EducationWorld India’s Best Boys Day Schools 2024-25

With most schools promoted in the new millennium being of mixed gender and some vintage all-boys schools going co-ed, the league table of boys schools is static at 30. Nevertheless some all-boys institutions enjoy king-size national reputations The league table of all-boys day schools has been shrinking over the years in the annual EducationWorld India School Rankings (EWISR). With most K-12 education institutions promoted in the new millennium being of mixed-gender and some vintage all-boys schools going co-ed (such as St. Germain High School, Bengaluru and Joseph’s Boys School, Jalandhar), the league table of boys schools has remained static at 30 primary-secondaries in EWISR 2024-25 (cf.28 in 2023-24). Yet while co-ed day schools steal the limelight in the annual EWISR, it bears repetition that the country’s shrinking minority of gender-segregated schools — especially boarding schools (Doon, St. Paul’s, Bishop Cotton) — enjoy king-size national reputations and often outperform their co-ed peers in school-leaving board exams. The 2024-25 league table of India’s best boys day schools has undergone a makeover (for vintage boys day schools, see p.284). Campion School, Fort, Mumbai, ranked #1 in 2021-22 and #2 in 2022-23 and 2023-24, has reclaimed its pre-eminent position. This year’s 8,700 sample respondents — parents, principals, teachers and education counselors — interviewed by the Bengaluru-based AZ Research Partners, have restored Campion (estb.1943) to its premier position, awarding this 81-year-old school top scores under five parameters of K-12 education excellence including faculty competence, teacher welfare and development, co-curricular and sports education, and community service. “We greet the news that Campion has regained its rightful #1 rank with pride, joy and satisfaction. Rather than being a setback, our #2 ranking of the past two years proved a stimulus to introspect, innovate and update. We focused our attention on improving curriculum and pedagogies and co-curricular and sports education — our traditional strengths. The top score this year for faculty competence and teacher development shows that this strategy paid off with our motivated, and tech-savvy teachers providing creative pedagogies and academic excellence. Another traditional strength of Campion is our comprehensive and intensive sports coaching programs in football, basketball, cricket, table tennis and chess enabling our students to excel in regional and state sports competitions. I am also pleased with our top score in social and community service because our boys work in active collaboration with several NGOs,” says Fr. (Dr.) Francis Swamy, former principal of the always high-ranked St. Mary’s, Mazgaon, who was appointed principal of Campion in 2020. Currently, the school has an enrollment of 762 students and 64 teachers. Following Campion is Birla High School, Moira Street, Kolkata promoted to #2 (#3 in 2023-24) and the previously #1 ranked St. John’s High School, Chandigarh at #3, jointly with DAV Boys Senior Secondary, Gopalapuram, Chennai, which has received a big promotion (from #5 in 2023-24). St. Columba’s School, Delhi is ranked #4 (4). SGVP International, Ahmedabad has leapfrogged to #5 (16) co-ranked with DAV Boys Senior Secondary, Mogappair, Chennai (9). “We are elated to learn that…