To compile the 2025-26 league tables of day schools — co-ed, boys, girls and day-cum-boarding — 9,500 respondents comprising parents, principals, teachers and senior students were persuaded to rate them under 14 parameters or attributes. On the reasoning that there is more to education than academic or scholastic excellence (on which conventional league tables published abroad are based), the respondents were asked to rate schools on 14 parameters of school education excellence including academic reputation, curriculum and pedagogy, co-curricular education, faculty competence, leadership, infrastructure, value for money, teacher welfare etc. For the parmeter of excellence rankings of India’s Top 10 day schools, under the broad category of day schools, top-ranked schools in each sub-category (co-ed, day-cum-boarding, boys and girls) compete with each other.