Since 2013, when international schools were sub-divided into three categories, the Dhirubhai Ambani International School, Mumbai has dominated the international day schools league table.

International schools affiliated with foreign boards such as the Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges, USA and Cambridge International Examinations (CIE), UK (e.g Woodstock, Mussoorie (estb.1852); Kodaikanal International (1901) and Hebron School, Ooty (1899)) have been providing internationally benchmarked education to a tiny minority of privileged domestic and foreign students for over a century. However India’s new crop of international schools distinguished by sprawling campuses, ICT-enabled infrastructure, 5-star residential facilities and affiliation with the Geneva-based International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO) and a rejuvenated CIE, are a new millennium phenomenon which has flowered in India after the landmark liberalisation and deregulation of the Indian economy in 1991.

In 2013 after receiving feedback from principals and parents, the broad category of international schools was divided into three sub-categories – day, day-cum-boarding and wholly residential international schools. Outrageously priced by Indian K-12 standards, but still heavily under-priced compared to high-end private schools in the West and even South-east Asia, India’s new millennium international schools have completely transformed the primary-secondary education landscape and are providing stiff competition to the pioneer vintage international schools.

Against this contextual backdrop, its hardly surprising that since 2013 when high-end international schools were subdivided into the day, day-cum-boarding and wholly residential categories, the Dhirubhai Ambani International School (DAIS), Mumbai, promoted in 2003 in memory of Dhirubhai Ambani (1932-2002) founder-chairman of Reliance Industries Ltd who within four decades built the company from scratch into the countrys largest private sector multi-business conglomerate (revenue: Rs.296,000 crore in 2015-16), has been dominating the international day schools category. This year too, DAIS, rated #1 in ten of the 14 parameters of education excellence (including academic reputation and leadership), has been awarded top rank by the informed sample respondents polled in western India.

The second slot has been awarded to the Ecole Mondiale World School, Mumbai which has retained last years position followed by the Oberoi International School which has moved up one notch, trading places with the Riverside School, Ahmedabad (4). The #5 rank is jointly shared by Aditya Birla World Academy, Mumbai (#6 in 2015) and International School of Hyderabad (3).

Nita Ambani, founder-chairperson of DAIS and director of Reliance Industries, is “thrilled” with the schools #1 all-India rank for a fourth consecutive year and top rating on the vital parameters of academic reputation, faculty competence and special needs education. “It is heartening that your respondents have acknowledged the hard work and dedication of each and every stakeholder of DAIS. I’m particularly pleased with our top ratings on the parameters of academic reputation, faculty competence and special needs education. This indicates that there’s growing awareness of the schools focus on academic excellence, students all-round development and well-being for which we recruit the best teachers and provide them ample opportunities for professional development”, says Ambani.

Further down the Top 10 league table of India’s best international day schools, the entry of the CHIREC International School, Hyderabad at #7 (ranked #12 last year), has pushed the previously Top 10-ranked Pathways School, Noida and Podar International School, Mumbai to #11 and #12 respectively. Another Hyderabad school which has risen in public esteem is Oakridge International, Gachibowli – promoted from #10 in 2015 to #8 this year – while Mercedes Benz International School, Pune has retained its #8 ranking. The Top 10 table is completed by the Sadhbhavana World School, Kozhikode and Billabong High International, Santacruz, Mumbai which are tied at #9 while NES International, Mumbai and Ryan Global, Mumbai are jointly ranked #10.

“We are elated that CHIREC International has been included in the league table of India’s Top 10 international day schools, and more particularly, ranked second in Telangana. This is the outcome of the hard work and efforts of our teachers and students who have made a conscious effort to improve the schools performance in all 14 parameters of education excellence. Over the past year, we have launched several initiatives including an academic audit of teachers and departments, and student-led community service projects such as Library on Wheels for government school children which have favourably impacted public opinion. Moreover, CHIREC is one of 20 schools worldwide selected for the Leadership of Learning programme of the University of Cambridge to improve the quality of teaching-learning. I believe its our focus on developing 21st-century skills without diluting academic excellence which has improved CHIREC Internationals reputation”, says Ratna Reddy, an alumna of Hyderabad and Iowa (USA) universities and highly respected educationist and edupreneur, who has also established (1989) the CBSE-affiliated CHIREC School (ranked #9 in the co-ed day category). CHIREC International offers the IBO and CIE curriculums to 1,148 students instructed by 97 teachers.

Snehal Pinto, director of the Ryan International Group of Institutions – India’s largest chain of proprietorial K-12 schools with 136 institutions countrywide – is equally pleased that the Ryan Global School, Andheri has retained its Top 10 national ranking in this highly competitive category. “We gratefully thank our Lord Jesus Christ for this honour, also our chairman Dr. A.F. Pinto and managing director Madam Grace Pinto, and our dedicated teachers for their support. We have maintained our #10 ranking for three years. Now that we have finalised a plan to intensify teacher training with pre and in-service certification programmes, and have signed a strategic partnership with PennHub and the state of Pennsylvania which will give our students quality higher education options, we expect our ranking to improve steadily”, says Pinto.

Beyond the Top 10 in the 36-strong league table of India’s most well-known international day schools, there’s been considerable churn with several newly promoted schools winning golden opinions. For instance, the SVKM JV Parekh International School, Mumbai, ranked #22 in 2015, has improved its ranking to #15 and Fazlani LAcademie Globale, Mumbai is ranked #18 (23). Moreover, several new schools have debuted in the international day schools league table. Among them: Ascend International, Mumbai (#21), Oakridge International, Bangalore (#26) and Hindustan International, Chennai (#30).

To view EW India International Day Schools Rankings visit  https://www.educationworld.in/rank-school/all-cities/international-school/day/2016.html