HT Top Mumbai Schools 2019: 10 best schools in city’s north

HT brings you 2019’s top 10 schools from the north zone — areas north of Goregaon in western suburbs, Ghatkopar in eastern suburbs and Thane.

Selecting a school for their children is possibly the most crucial decision parents make. The Hindustan Times Top Schools survey is an important tool to help them arrive at this choice.

It’s not easy, of course. Parents decide on a school after careful consideration of various factors: distance from home, fees, the institution’s academic record, its infrastructure, the quality of teachers and the support staff, children’s safety, curricular and co-curricular activities, etc. While earlier this would have been a limited but easy choice, it is not so now thanks to an explosion in the number of schools, curricula options, and the city’s evolving demographics.

It is with all these factors in mind that we are pleased to present the 2019 Hindustan Times Top Schools survey. Now in its 11th edition, the HT Top Schools survey is the most exhaustive, most credible study of the city’s best schools across 18 parameters that are judged with the most rigorous standards. The methodology (details provided below) has proved its efficacy since 2009, the year we launched our Top Schools list.

Over the years, we have incorporated suggestions from parents and schools to make the process more robust and demanding so that only the best make it to the top. Each year, we list the top schools —including international schools — from Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai. Apart from the rankings, we have short profiles of each of the schools that made it to the top of each zone. At the end of the rankings series, we will publish a few special pieces on the latest trends in school education and how they will impact your child. We hope you enjoy our series.

1. SMT. SULOCHANADEVI SINGHANIA SCHOOL

Pokharan Road No. 1, Thane

www.singhaniaschool.org

HISTORY: The school was founded in 1968 and managed by Smt. Sulochanadevi Singhania School Trust. It is affiliated to ICSE board. Apart from academics, the school stands tall for its vision, infra, sports and learning beyond four walls of the classroom.

UNIQUE FEATURES: The school has completed 50 years of excellence in education. It is an all-inclusive school providing an environment of progressive education with empathy and care.

HIGHEST RATINGS: Value for money, breadth of vision, academic rigour.

BOARD: ICSE

ANNUAL FEES: ₹50, 000

STUDENTS: 6,500

STUDENT-TEACHER RATIO: 18:1

“Our endeavour at the school is to equip students with the skill sets and mind set in a world of innovation and entrepreneurship.”

Revathi Srinivasan, director education and principal

2. HIRANANDANI FOUNDATION SCHOOL

Wood Street, Patlipada, Thane

www.hiranandanischools.edu.in

HISTORY: Hiranandani Foundation School, Thane, established in 1999, turned 20 this year. The school got its National Accreditation Board of Education and Training accreditation in 2011.

UNIQUE FEATURES: The school believes in tapping the potential of its students, providing them with every opportunity to hone their skills, giving impetus to co-curricular activities, and assisting them in developing their life skills.

HIGHEST RATINGS: Academic rigour, teachers, value for money.

BOARD: ICSE

ANNUAL FEES: ₹85,000

STUDENTS: 3,996

STUDENT-TEACHER RATIO: 35:1

“The fabric of the school is woven around our motto — ‘Mens Sana in Corpore Sano’ — a sound mind in a sound body, creating a happy atmosphere.”

Neelu Lamba, principal.

3. B K BIRLA SCHOOL, KALYAN

Birla College Road, Kalyan

www.bkbirlaschoolkalyan.com

HISTORY: The school was started in 1998 by Kalyan Citizens Education Society with the blessings of BK Birla and Sarala Birla. It has come a long way since its inception and is rated as one of the best on several quality standards.

UNIQUE FEATURES: The school ensures holistic development of students along with teacher training. Attention is also paid to the teaching-learning process and digitisation.

HIGHEST RATINGS: Teachers, selection process, value for money

BOARD: CBSE

ANNUAL FEES: Not disclosed

STUDENTS: 3,085

STUDENT-TEACHER RATIO: 20:1

“The student-centric approach and quality-driven work culture make BKBPS a wonderful space for learning for students.”

Ranjna Jangra, principal

3. CHILDREN’S ACADEMY

Bachani Nagar, Malad

http://www.childrens-academy.co.in/

HISTORY: Children’s Academy is a Mumbai-based chain of private co-educational English-medium day schools at Malad and Kandivli. The Malad branch of the school, which was founded in 1970, blossomed under the guidance of its founder, VV Bhat.

UNIQUE FEATURES: The school has always believed in the holistic development of learners. Positive teacher attitude, learners’ freedom, creativity and engagement are some tools used to create a warm learning environment.

HIGHEST RATINGS: Educational philosophy, academic rigour, diversity.

BOARD: ICSE

ANNUAL FEES: ₹58,680

STUDENTS: 3,007

STUDENT-TEACHER RATIO: 20:1

“We believe in building the emotional quotient of the child in the same temper as the intelligence quotient. School for kids is a place to fall back upon when one errs.”

Sudha Shanbhag, principal

5. N L DALMIA HIGH SCHOOL

Srishti, Sector-1, Mira Road East

www.nldalmia.co.in

HISTORY: NL Dalmia High School was established in 1991 by Niranjanlal Dalmia Educational Society, and is a minority, unaided co-educational English-medium school affiliated to ICSE.

UNIQUE FEATURES: The school has set up a Human Resource Development Centre for training and continuous professional development of the teachers.

HIGHEST RATINGS: Academic rigour, teachers, selection process

BOARD: ICSE

ANNUAL FEES: Not disclosed

STUDENTS: Not disclosed

STUDENT-TEACHER RATIO: Not disclosed

6. GUNDECHA EDUCATION ACADEMY

Valley Of Flowers, Thakur Village Road, Kandivli (East)

http://www.gundechaedu.org/

HISTORY: Paras Gundecha and the late Mamta Gundecha established the school in 2004 which falls under the Gundecha Charities Trust. Their mission was to provide quality education at an affordable price. The managing trustee of the school is Poonam Gundecha.

UNIQUE FEATURES: Our student ranked second among the all India ICSE toppers in 2019. The international dimension and tech-based learning adds an edge to the curriculum.

HIGHEST RATINGS: Academic rigour, selection process, value for money

BOARD: ICSE, IGCSE, ISC

ANNUAL FEES: ₹81,886

STUDENTS: 4,000

STUDENT-TEACHER RATIO: 22:1

“We strive to retain the capacity of kids, while teaching them to adapt to the needs of time without sacrificing their ideals.”

Sonu Arora, principal.

7. JBCN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

Baburao Ranade Marg, Borivli (West)

www.jbcnschool.edu.in/borivali

HISTORY: JBCN Education has been a pioneering organisation in education sector for over three decades. The school is the oldest among the three JBCN schools in Mumbai.

UNIQUE FEATURES: The school has adopted the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals to achieve a better world. This is fostered through our JBCN Cares, JBCN Aware and JBCN Heals initiatives. We have also received the Global Sustainable School Award in 2017.

HIGHEST RATINGS: Teachers, governance, value for money

BOARD: IGCSE and ICSE

ANNUAL FEES: ₹1.93L

STUDENTS: 1,594

STUDENT-TEACHER RATIO: 10:1

“Persistent academic tenacity balanced with collaboration and introspective equanimity are the cornerstones of our education system.”

Debika Chatterji, principal

8. CHILDREN’S ACADEMY

Ashok Nagar, Kandivli

http://www.childrens-academy.in/

HISTORY: It is one of the three branches of the Children’s Academy group of schools.

UNIQUE FEATURES: True to the vision statement, “rooted in tradition, futuristic in vision” the school is renowned for fostering excellence with a blend of the traditional and modern approach to the teaching-learning experience. The school attracts and retains experienced, caring and innovative staff who work to provide a range of high quality learning opportunities.

HIGHEST RATINGS: Educational philosophy, teachers, diversity

BOARD: ICSE

ANNUAL FEES: ₹ 62,740

STUDENTS: 2,264

STUDENT-TEACHER RATIO: 20:1

“A broad spectrum of learning strategies and freedom for kids’ expression are distinctive features of our curriculum.”

Sheela Mallya, principal

8. BILLABONG HIGH INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

Shree Nagar, Thane

www.billabongthane.com

HISTORY: The school is run by the Citizens Welfare Association, a public charitable trust under the aegis of Goenka Global Education. The trust is managed by Sudhir Goenka. The Goenkas had set up the school in Thane in 2006.

UNIQUE FEATURES: The school aims to provide a conducive learning environment to students to equip them to combat challenges. Tech-aided teaching at all grades helps prepare the students to live and work in a global society.

HIGHEST RATINGS: Innovative teaching, selection process, value for money

BOARD: CISCE, ISC and IGCSE

ANNUAL FEES: Not disclosed

STUDENTS: 2,100

STUDENT-TEACHER RATIO: 25:1

“We teach to learn and learn to teach the best of national and global pedagogy.”

Kalyani Chaudhuri, principal

10. SACRED HEART SCHOOL

Post Varap, Kalyan (West)

www.sacredheartschool.in

HISTORY: In 19 years, the school has received over 24 international and national awards. In sports, the school has bagged over 300 international and national medals with three Shiv Chhatrapati Awards in the last five years.

UNIQUE FEATURES: The most future disruption-ready school has 17 hi-tech world leading studios. Alexa-enabled 4G digital classrooms, 1,500 tablets and devices with VPN enables learning in a 100% child-safe system.

HIGHEST RATINGS: Infrastructure and facilities, teachers, value for money

BOARD: CBSE

ANNUAL FEES: ₹85,000

STUDENTS: 2,385

STUDENT-TEACHER RATIO: 18:1

“The school has the ability to foresee tech disruption that will impact the world and the ability to develop suitable skills and curricula.”

Albin Anthony, chief operating officer.