Top-ranked in the international schools composite league table last year, Bangalore’s showpiece Indus International is unsurprisingly ranked #1 in India’s best day-cum-boarding international schools 2013.

Bangalores showpiece Indus International School (IIS, estb. 2003), which ended the five-year duopoly of the century-old Woodstock, Mussoorie and Kodaikanal International schools to be ranked India’s #1 international school in the composite league table last year, is unsurprisingly ranked #1 in the international day-cum-boarding schools league table of 2013. Accredited by the Geneva-based Inter-national Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO) and UK-based Cambridge Assessment International Examinations (CAIE), IIS, Bangalore has also been rated the country’s #1 international schools; across all categories on the parameters of co-curricular education, individual attention to students, leadership/management quality and community service.

We are delighted that we have been able to retain our top position even in the new format. Its a good idea to assess day, day-cum-boarding and wholly residential international schools separately as the challenges faced by institutions in each category are different, requiring differing management skills and expertise. In IIS, our philosophy from the beginning has been on delivering well-rounded education with an optimal balance between academic rigour and co-curricular education. That’s why we are particularly happy with our top ranking on the parameters of co-curricular education, individual attention to students and academic reputation. Moreover we are the only school in the country to incorporate a structured leadership curriculum for students and teachers. Nurturing and developing balanced individuals who can assume leadership positions any-where in the world is the mission which drives our management and faculty towards continuous improvement, says Sarojini Rao, principal of IIS, Bangalore, which has 1,200 day scholars and 300 boarders on its muster rolls.

An economics and education postgraduate of Pune and Annamalai universities and the Principals Centre for International School Leadership, Miami, USA, who was appointed principal of IIS, Bangalore in 2006, Rao is also thrilled that IIS two affiliated schools in Hyderabad and Pune; promoted in 2007 and 2008 respectively by the parent Indus Trust; are featured among the Top 15 day-cum-boarding international schools country-wide. IIS, Pune has moved up in the public esteem from #13 in 2012 to #6 this year, while IIS, Hyderabad has retained last years rank of #11.

Similarly Neeta Bali, principal of the IBO-affiliated G.D. Goenka World School, Gurgaon (GDWS) is elated about the promotion of the ten-year-old school to the Top 10 in the new segregated day-cum-boarding league table. Ranked #18 in the composite table last year, G.D. Goenka, which has 1,100 students from 48 countries including 400 boarders on its muster roll, has leap-frogged to #5, and is ranked #1 among all international schools nationwide on the parameter of infrastructure provision. Its wonderful that parents and academic communities have acknowledged the hard work and efforts our students and faculty have put in to raise academic standards, promote co-curricular education and internationalism. A supportive management, excellent teachers and student-centric philosophy have enabled us to create a nurturing environment where academics as well as skills and talents are developed. The all-India first position on infrastructure is unsurprising because our 60-acre campus is the best in the country offering air-conditioned class-rooms, three libraries with 30,000 volumes, several labs, excellent hostels, eight playing fields, indoor playing facilities, two indoor swimming pools, and a salon, says Bali, an alumna of Delhi University who acquired over two decades of teaching experience (Mater Dei, Delhi and Apeejay School, Noida) prior to being appointed principal and head of GDWS in 2008.

Subdivision of international schools into discrete categories has helped several other schools which were lost in the composite league table of previous years break through into the Top 10. Among them: Singapore International School, Mumbai ranked #4 (2012: 14); Indus International, Pune #6 (13); Genesis Global School, Noida #7 (22); Vidya Sanskar International School, Faridabad #8 (25); Canadian International School, Bangalore #9 (18),  Lancers International, Gurgaon #10 (20) and Bangalore International School #10 (21).

Comments Vasudha Neel Mani, principal of the CAIE, UK-affiliated Vidya Sanskar International School, Faridabad (VSIS estb. 2006) which has 400 students mentored by 55 teachers on its rolls: I’m happy this year international schools havent been lumped together and are instead divided into three comparable categories. Its best to compare apples with apples. Subdiv-ision has enabled VSIS to claim its rightful position among the country’s Top 10 day-cum-boarding schools. In the past two years under the leadership of our chairman Shanti Prakash Gupta, we’ve made special efforts to raise academic standards, promote experiential learning and values education, and embrace new thinking. Our education philosophy is centred on delivering vidya (learning) and sanskar (values) to students in a nurturing environment which develops them into competent and caring citizens, says Neel Mani.

Further down the international day-cum-boarding league table, several new schools have debuted including the Starex International, Gurgaon (#15, 2002); Candor International, Bangalore (#16, 2010); International School Aamby, Pune (#17, 2008) and Dawn International School, Kochi (#18, 2006).