Three government schools in Chandigarh have secured places among the top ten in the country in the EducationWorld India School Rankings 2026-27. Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 16, has retained the first position in the State Day government schools category.
It has now held the top rank for three consecutive editions, covering 2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26.
The rankings appeared in the September 2026 issue of EducationWorld magazine. Two other institutions from the Union Territory also made the list in the same category, Government Model Senior Secondary School, Manimajra, in ninth place, and the Sector 35-D government school in tenth.
At a function held in Chandigarh on Monday evening, Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria felicitated the principals of the three schools. Students of Government Model High School, Dadumajra, were also honoured.
Education Secretary Prerna Puri and Director School Education Nitish Singla shared details of the schools’ performance.
The Dadumajra students were recognised for a separate achievement as well. They were among 36 students from across the country invited to the Know Your Leaders Programme, held in the Central Hall of Parliament in New Delhi on October 2, the birth anniversary of both Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri. Twelve participants were selected to address the gathering, which was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other dignitaries. Three of the speakers were from Dadumajra namely Kavya of Class VIII, and Dila Dangi and Suraj, both of Class X.
Khushboo of Class VIII also attended. Dadumajra was the only school from Chandigarh represented at the event.
The rankings also reflected the strength of private schools in the tricity and the surrounding region. St John’s High School, Chandigarh, was placed first among boys’ day schools nationally, while Sacred Heart Senior Secondary School, Chandigarh, took the top position among girls’ day schools. Carmel Convent School, Chandigarh, ranked fourth in the same girls’ category.
Yadavindra Public School, Mohali, was placed third among day-cum-boarding schools, and Punjab Public School, Nabha, second among co-educational boarding schools.
Institutions in neighbouring Haryana were also recognised. Vidya Devi Jindal School, Hisar, ranked sixth and The Gurukul, Nilokheri, seventh among girls’ boarding schools. Gurukul Kurukshetra was placed sixth among boys’ boarding schools, and Army Public School, Hisar, sixth among central government day schools.
The Chandigarh schools share the State Day government schools list with the Delhi government’s Dr BR Ambedkar CM Shri schools, which occupy four of the remaining places. Seeing three schools from one Union Territory appear in the national top ten shows that the quality of public education in the city continues to climb.
The Sector 16 school’s three-year run at the top is commendable. Where the national school rankings are usually dominated by private schools with higher fees, seeing a government school retain the accomplishment of being the best school over multiple years shows consistent academic and administrative performance within the public system.
The aim of public education is to prepare young people to express themselves with confidence on significant platforms. This was emphasised with the participation of Dadumajra’s students in a national forum, and their opportunity to speak before the country’s leadership. For the Chandigarh Administration, the results offer encouragement as it continues to invest in government schools. For students, teachers and parents, they serve as evidence that public institutions can compete with the best in the country.