In an obstinately partriarchal society rife with gender discrimination and crimes against women, girls-only schools discharge an important public service by dispensing K-12 education to girl children who would otherwise be denied it for religious and/or cultural reasons

RKKGPS, Jodhpur’s Neera Singh: #1 for third year consecutively

Continuous improvement and upgradation of India’s girls schools is indispensable for achieving goals of Viksit Bharat and $30 trillion GDP economy by 2047, when the country will celebrate its freedom centenary. In an obstinately conservative and patriarchal society where gender discrimination is rife and sex crimes against women and girl children are on the rise, girls-only schools discharge an important public service by dispensing K-12 education to girl children who would otherwise be denied it for religious and/or cultural reasons, thereby providing impetus to boost India’s female labour participation rate (FLPR) which is well below the Asian average. Therefore, the country’s most respected girls day schools which have built formidable reputations for delivering not merely rigorous academics but also excellent co-curricular, sports and life skills education to prepare girl children for leadership positions in industry, business and society need to be celebrated for their valuable contribution to national development.

To motivate them to strive for continuous excellence, since 2013 all-girls day schools are ranked separately and distinctly from co-ed and all-boys institutions in the annual EW India School Rankings (EWISR). Although the national trend is to promote mixed gender (co-ed) day schools — a progressive development — it’s important to note that the league table of all-girls day schools comprises 60 institutions (cf. 31 boys schools) indicating continuous demand for gender-segregated education for girl children.

In the latest EducationWorld India School Rankings (EWISR) 2025-26, 9,500 sample respondents comprising parents, teachers and educationists interviewed by the Bengaluru-based AZ Research Partners, have voted to maintain the status quo at top table.

Rajmata Krishna Kumari Girls Public School, Jodhpur is again ranked India’s #1 all-girls day school followed by Modern High School for Girls, Kolkata at #2 and Carmel Convent School, Chandigarh and Sacred Heart Sr. Sec School, Chandigarh, jointly ranked #3. Uttam School for Girls, Ghaziabad has also retained its #4 ranking of 2024-25 . Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls School, Jaipur has ceded ground and is ranked #5 (3 in 2024-25).

Neera Singh, the highly acclaimed principal of Rajmata Krishna Kumari Girls Public School, Jodhpur (RKKGPS, estb.1992), is “humbled” that this year’s sample respondents have reaffirmed RKKGPS as India’s #1 girls day school for the third consecutive year with top scores under the parameters of faculty competence, teacher welfare and development, co-curricular and sports education, mental and emotional well-being services and community service.

“RKKGPS’ #1 rank in India’s most trusted schools ranking survey is very fulfilling. It confirms that we are providing progressive, high-quality all-round education to girl children. In RKKGPS our girls not only receive academically rigorous education but also excellent co-curricular and sports education. They actively participate in events and competitions organised by national and international organisations such as Round Square, AFS Intercultural Programs, IPSC and BSAI. Therefore the highest scores awarded to us under the parameters of co-curricular and sports education are very satisfying. I am also pleased with our top score under the parameter of teacher welfare development, a high-priority area for us. Our 158 teachers are required to mandatorily attend monthly training sessions. This has translated into faculty competence and mental and emotional well-being of our students. Therefore our high scores on these inter-related parameters are valuable and indicate that we are progressing in the right direction,” says Singh, an alumna of Rajasthan and SNDT, Mumbai universities who acquired 25 years of teaching experience in several schools countrywide prior to her appointment as principal of RKKGPS in 2008.

Singh derives special satisfaction that this CBSE-affiliated school’s “extraordinary community service initiatives” have been acknowledged in this year’s survey. “Our highest score under this parameter is well-deserved because our girl children manage a sanitary napkins manufacturing unit on campus and also participate in several rural women empowerment programmes. We will be shortly launching a Silai Kendra to train rural women in tailoring skills,” adds Singh. Sited on a 6.5-acre campus in the historic city of Jodhpur, RKKGPS has 1,500 girl children including 250 boarders, mentored by 158 teachers, on its muster rolls. 

Sushila Birla Girls, Kolkata’s Koeli Dey: balanced blended learning

While there’s no change at top table, further down the Top 10 league table of India’s best all-girls day schools several institutions have risen in public esteem. Carmel Convent, Delhi has leapfrogged to #6 (19), Presentation Convent Sr. Sec School, Jammu to #7 (11), and Sushila Birla Girls School, Kolkata #10 (13). Meanwhile, DAV Girls Senior Secondary School, Lloyds Road, Chennai has ceded ground at #8 (6) while Sadhu Vaswani International School for Girls, Delhi retains its #9 rank of 2024-25.

Koeli Dey, principal of Sushila Birla Girls School, Kolkata (SBGS), is “greatly pleased” that the school has moved up in the national Top 10 league table with high scores awarded for teacher competence, academic reputation, co-curricular education and leadership.

“Promotion into the India Top 10 is recognition of our commitment to empower girl children through quality education and develop them into responsible leaders who contribute meaningfully to society. I attribute our improved ranking to the balanced blend of academic and extra-curricular learning, teaching innovations and holistic development in SBGS. Our students’ average scores in the CBSE class X and XII exams have shown consistent improvement with the class X average increasing from 87.44 percent in 2024 to 90.36 percent this year, and class XII from 87.66 percent to 88.46 percent. However at SBGS, education goes beyond textbooks and classrooms — we nurture mind, body and spirit of our girl children through robust co-curricular and sports education programmes. Very differently, we also encourage internships. Our students intern with reputed organisations such as Deloitte, Khaitan & Co, and Fortis Hospital. This has been enabled by our excellent, well-trained teachers who are continuously learning and implementing best pedagogies. Therefore, I am not surprised we have been awarded high scores for teacher competence, academic reputation and co-curricular education,” says Dey, an alumna of Calcutta University who in a two-decades career with SBGS served in several positions before being promoted to the office of principal in 2020.

DJHSG principal Chandrakala Mishra (front centre): Maharashtra #1

Beyond the Top 10, also there’s a substantial rearrangement of the seating order. Notre Dame Academy, Patna is promoted to #11 (12) though DAV Girls Senior Secondary School, Mogappair, Chennai has slipped to #12 (7) as has Sacred Heart Convent School, Jamshedpur to #13 (8) and GD Birla Centre for Education, Kolkata to #14 (10).

The big gainers are Diamond Jubilee High School for Girls, Mumbai promoted to #16 (20), Sophia High School, Bengaluru #18 (30) and Meerut Public Girls School, Shastri Nagar #20 (26).

Chandrakala Mishra, principal of the Diamond Jubilee High School for Girls, Mumbai (DJHSG) — established in 1947 by the Aga Khan Education Services (AKES) which runs over 200 pre-primaries and K-12 schools in developing countries including India, Kenya, Tanzania and the UAE — is jubilant about the school’s steady progress in the national league table from #29 in 2023-24 to #20 in 2024-25 and #16 this year, and especially with DJHSG’s Maharashtra #1 ranking. “We are elated with our continuous rise in the girls day national league table. It’s validation that we are moving in the right direction. I am especially thankful that apart from well-deserved academic reputation we have been awarded high scores for co-curricular and sports education. Over the past two years we have made determined efforts to provide our girl children opportunities to participate in varied co-curricular and sports activities to develop their life and leadership skills. This holistic education focus has paid-off with our students doing well in academics as well. I want to especially thank the AKES management for its unstinted support in enabling the school to improve under all parameters of education excellence,” says Mishra, an alumna of Mumbai University and former principal of Abhay International School, Mumbai, who was appointed principal of DJHSG (1,010 students and 55 teachers) in 2023.

An important caveat for parents who prefer to enroll girl children in day schools: it’s pertinent to bear in mind that for day schools national rankings are of less import than city and state rankings in that order. Schools modestly ranked nationally could be heavyweights in their host cities. For instance, Arya Mahila NM Model School, Varanasi, ranked India #16 is #1 in Varanasi and Uttar Pradesh (pop.235 million); Aspee Kanya Vidyalaya, Bilimora, ranked India #24 is the top-ranked day girls school of Navsari and Gujarat (70 million), and Holy Child Sr. Sec School, Sonipat, ranked #25 nationally is Sonipat and Haryana’s (27 million) #1 girls day school.