In the inaugural Ivy League tables in EWISR 2025-26, the number of capital-intensive and relatively well-equipped international day-cum-boarding schools included is five. All these schools are ranked #1 although they are differentiated inter se by stars and decimal points

TISB primary students: top score under 12 of 15 parameters. Inset: Dr. K.P. Gopalkrishna

Within India’s large and fast expanding middle class (430 million) and high income households in particular, international day-cum-boarding schools are becoming increasingly popular.

 They offer international certification, pedagogies and curriculums of reputed global exam boards such as Cambridge International (UK), IB (Geneva) and Advanced Placement (USA); well-qualified faculty often including expatriate teachers; superbly equipped campuses with excellent academic, sports and residential facilities for boarders. Day scholars benefit by accessing the excellent co-curricular and sports education infrastructure built for boarders.

Moreover, they also offer weekly board and lodging options that permit students to spend weekends with parents and/or relatives. Therefore, international day-cum-boarding schools tick all the right boxes for high income households, especially where both parents are gainfully employed.

Given that they tend to be more capital intensive and differ substantially in terms of infrastructure and institutional culture because they admit day scholars and boarders, ab initio in the annual EWISR day-cum-boarding schools have been assessed in a separate and distinct category. Taking this logic forward, this year consistently high-ranked and high performing international day-cum-boarding schools have been elevated to Ivy League status.

In EWISR 2025-26, five institutions have been elevated to the Ivy League category — The International School Bangalore; Pathways World School, Gurgaon; Harrow International School, Bengaluru; Jayshree Periwal International School, Jaipur and Aga Khan Academy, Hyderabad. Although all these schools are ranked #1, among them The International School Bangalore (TISB, estb.2000) is awarded 5-star status and top grading. (For ranking methodology details see p.42).

Dr. K.P. Gopalkrishna, the legendary promoter-chairman of the highly-reputed National Public School (NPS) group of institutions and TISB, is unsurprised that the garden city’s pioneer international school has been promoted to the Ivy League category with top scores under 12 of the 15 parameters of international school education excellence.

“I am not surprised that TISB has been elevated to the Ivy League category and awarded top scores under almost all parameters of international schooling excellence. Our IB board exam results are the best in India and among the Top 5 of all IB schools worldwide. As a result our school-leavers are not only welcome in the world’s best universities but have been incentivised with scholarships valued at $13.5 million by the world’s top-ranked universities this year. Moreover as testified by our top scores under 12 of your 15 parameters of international school excellence we ensure that our students are provided a balanced fulfilling experience in TISB. Academic rigour is complemented with excellent sports and co-curricular education and personalised individual attention. For this excellent performance our teachers rigorously trained in our TISB Training Academy — awarded highest score for teacher competence — deserve the credit,” says Gopalkrishna. Promoted in 2000 as India’s first new genre international school, the co-ed IB-affiliated TISB hosts 1,100 students and 285 teachers on its 100-acre campus in suburban Bangalore.

Ayush Periwal (left): highly motivating promotion

Ayush Periwal, CEO of Jayshree Periwal International School, Jaipur (JPIS, estb.2011) is delighted that this relatively young international day-cum-boarding has been vaulted into the Ivy League category of super nova schools. “This is wonderful news and highly motivating for a non-metro education institution. I am very satisfied with the high scores awarded to us under the parameters of teacher welfare and development, competence of faculty and academic reputation. These are inter-related focus areas for us and flow from the high priority we accord to continuously training our teachers in contemporary pedagogies and best education practices. The outcome is the excellent IB and IGCSE results awarded to our students. For instance, this year five of our students were IB Diploma world toppers with maximum 45 score and 59 students scored over 40. Last year our students were awarded scholarships valued at $15 million by top-ranked universities around the world. Yet I am most pleased with our highest score under the parameter of value for money which shows that we have succeeded in providing high-quality internationally benchmarked education at affordable price,” says Periwal.