With a large number of conservative households insistent upon gender-segregated education, high-ranked girls schools provide a window of opportunity for a large number of girl children to acquire quality K-12 education

Tragic but true. Even in this 21st century day and age, there are not a few conservative households which insist on gender-segregated primarysecondary schools for girl children. Therefore, all-girls day schools serve an important social purpose. They provide girl children who would have been denied the opportunity to access high-quality K-12 education for cultural and religious reasons to access it. Therefore, in a society in which FPLF (female participation in labour force) has fallen to a dismal 20.3 percent, all-girls schools provide a window of opportunity for a large number of children.

This year despite a separate new category of vintage legacy girls schools (90 years and above vintage) having been carved out of the 2021-22 composite league table, the girls day schools league table is competitive and 61-strong (cf. 26 boys day schools).

In EWISR 2022-23, 14,221 sample respondents comprising parents, teachers, educators and senior students interviewed by the Delhi-based Centre for Forecasting & Research (C fore) have awarded top spot to Sacred Heart Sr Sec School, Chandigarh (SHSSS, estb.1968), ranked #9 in 2018-19, #7 in 2020-2021 and #2 in 2021-22. Moreover, they have awarded this CBSE-affiliated all-girls school highest score on five of the 14 parameters of education excellence, viz, competence of faculty, teacher welfare and development, individual attention to students, value for money, and community service.

We experienced joy, delight and gratitude to God as also the sin of pride on learning that SHSS is ranked India’s #1 girls day school. I credit this achievement to my teachers, children, parents and other stakeholders. They are the pillars of this institution, ever willing to collaborate and cooperate to help the school provide all-round education excellence. All the parameters — our excellent faculty, constant endeavour to provide individual attention to students and commitment to serve society — on which Sacred Heart has been top-ranked, have enabled us to deliver holistic education. This honour has motivated the entire SHSS team to re-double our efforts to develop competent, strong women of character with a sense of social responsibility.

-Sr. Arti, principal of SHSSS which has 2,900 students and 104 teachers on its muster rolls.

Ranked #2 in the truncated 61-strong 2022-23 league table of girls day schools is the Rajmata Krishna Kumari Girls Public School, Jodhpur (RKKGPS, estb.1992), promoted from #4 last year, followed by Modern High School for Girls, Kolkata at #3 (#5).

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Neera Singh, principal of RKKGPS, is delighted with the school’s promotion. In particular, she is gratified with top scores under the parameters of curriculum and pedagogy (digital readiness), infrastructure provision, sports education, and mental and emotional well-being services.

I am thrilled that RKKGPS is steadily heading towards the very top. We continuously strive to excel under all EWISR parameters and are gratified with top score awarded under the most important parameters. During the pandemic closure, our teachers made extraordinary efforts to design online curriculums and pedagogies and support children’s emotional and mental health. We are one of the few schools that has a separate SEL (social emotional learning) centre. Sports education is also given top priority and many of our students represent Rajasthan state in national tournaments. It’s humbling for us that the EW survey has acknowledged our achievements on these vital parameters of education excellence.

-Neera Singh, an alumna of Rajasthan and SNDT universities with over 25 years teaching experience, appointed principal of the school in 2008.

Likewise Devi Kar, the highly respected director of Modern High School for Girls, Kolkata (MHSG, estb.1952), is satisfied with the school’s consistent inclusion at top table.

Though assessment of schools is very important, I don’t believe ranking them is necessary. Having said this, I cannot deny that when the annual EW India School Rankings are published, I am delighted to see Modern High consistently ranked among the country’s top girls’ day schools year after year. Moreover, Modern High’s top scores under academic reputation, co-curricular activities, parental involvement and especially for mental and emotional well-being services, are particularly satisfying. Because these are parameters which all schools must consciously and urgently attend to and keep improving

-Devi Kar, director, Modern High School for Girls.

Currently, the CISCE-affiliated MHSG hosts 2,500 students and 155 teachers.

This year except for Carmel Convent School, Chandigarh, ranked #1 in 2020-21 and #3 in 2021-22, which had to concede some ground, all other girls day schools have benefited from the sub-division of the 2021-22 league table into vintage and non-vintage institutions. Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls Public School, Jaipur, has been promoted to #5 (#9 in 2021-22), NASR School, Khairatabad, Hyderabad to #6 (#10), Carmel Convent School, Delhi to #7 (#13), Presentation Convent Sr Secondary School, Jammu to #8 (#16), Walsingham House School, Mumbai to #8 (#15), Uttam School for Girls, Ghaziabad to #9 (#19), and Holy Child School, Ghaziabad (#21) and DAV Girls Senior Secondary School, Lloyds Road, Chennai (#18), are jointly ranked #10.

Several other girls day schools have also risen in public esteem to debut in the Top 20 table. Among them are Sushila Birla Girls School, Kolkata at #11 (#19), Sadhu Vaswani International School for Girls, Delhi #14 (#23) and Notre Dame Academy, Patna #16 (#30).

Moreover, it’s pertinent to bear in mind that all the Top 20 girls day schools are highly ranked in their states and cities. For instance, Queens College, Indore, ranked #25 nationally is the #1 girls day school of Indore and Madhya Pradesh (pop.82 million); Mount Carmel High School, Ahmedabad and Aspee Kanya Vidyalaya, Bilimora, jointly ranked 27, are the #1 schools of Ahmedabad and Navsari in Gujarat and Holy Child Senior Secondary School, Sonipat #34 all-India is #1 in Sonipat and Haryana (pop.27 million). 

Vintage legacy girls day schools

Though pursuit of rankings has never been our institutional culture, it is gratifying to learn that the quality of work we do is appreciated by the informed public. In the new vintage schools category, J.B. Petit’s legacy of distinction in education, heritage and long-standing traditions have been validated. The high scores we have been awarded for faculty competence, curriculum and pedagogy (hybrid learning readiness), academic reputation, leadership and quality of alumni are the result of sustained collaboration and synergy between our students, teachers, parents, management and support staff. I believe the credit for our #1 rank in this new category should accrue to our teachers who successfully implemented the online and hybrid learning model during the pandemic. Our #1 rank on the new parameter of quality of alumni is especially valuable because it proves that the public and educators are aware of our role in shaping hundreds of unique talented women leaders of the country.

-Benaifer P. Kutar, principal of J.B. Petit High School for Girls, Mumbai (estb.1865) which has 884 students mentored by 43 teachers on its muster rolls

For the complete table: EW India School Rankings 2022-23 – Top & best schools in India

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