This year, responding to feedback from stakeholders and expert advice from international education researchers, EducationWorld has introduced a new ‘Ivy League’ category to celebrate the “best of the best” schools that have consistently dominated EW rankings across critical parameters of excellence such as teacher competence, academic reputation, co-curricular, sports education, etc, over the years. While all are awarded a common #1 rank, these Ivy League schools are awarded stars (1–5) to differentiate them inter se.
Top Ivy League Schools, India #1 (5Star) 2025-26
Among the select schools elevated to the Ivy League category with India #1(5-star)rank this year are:
Ivy League Day Schools:
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- Inventure Academy, Bengaluru–recognised for its Fit-for-Life curriculum and balanced focus on academics, co-curriculars and student well-being.
- Vasant Valley School, Delhi, is acclaimed for teacher welfare and academic reputation.
- The Cathedral & John Connon School, Mumbai– quality of alumni with vintage excellence.
Ivy League Day-cum-Boarding School:
Ivy League Boarding Schools:
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- Rishi Valley School, Chittoor
- Mayo College, Ajmer
- The Doon School, Dehradun
Ivy League International Day Schools:
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- Dhirubhai Ambani International School, Mumbai
- Oberoi International School, Mumbai
- Ivy League International Day-cum-Boarding School:
The International School Bangalore
“The objective of EWISR is to identify and celebrate India’s most admired schools and their promoters, principals and teachers who toil unsung in city suburbs and remote corners of the country. Since 2007, EWISR has continuously evolved to accurately rank India’s best primary-secondary schools. The new Ivy League super nova category is a natural progression that ensures consistently top-ranked schools are celebrated as the ‘best of the best’ while allowing other schools greater visibility in national rankings. This innovation strengthens institutional pride, fuels healthy competition, with top-ranked schools serving as models to uplift the floor of primary-secondary education for the benefit of the world’s largest in-school population,” said Dilip Thakore, Founder-Editor, EducationWorld
In EWISR 2025-26, India’s #1 Day Schools are:
- The Shri Ram School, Vasant Vihar/Moulsari, Delhi –Day Co-ed School
- The Emerald Heights International School, Indore– Day-cum-Boarding
- Rajmata Krishna Kumari Girls’ Public School, Jodhpur-Girls Day School
- Campion School, Fort, Mumbai-Boys Day School
India’s #1 Vintage Legacy Schools in EWISR 2025-26 are:
- St. Michael’s High School, Patna- Vintage Legacy Co-ed School
- Modern School, Barakhamba Road, Delhi- Vintage Legacy Day-cum-Boarding School
·St. Mary’s School, Pune-Vintage Legacy Girls Day School
- St. Mary’s School, Mazgaon, Mumbai- Vintage Legacy Boys Day School
- The Lawrence School, Sanawar –Vintage Legacy Co-ed boarding
·All Saint School, Nainital- Vintage Legacy Girls Boarding
- The Scindia School, Gwalior-Vintage Legacy Boys Boarding
- Kodaikanal International School –Vintage Legacy International Residential
India’s top-ranked Boarding Schools2025-26 are:
- Sarala Birla Academy, Bengaluru# 1+along withWelham Boys School, Dehradun at #1 –Boys boarding
- Welham Girls School, Dehradun at#1+ along with Ecole Globale International Girls School, Dehradun– Girls boarding
- The Assam Valley School, Balipara –Co-ed boarding
India’s #1 International Schools in EWISR 2025-26 are:
- Pathways School, Gurgaon– Day
- Lancers International School, Gurugram – Day-cum-Boarding
- Jain International Residential School, Bengaluru– Fully Residential
This year, India’s #1 State Government Day School is the Government Model Sr Sec School, Sector 16, Chandigarh.
Army Public School, Delhi Cantt, ranked India’s #1 Central Government Day school, whereas Rashtriya Indian Military College, Dehradun, ranked India’s #1 Government Boarding School
SPJ Sadhana School, Mumbai, is the top-ranked Special Needs School, while Mukarram Jah School, Hyderabad(1+), along with St. Mary’s School, Kalyan, Mumbai, is jointly ranked India’s #1 Budget private school. Pardada Pardadi School, Bulandshahr, is the top-ranked Philanthropic School of the nation.
Ms Shubhra Mishra, Founder-Director, AZ Research Partners, added, “This year, we expanded our survey to 9,500 respondents across 34 cities in 22 states. By adopting a ‘quality over quantity’ approach and conducting structured, one-on-one interviews, we’ve ensured greater accuracy and authenticity in the rankings. The Ivy League clustering with star ratings reflects the reality that elite schools often differ only marginally – it’s an innovation that enhances fairness and credibility.”
The 14 parameters of education excellence on which the schools were evaluated are:
- Academic Reputation
- Competence of Faculty
- Individual Attention to Students
- Leadership/Management Quality
- Curriculum and pedagogy (hybrid learning readiness)
- Co-curricular Education
- Sports Education
- Community Service
- Parental Involvement
- Teacher Welfare and Development
- Value for Money
- Mental and Emotional Well-being Services
- Infrastructure Provision
- Leadership/management quality
- All legacy schools are also assessed under a 15th — Quality of alumni — parameter
About EducationWorld
EducationWorld (estb. 1999) is India’s #1 education newsmagazine with a readership of over 1 million comprising teachers, parents, and senior students. Its mission statement is to “build the pressure of public opinion to make education the #1 item on the national agenda.”
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