In international day-cum-boarding schools, day scholars benefit from the excellent infrastructure and facilities built for boarders and the latter benefit by way of student body diversity. Against 28 schools ranked in this category in 2017, the number has risen to 41 in EWISR 2022-23

Within the broad category of international schools, day-cum boarding schools are gaining increasing popularity because they offer students day and boarding options. Day scholars benefit from the excellent infrastructure and facilities built for boarders, and the latter benefit by way of student body diversity. And with a rising number of day-cumboarding schools offering the choice of five-days boarding, they have become the preferred option of nuclear households with working parents.

Therefore, it’s not surprising that the number of international day-cumboarding schools countrywide is rising year on year. Against 28 schools ranked in this category in 2016-17, the number has risen to 41 in EWISR 2022-23.

Since 2013 when international schools were segregated into day, day-cum-boarding and residential, the Indus International School, Bengaluru (IIS-B, estb.2003) has dominated the day-cum-boarding schools league table. This year too, 14,221 sample respondents polled by the Delhi-based Centre for Forecasting and Research (C fore) have voted IIS-B India’s #1 international daycum-boarding school with highest score under the parameters of teacher welfare and development, community service, faculty competence, leadership and curriculum and pedagogy (hybrid learning readiness).

“We are delighted we are ranked India’s #1 international day-cumboarding school for the 11th consecutive year in the authoritative EW India School Rankings. This is the outcome of our sustained effort to reinvent and transform K-12 education by integrating latest digital technologies, contemporary pedagogies and new knowledge into the school curriculum. Some of our innovations include introduction of a collaborative learning model; employment of robots as teaching assistants in classrooms; and designing a unique entrepreneurial skills development curriculum. Moreover, we are currently piloting a unique 10x International School initiative for classes IX-XII under which the curriculum is delivered in blended format through utilisation of latest digital technologies. All these initiatives are driven by our teachers who voluntarily sign up for professional training and selfdevelopment programmes. We value them very highly as is evidenced by IIS-B’s #1 rank under the parameter of teacher welfare and development across all international schools,” says Sarojini Rao, an economics and education alumna of Pune and Annamalai universities and principal of IIS-B since 2005.

[userpro_private restrict_to_roles=administrator,customer]

Even as IIS-B — conceptualised and developed by highly decorated military strategist and academic Lt. Gen (Retd.) Arjun Ray, CEO of the Indus Trust — continues to dominate the international day-cum-boarding schools league table, two other Indus schools in Pune and Hyderabad have also steadily risen in public esteem. Indus International, Pune and Hyderabad, ranked #7 and #5 respectively in 2021-22, have been promoted to joint #4 in this year’s league table. Moreover, the affiliated Indus Altum International School, Belagavi (estb.2019) has debuted at #10. That’s the extraordinary achievement of the Indus Trust (regst.2003).

The rise of IIS schools, has prompted a minor reshuffle of seats at top table. The International School, Bangalore has retained its #2 rank while Pathways World School, Aravali, Gurgaon has ceded ground and is ranked #3 (#2 in 2021-22) jointly with Greenwood High International, Bengaluru (3). Jayshree Periwal International School, Jaipur has retained its #5 ranking but Stonehill International School, Bengaluru has lost ground and is ranked #6 (4). On the other hand, Singapore International School, Mumbai has been conferred a big promotion to #7 (11) and jointly ranked with Aga Khan Academy, Hyderabad (8).

The Top 10 table is completed by Lancers International School, Gurgaon which has made a great leap forward to #8 (15) and is tied with Lalaji Memorial Omega International School, Chennai (7). Genesis Global School, Noida is jointly ranked #9 (8) with Sharanya Narayani International School, Bengaluru (9) and the previously unranked Indus Altum International School, Belagavi and Sadhbhavana World School, Kozhikode (10) complete the Top 10 table.

Dr. Jonathan Long, headmaster of the Aga Khan Academy, Hyderabad (AKA-H, estb.2011), is jubilant about the school’s steady ascent in the EW league table from #9 in 2019-20 to #8 in 2021-22 and #7 this year. Promoted by the Europebased Aga Khan Development Network Foundation, AKA-H is second in a network of 18 Aga Khan academies worldwide. The first was established in Mombasa, Kenya in 2003 (see EW January 2012), and third in Maputo, Mozambique in 2013 with another 15 academies scheduled to be established in several countries.

“For a relatively new international school, our steady ascent up the day cum-boarding league table is very encouraging. The mission of AKA-H is to provide highest quality education to students from diverse backgrounds, including children from marginalised communities. Our challenging, engaging and experiential curriculum enables students to discover their strengths and develop their passions. Our carefully designed 100-acre campus includes an organic farm, stateof-the-art facilities for academics, sports, recreation and a residential programme. I’m very pleased with our high scores under the parameters of curriculum and pedagogy, co-curricular education, and infrastructure. In this enabling environment the most precious gift an AKA education confers on young people is global mindedness,” says Dr. Long, an alumnus of Nottingham and Oxford universities, and former principal of Aiglon College, Switzerland, Mahindra United College, Pune and Woodstock School, Mussoorie. Currently, AKA-H has an aggregate 715 students and 88 teachers on its muster rolls.

Yet the biggest promotion in this year’s league table has been awarded to the Lancers International School, Gurugram (LIS, estb.2010), catapulted to #8 from #15 in 2021-22. Sited on a six-acre state-of-the-art campus in Gurugram, this Cambridge and IB-affiliated K-12 school has been awarded above-rank scores under the parameters of academic reputation, parental involvement, co-curricular and sports education.

“We are excited by our promotion to the Top 10 league table. It’s especially gratifying that we have been awarded excellent scores for academic reputation, co-curricular and sports education because provision of balanced, rounded and joyful education to children is our credo. For your information, although EducationWorld ranks us #8, LIS is ranked among the Top 50 IBDP schools in the world, #4 in India and #1 in North India by Education Advisers, UK. Continuous institutional improvement and innovation is in our DNA. We will soon become one of few schools in India authorised to introduce the International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme in classes XI-XII from the next academic year,” says Harshita Mann, the highly qualified alumna of University of Exeter and London School of Economics, and promoterdirector of LIS. Currently, the school has 700 students from 45 countries on its muster rolls.

A notable feature of this year’s international day-cum-boarding league table is the debut of several new institutions. Among them: Laxmi Global School, Valsad, ranked #19, Chettinad Sarvalokaa Education International School, Chennai #20, Alphabet International School, Palavakkam, Chennai #21 and Lucky International School, Jodhpur #25. Evidently, high-quality internationally benchmarked K-12 schools are in great demand.

With their well-equipped, capital-intensive campuses and digitally enabled classrooms, international day-cum-boarding schools seated below the salt in the 41-strong EWISR 2022-23 are likely to be disappointed. However, their promoters and principals should note that institutions ranked modestly in the national league table are likely to be celebrated heavyweights in their host states. For instance, KiiT International, Bhubaneswar, ranked #17 nationally is the #1 international day-cum-boarding school of Odisha (pop.43 million), Laxmi Global School, Valsad, India #19 is #1 in Gujarat (62 million) and Rungta Public School, Bhilai, ranked #29 nationally is #1 in Chhattisgarh (29 million).

[/userpro_private]