Top Leading High Schools In Kenya 2024: Ranked From 47 Counties In Kenya

High school is an important time of life that sets the stage for the rest of a child’s academic and professional future. Finding a suitable secondary school for your post-KCSE teenager in Kenya can be a daunting task and there are many considerations you should look into.

Emmanuel

Sep 22, 2023 - 09:10

Jan 7, 2024 - 15:06

Top Leading High Schools In Kenya 2024: Ranked From 47 Counties In Kenya

Every parent would wish his or her child to attend the best-performing high school. There are more than 10,000 high schools in Kenya. It's for that reason that we decided to enlighten you on the top leading high schools in Kenya for 2024. This will enable a parent or guardian to make the right choice for financial investment for their child or kin. Most important is that more than 70 percent of the students in these schools are admitted to the university directly.

Top Leading High Schools in Kenya

The top high schools in Kenya are listed in the list that follows. They were ranked based on their five-year cumulative academic performance.

Kenya High School

Kenya High is one of the best high schools in Kenya. It is situated in the affluent Nairobi suburbs of Kileleshwa. The educational facility was founded in 1910 and was once known as Nairobi European School. In 1932, it was converted to Kenya High school.

For many years, Kenya High has been one of the best-performing national schools in Kenya. The school contains more than 10 dorms, each with a capacity for 130 students and named after famous European women.

The controversial high school has a distinguished past and is a national school, therefore admittance is governed by the government's decree on the entry requirements for national schools in Kenya. It is crucial to remember that these cutoff times vary yearly depending on performance and subscription.

Starehe Girls Centre School

Starehe Girls Centre is a national boarding school located off Kiambu road, Bustani Estate in Nairobi County. The school provides secondary education to underprivileged girls from all of Kenya's counties. The school was established as a nonprofit organization in January 2005. It aspires to the same ideals as the well-known Starehe Boys Center. It meets all of the academic and social demands of females.

The stated aim was and still remains to provide high-quality multi-disciplinary education to Kenyan girls from orphaned and destitute families; to enable such girls to develop life skills and provide the relevant support needed for them to achieve their dreams and ambitions.

Starehe Girls Centre was founded on the principles and ethos of the Starehe Boys Centre, collectively known as The Starehe Way. The school motto: Our Education, Our Strength (Elimu Yetu, Nguvu Yetu) reflects the spirit of academic excellence that permeates the culture of the Centre.

As one of the academic giants and well-performing schools in Kenya, Satrehe Girls’ Centre has maintained a run-in good results over the years in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams. They had a mean score of 8.69 (B-) in the last national examination. Out of these, 147 students who scored grade C+ (Plus) and above qualified to join public Universities.

Mang’u High School

Established in 1952 by the Roman Catholic Church, Mangu High School is a boarding school for boys alone. It is one of the best boys’ high schools. It is situated six kilometers from the thriving Thika town in Kiambu County along Kenya's Thika superhighway. The school's motto is Jishinde Ushinde, which translates to "conquer oneself to conquer,". The school was established at Kabaa by Michael Witte, a dedicated Dutch priest who served with the Holy Ghost Fathers.

Mangu High School KCSE's performance has been impressive since its inception. Often, the school ranks at the top list of national schools in Kenya. The school produced the top student in the country in the 2021 examinations, Ndera Obura who scored grade A of 87.167 points. The school posted a mean score of 10.284 in the 2021 KSCE results, compared to 10.279 in the 2020 KSCE. 500 students sat the exam.

Alliance High School

The first school in Kenya to provide high school education to Africans was Alliance High School (or AHS), sometimes known as "Bush." The Church of Scotland Mission, an alliance of Protestant churches, launched it on March 1st, 1926. The school is located in Kikuyu, which is roughly 22 km (12 mi) from Nairobi's financial area. It has consistently been among the top 10 schools in each year's National Exams.

If you are fortunate enough to attend Alliance High School, you will have a lot on your plate outside of the typical classroom setting. The school has a band, a golf club, a research club, and a chess club. You can also join a number of religious organizations, such as a Sunday School Society, the S.D.A. society, and the Christian Union (C.U.). You can participate in the many athletic activities offered by the educational institution if you desire more.

Maseno School

The public national boys boarding secondary school is among the top ten best high schools in Kenya. It is situated in Maseno, Kenya, along the Kisumu-Busia route. It is one of Kenya's oldest secondary institutions. The school was founded by the Church Missionary Society's missionaries in 1906.

Barack Obama Snr., the father of former US President Barack Obama and a prominent government economist, is one of the school's notable alumni. The school is renowned for performing exceptionally well in both regional and national exams. In the KCSE of 2015, it came in second place overall.

Selection for form one is often based on academic standing in the KCPE exams. Priority is given to pupils who scored highly on tests and made the institution their top choice.

Moi Girls School, Eldoret

Moi Girls' High School is one of the most sought-after institutions for admissions because it is among the top 100 high schools in Kenya. Moi Girls' High School - Eldoret is a prestigious national girls' boarding school founded in 1928 and is situated just outside the city center of Eldoret, Kenya. The Republic of Kenya's Ministry of Education selected the board of management to run the institution. It is a nondenominational Christian school.

Moi Girls' High School, a powerhouse in academics, consistently ranks first in performance at the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education, or KCSE. The school enrolled 274 applicants for the 2017 exams, and they managed a mean score of 9.3486 (B+ plus), with 270 of them securing university spots.

Besides academics, it also has clubs and societies that students are encouraged to join. Also, there are some co-curricular activities which include basketball, volleyball, and many others.

Maryhill Girls High School

The school is a national girls’ national boarding, located at Thika along Thika-Gatukuyu road. It had a student population of 1000 plus students. It has six streams and offers seventeen subjects in the 8-4-4-Kenyan curriculum. The school also offers a variety of other co-curricular activities such as drama, music, variety of games like swimming, hockey, volleyball, and tennis just to name a few.

in performance, the school's current mean score stands at 9.152 (KCSE 2021) results. It was ranked position 6 nationally. The school is endowed with facilities including classrooms, dormitories, kitchen and dining hall, computer lab, science labs, and home science rooms to name but a few of the facilities available. The environment is very conducive to learning as there is no disturbance from the outside world.

Moi Kabarak High School

Moi High School Kabarak, one of the top performing secondary schools in Kenya, is a mixed boarding school located along Nakuru – Eldama Ravine Road; in Nakuru County. It is considered one of the best mixed high schools in Kenya.

The school was established in 1979 by H.E Daniel Arap Moi (The Second President of the Republic of Kenya) on his expansive Kabarak farm. The school has prestigious boarding tuition facilities. The school is categorized as a private school. Moi High School – Kabarak is a private Christian Co-educational institution offering an 8.4.4 curriculum.

The school is consistently ranked among Kenya’s top-performing schools in each year’s national examination results; a result it has maintained for many years, now. Students that do the best academically are attracted to the school. For Kabarak entrance, a test score of at least 380 on the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) is required.

Kapsabet Boys High School

Kapsabet Boys High School is one of Kenya's prestigious national schools, it is among the top 50 best high schools in Kenya. The school is situated in Nandi County's Kapsabet Town. It is one of the first high schools in Kenya, it was founded in 1925 as the Government African School (GAS).

Daniel Arap Moi, the second president of the Republic of Kenya, and William Ruto, the current President of the Republic of Kenya are examples of notable alumni from the school. The school consistently receives top rankings. For instance, with a mean score of 11.16 out of 12, it was placed second nationally in 2014 and fourth overall in 2013.

Nairobi School

Nairobi School is an outstanding educational institute that has been named one of the greatest national schools in the nation. The school's focus on the student's intellectual, spiritual, and educational development has aided in providing only the greatest results. The school is among the most disciplined high schools in Kenya.

The school's performance during the previous years is a sign of its unrivaled greatness. It was founded in 1929. It has a population of around 1104 students, who come from all 47 counties in Kenya. It’s located about 11 kilometers from Nairobi city.

Nairobi School is one of the educational institutions that has consistently produced excellent results in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) over the years. In 2020, the institution registered 374 students to sit for KCSE. The institution recorded a mean point of 9.41 points with a pass rate of 93.85%.

KCSE BEST SCHOOLS FROM EVERY COUNTY IN KENYA (2023)

CODE	County	Best Performing High School	2023 KCSE mean
001	Mombasa	Light Academy Mombasa	9.9
002	Kwale	Kwale High School	8.4
003	Kilifi	Bahari Girls High School	7.09
004	Tana River	Tarasaa High School	6.9
005	Lamu	Mpeketoni Boys High school	6.46
006	Taita-Taveta	Kenyatta Mwatate High School	7.7
007	Garissa	DERTU SECONDARY SCHOOL	8.8
008	Wajir	Danaba Mixed	7.2
009	Mandera	Mandera Secondary	7.88
010	Marsabit	Butiye Mixed Secondary	7.059
011	Isiolo	Algani Girls	6.8
012	Meru	Kaaga Girls	9.96
013	Tharaka-Nithi	Chogoria Girls High School	8.65
014	Embu	Moi Girls Mbiruri	8.6
015	Kitui	Matinyani Secondary	9.9
016	Machakos	Kathiana Girls High School	9.12
017	Makueni	Mt. Carmel Girls	9.2
018	Nyandarua	Heni Secondary	6.6
019	Nyeri	Kagumo High	9.58
020	Kirinyaga	Kabare Girls	8.7
021	Murang’a	Murang’a High	9.5
022	Kiambu	Alliance Girls	10.52
023	Turkana	Katilu Boys	7.58
024	West Pokot	St Daniel Comboni Kaptabuk Boys	8.25
025	Samburu	Good Shepherd Minor Seminary	7.9
026	Trans-Nzoia	St. Brigid’s Kiminini	10.5
027	Uasin Gishu	Moi Girls Eldoret	10.06
028	Elgeyo-Markwet	Metkei Girls	8.96
029	Nandi	Kapsabet Boys	10.08
030	Baringo	Osen Girls High School	9.2
031	Laikipia	Nanyuki High School	8.89
032	Nakuru	Nakuru Boys High	10.42
033	Narok	Olkiriane Secondary School	7.76
034	Kajiado	Oloolaiser High School	8.76
035	Kericho	Chepwagan Boys	9.74
036	Bomet	Tenwek High School	8.7
037	Kakamega	Butere Girls	8.7
038	Vihiga	Mudasa Academy	10.3
039	Bungoma	Friends School Kamusinga	9.2
040	Busia	Butula Boys	9.28
041	Siaya	Swangongo High	9.6
042	Kisumu	Kisumu Day Secondary	10.07
043	Homa Bay	Asumbi Girls	10.37
044	Migori	Kanga High	9.97
045	Kisii	Cardinal Otunga	10.76
046	Nyamira	Nyambaria High	10.89
047	Nairobi	Strathmore School	10.5

Conclusion

It is the desire of each parent and/or guardian to provide his/her child with the best quality education, more so at the Secondary school level. This is because the grade garnered at the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education, KCSE, exams determine the future, in most cases, of the learner. Hence we have seen some of the best institutions that can guarantee your child's success.