Cradle to AbleParents in Chandigarh often ask which school is the "best". There is no single answer, because the right school depends on your child, your budget, your commute and the board you want. This list gives you ten schools that appear again and again in published rankings and school profiles, so you have a sensible place to start.
How we chose these schools
We looked at Careers360's best schools list, and Tribune reports on the EducationWorld India School Rankings (2025-26 and 2026-27). We picked schools that showed up most consistently, and we kept to schools that general families can apply to. These sources use different methods and categories, and some school claims are the school's own, so a school appearing here is a reason to look closer, not a guarantee.
The 10 schools
1. Carmel Convent School
- Area: Sector 9B
- Board: CBSE
- Classes: Nursery to Class 12 (girls)
A girls' day school dating to 1959. The EducationWorld 2026-27 rankings placed it fourth among girls' day schools. Its campus is about 26,000 sq m with a swimming pool and sports academy, per Careers360.
2. St. John's High School
- Area: Sector 26
- Board: CBSE
- Classes: KG to Class 12 (boys)
Placed first among boys' day schools in India in EducationWorld 2026-27. The building was designed by the architect Pierre Jeanneret. Sources differ on whether it opened in 1959 or 1960.
3. Sacred Heart Senior Secondary School
- Area: Sector 26
- Board: CBSE
- Classes: Nursery to Class 12 (girls, per Careers360)
Placed first among girls' day schools in India in EducationWorld 2026-27, as reported by The Tribune.
4. Bhavan Vidyalaya
- Area: Sector 27B (senior wing); junior wing in Sector 33D
- Board: CBSE
- Classes: Pre-nursery to Class 12
The junior wing covers pre-nursery to Class 5 and the senior wing Classes 6 to 12, per the school's site. It cites an older EducationWorld ranking from 2020-21, so treat that as dated.
5. Vivek High School
- Area: Sector 38B
- Board: CBSE (Careers360 also lists Cambridge, which we could not confirm)
- Classes: Check the entry class
Its CBSE senior secondary affiliation is recorded as valid from April 2025 to March 2030. We could not verify its grades, so confirm them.
6. Chitkara International School
- Area: Sector 25 West
- Board: CBSE (per Careers360; the homepage does not name the board)
- Classes: Check the entry class
The school says it ranked first in Chandigarh in EducationWorld 2025-26. That is the school's own claim and we could not confirm it independently.
7. Delhi Public School, Chandigarh
- Area: Sector 40C
- Board: CBSE
- Classes: Nursery to Class 12
A co-educational school set up under the Delhi Public School Society in 2003. Its notice for 2026-27 asked nursery children to have completed 3 years by 31 March 2026.
8. Saint Soldier International School
- Area: Sector 28B
- Board: CBSE
- Classes: Nursery or pre-nursery to Class 12 per directories
Placed fifth among Chandigarh co-ed day schools in the EducationWorld 2024-25 rankings, as reported by The Tribune.
9. Strawberry Fields High School
- Area: Sector 26
- Board: ICSE/ISC, plus IB (PYP and Diploma) and Cambridge Lower Secondary
- Classes: Check the full range of classes
Run by the Durga Das Foundation, and IB authorised. It opened a third branch in New Chandigarh in April 2025, per Wikipedia.
10. St. Xavier's Senior Secondary School
- Area: Sector 44C
- Board: ICSE/ISC
- Classes: Nursery to Class 12 per Careers360
A co-educational school. Directories disagree on whether it is a day or day-cum-boarding school, so ask.
How to shortlist for your child
- Start with the board and the journey. Decide whether CBSE, ICSE/ISC, IB or Cambridge suits your plans, and check whether the school runs from nursery to Class 12 so your child does not have to change schools.
- Count the commute. A long daily bus ride is tiring for a young child. Distance can also count in admission.
- Visit, and ask about a normal day. Ask about class size, how teachers handle children who are shy or struggling, how much homework young children get, and how the school talks to parents.
- Ask what the admission interaction involves. Under the Right to Education Act, schools cannot screen children or parents at admission for Class 1 onward. For nursery, rules differ by state, so ask.
- Apply to more than one. Seats are limited and admission rules are strict, so keep two or three choices.
- Check the exact campus. Many schools have several campuses with different boards, classes and fees.
Admission notes for Chandigarh
- We could not find a Chandigarh-wide admission rule for nursery or Class 1 age. One school, DPS Chandigarh, asked nursery children to be 3 by 31 March 2026. Ask each school for its cut-off date.
Who is not on this list
A government model school in Sector 16 also ranks very high, but its admission is set by the UT's rules, so we did not include it. Mohali and Panchkula, which many families consider as part of the tricity, are not covered here. A school missing from this list is not a mark against it. There are many good schools in Chandigarh that did not appear in the sources we used.
Is your child close to starting? Read when your child is ready for kindergarten before you apply.