that your sample and Vikash Residential School, boarding school education within
respondents have awarded SSA this Bhubaneswar #20 (30) have been state boundaries not too far from
year. I am especially pleased with given big promotions by this year’s home, state rankings may be more
the high scores awarded to us under sample respondents. important than national.

52 EDUCATIONWORLD OCTOBER 2025