A new global survey has ranked American School of Lagos in Nigeria the best secondary school in Africa, scoring it high in the areas of academics, facilities, preparation for university entry, unique ethos and so on.

The School Index by Carfax Education which released the rankings on Monday said that the top five schools in Africa were carefully curated by international education experts.

American School of Lagos took the number one spot. The school was located in the elite neighbourhood of Victoria Island and adopts the U.S. curriculum, International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) and High School Diploma (HSD).

The top school is a coeducational school that has no boarding facilities. Students’ age ranges from 13 to 19 and their tuition fee was $20,900 approximately N43 million per school year.

American School of Lagos, ranked the best high school in Africa, has about 473 students from different nationalities.

Bishop Diocesan College, a boys-only school, located in Cape Town, South Africa, ranked second. The scholarship which adopted the South African curriculum had a tuition fee of $10,200 for day students and $19,500 for boarding students. 

The South African school has over 1,500 pupils and students between the ages of six and 18.

Placing third was Michaelhouse in Kwazulu-Natal in South Africa, also a single sex boarding school that believes in developing young boys to be “the best one can be.”

MichaelHouse students, about 620, are primarily teenagers between 13 and 19 years who paid a tuition fee of $20,900 and were taught the South African curriculum.

Pembroke House, a co-educational school in Kenya, clinched the fourth best school in Africa. 

Pembroke focused on “bringing out the best in every child” and adopted the UK curriculum. The tuition fee was $8,500 and the pupils are about 246 with age as low as 11 years and high as 18 years.

School Index by Carfax Education ranked the British International School in Cairo, Egypt the fifth best school in Africa.

BIS Cairo has over 1,000 students who each pay a tuition fee of $24,400 as day students. It has no boarding facilities. Students are teenagers between 13 and 18 years.

Fiona McKenzie, head of education at Carfax Education described the rankings as a valuable resource for parents and guardians looking to enrol their children and wards in the best schools, stressing there is a growing demand for excellent education.

“Now in its fifth year, The Schools Index has become a valuable resource for parents looking for the very best education for their child, wherever they are in the world – as well as for the private schools sector,” Ms McKenzie said in a statement to Peoples Gazette.

She added, “The demand for excellent schools grows and remains fiercely competitive as parents strive to ensure their child receives the strongest foundations to set them up for a lifetime of success.”