Why are Top CBSE Schools in India so Popular?

Parents in India go through quite a rigorous shortlisting process when it comes to selecting the right school for their child. Some of the main factors that are taken into consideration during this decision-making process are the curriculum offered by the school, academic results, ranking, experience and expertise of faculty and staff, quality of infrastructure and technology used by the school, and co-curricular and extracurricular activities on offer, among others. When it comes to the curriculum, Indian parents have a wide variety of options to choose from, from the local state boards on one end of the spectrum to the international schools offering the International Baccalaureate (IB) and the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) on the other. However, top schools in India continue to offer the two curriculums that are the most popular ones in the country: the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). Let’s take a closer look at why so many of the top 10 schools in Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Bengaluru and other cities in the country continue to be CBSE ones.

The CBSE, which conducts two main examinations – the All India Secondary School Examination (AISSE) in Grade 10 and the All India Senior School Certificate Examination (AISSCE) in Grade 12 -, is governed by the Union Government of India. It is affiliated to both English and Hindi medium schools, making it the most inclusive board in the country. The CBSE offers more scholarships for students than all the other boards combined. Its syllabus, which is recognised by NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training), is also less stressful for the students, allowing them to participate in extracurricular and co-curricular activities while continuing to maintain their strong grades.

The curriculum and grading mechanisms of the CBSE board are similar to those used by the top engineering and medical entrance exams in the country, including the IIT –JEE (Indian Institute of Technology Joint Entrance Examinations), AIEEE (All India Engineering Entrance Examination) and the AIPMT (All India Pre Medical Test). So, if your child studies at one of the top CBSE schools in India, he/she has higher chances of getting through these tough examinations as compared to if he/she was studying in another board.

The CBSE is the most popular board in the country, with over 18000 schools providing this curriculum. Hence, if your job requires you to move frequently between cities in India, the best option for you is to enrol your child in a CBSE school as they can continue their education in any other CBSE school in the country without any break or hiccups.

If you’re looking for top 10 schools in India, you’ll notice that the list contains many CBSE schools, and now you know the many reasons behind this. The quality of teaching and the academic experience provided at the leading CBSE schools in the country is comparable and sometimes even superior to those of the top schools in India providing other curriculums.