Photo Credit: Pats Tune

Education is the cornerstone of progress and a vital catalyst for individual growth and societal development. In Ghana, where quality education is highly regarded, the journey toward academic excellence begins in senior high schools. These institutions play a pivotal role in shaping the future of the nation by nurturing young minds, equipping them with essential knowledge, and fostering personal growth.

These schools have distinguished themselves through their commitment to academic excellence, holistic development, and a relentless pursuit of nurturing future leaders. To compile this comprehensive list, we have delved into various factors that contribute to a school’s reputation and standing in the educational community.

These factors include academic performance, extracurricular activities, leadership development, infrastructure, strength and activities of the alumni, and overall student satisfaction. By considering these key aspects, we aim to provide an objective and informative guide for students, parents, and education stakeholders alike.

By highlighting these top ten senior high schools in Ghana, we celebrate the schools that have consistently demonstrated their commitment to excellence, nurturing talent, and fostering a conducive learning environment. Moreover, we recognize the immense contributions of these schools in producing high-achieving graduates who positively impact society across various fields, be it science, arts, technology, or entrepreneurship.

So, whether you are a student seeking an institution that fosters your intellectual growth, a parent searching for the best education for your child, or an education enthusiast interested in the educational landscape of Ghana, this article will serve as a valuable resource. Here are the overall top ten best senior high schools in Ghana:

  1. Presec Legon
  2. Wesley Girls Senior High School
  3. Achimota Senior High School
  4. Aburi Girls Senior High School
  5. St. Andrews Senior High School
  6. St. James Seminary High School
  7. Opoku Ware Senior High School
  8. Holy Child Senior High School
  9. Adisadel College
  10. Mfantsipim Senior High School
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  1. Presbyterian Boys’ School

Presbyterian Boys’ School founded in 1938 is a secondary day and boarding school for boys located at Legon in Accra.

 The school has a beautiful campus comprising ten houses; Kwansa House, Clerk House, Engmann House, Akro House, Riis House, Labone House, Ako-Adjei House, Owusu Parry House, House 9, and P. T. A. House. The school has excellent facilities, including a basketball court, well-equipped classroom blocks, and a dining hall.

Academically, Presec is one of the best senior high schools in Ghana as is evident by their performance in several quiz competitions in Ghana and Africa. Presec has won the National Science and Maths Quiz at least six times. It has also won several medals during the International Junior Science Olympiad (IJSO) held in Nigeria and Qatar.

 In 2022, a student from Presec was adjudged as the overall best WASSCE candidate in Ghana and won the 2nd prize in West Africa at WAEC’s 2021 International Excellence Awards and the list goes on. It has also produced two best WASSCE candidates. The first was won in 2009 and their most recent win was in 2021.

 It has also consistently produced notable alumni excelling in various fields such as Aaron Mike Oquaye, a speaker of parliament from 2017-2021, Bernard Avle, a journalist, Kofi Barnes a judge in Canada, Andrew Kwabla Pupulampu, a minister of Lands from 1965-1966, and Kwaku Boateng a minister of education and a minister of interior in the first republic

2. Wesley Girls Senior High School

Wesley Girls’ High School is an educational institution for girls in Cape Coast, Ghana established in 1836 and named after the founder of Methodism, John Wesley.

Over the years the school has recorded massive pass marks in the WASSCE exams and also ranked 68th out of 100 best high schools in Africa by Almanac in 2003 based upon quality of education, student engagement, strength and activities of alumnae, school profile, internet and news visibility.

Wesley Girls Senior High School has always been one of the top schools in Ghana; this is a true heavyweight which has produced many important members of Ghanaian society, and which also has traditionally done well at WAEC exams. This is evident in the average percentage of passes during the 2022 WASSCE which is about 87.60%, the fifth-best result in Ghana.

The school excels not only academically but also in sports. They won the Sprite Ball Championship in 2008 and 2016.

Wesley Girls has produced the highest number which is a total of seven best students in the WASSCE since 2006. It was also the first school to win the award in 2006.

Some of the notable alumni of the school include Gladys Asmah, former Minister of Fisheries, Melody Millicent Danquah, the first female pilot in Africa and Florence Dolphyne, first female Professor and first female Pro-vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Legon.

3. Achimota Senior High School

Since its founding in 1927, at Achimota in Accra, Achimota School has been dedicated to expanding, training transformational leaders, inspiring creativity, innovation, and critical thinking among students, and preserving the cultural identity of Ghana through various programs.

 Their quest to develop students holistically is grounded in a mission and vision that integrates the core competencies to the benefit of learners. The best WASSCE student in 2007 was Akoi Kwame, a student at Achimota senior high school.

Achimota School, nicknamed Motown, has for long been regarded as the best co-educational school in Ghana, offers a broad and balanced GES-based curriculum that meets the needs of all students, with facilities that enable the teaching and learning of General Science, General Arts, Agricultural Science, Visual Arts, and Home Economics.

Educating the total being of boys with girls not just in academics but to make the best use of their minds and bodies, and have respect for all that is true and of lasting value in the Old African Culture, beliefs, and ways of life.

The school has educated many Ghanaian leaders, including Kwame Nkrumah, Edward Akufo-Addo, Jerry John Rawlings, and John Evans Atta Mills all of whom are former Heads of State of Ghana.

Some of the school’s achievements include;

4. Aburi Girls’ Senior High School

Aburi Girls Senior High School, also known as ABUGISS, is a Presbyterian all-girls senior high boarding school located south of Aburi in the Eastern Region of Ghana. The school was established in 1946.

The school has excellent facilities including eight boarding houses, a dining hall, an assembly hall, a library, a basketball court, a sports field, and modern classroom blocks. In 2021, 12 students from Aburi Girls senior high school represented Ghana at the first-ever Global Robotics Competition.

Another notable achievement of the school is that, it cleared top awards in two categories, Best in Mathematics and Best in Science in the West African School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) between 2011 and 2015. In 2015 ABUGISS also won three top awards including the National Best School.

Some of the notable alumni of ABUGISS include Gloria Akuffo, current Attorney-general of Ghana and Minister of Justice, Akosua Adoma Perbi, Ghanaian author and history professor and Esi Awuah, foundation vice chancellor of the University of Energy and Natural Resources.

5. St. Andrews Senior High School

St. Andrews Senior High School is a popular secondary school located in Foso, Kumasi, Ghana. This school was established in 2005- making it one of the recently established educational institutions. The main St. Andrews SHS is in central Ghana with other branches in Mankessim, New Edubbiase, Dunkwa on Offin, and Bomsu Nkwanta.

Although it is a relatively new school, it is already starting to rub shoulders with the grade A schools through stellar performances at the West African Examinations Council exams. After a consistently good performance, the institution was upgraded to a “grade A” private SHS and the school’s WASSCE results continue to be impressive. It received accreditation from the Ghana Education Service in 2007 and further recognition from the West African Examination Council (WAEC).

The school in 2022 emerged as the overall best in Ghana with an average 98.80% rate of passes recorded at the exam. The recent performances are not by mistake; this school has been gradually gathering steam since 2015. Based on academic performance alone, it is certainly the best school in Ghana, however, it is placed in fifth place on this list because an excellent school is evaluated on more than just academic performance. If academic performance is the only factor that matters to you however, then St. Andrews Senior High School is the best senior high school in Ghana.

St. Andrews Senior High School has managed to be one of the top private education institutions in the country, providing quality education with good performance and impressive infrastructure.

6. St. James Seminary Senior High School

St. James Seminary Catholic Senior High is a boys’ senior high school founded in 1978 in Sunyani the capital of the Bono Region. The school emphasizes moral, spiritual, and positive character formation in addition to striving to achieve academic excellence.

As a result, they have been nicknamed “The Saints” due to their high moral uprightness and spirituality. Of course, discipline is one of the core tenets of this institution; and it is that discipline that has led to a culture of academic excellence.

They have been ranked as the best senior high school in Ghana due to their outstanding performance in WASSCE over the years. It topped WASSCE in 2006, 2009, and 2011 and produced the overall best and third-best candidates in West Africa in the 2016 exam. The school pulled off a big surprise in the recent 2022 WAEC exams; recording a pass rate of 96.40%, the second-best result in the country. The school also produced the best WASSCE candidate in the 2022. The school first won this award in 2016.

The school has very good facilities and has four houses: St. Kizito, St. Charles Lwanga, St. Thomas Aquinas, and St. Augustine’s house. As a catholic school, it comes as no surprise that the school regards spiritual development as central to human resource development. Academic and career counselling is also assessable to students to help them cope with difficult school situations and emotional difficulties.

Notable among the school’s numerous academic achievements are: WAEC’s Distinction Award for Producing the Best Candidate in The General Arts Programme in the 2021 Ghana WASSCE, Best academic performing school in WASSCE since 2011, and Winners of the 2013 Queen Mother’s 40th Anniversary Debate Competition.

7. Opoku Ware Senior High School

Opoku Ware Senior High School is a public Catholic senior high school for boys established in 1952 located at Kumasi. The school is popularly known as OWASS.

The school offers a three-year Senior High School course. The curriculum of the school consists of core subjects namely: English Language, Integrated Science, Mathematics, Social Studies, ICT, RME, and PE, and four specialized programs which are General Science, General Arts, Business, and Visual Arts.

Opoku Ware School has for a long time been among the best in the country; it proved this status once again by posting stellar results at the 2022 WAEC exams where it produced an average percentage of passes of 88.23%, the fourth best in the country. The school produced the best WASSCE candidate in 2017.

The school has over the years produced many prominent alumni such as Owusu Afriye Akoto, a Minister of Food and Agriculture, and James Quasi Appiah the former head coach of the Ghana Black Stars.

The school has also won many awards over the years such as the Global Innovative Award at the World Robotics Championship held in Michigan in 2018 by beating high schools from all over the world including Pakistan, India, China, Europe, and the United States. They also emerged as the overall winner of the third edition of the Annual Independence Day Quiz on Cancers, an event organized and sponsored by Breast Care International (BCI).

8. Holy Child Senior High School

Holy Child Senior High School is an all-girls boarding school located in Cape Coast in the Central Region of Ghana. The school was established in 1946 and is a Catholic School.

The school has always been a top performer at the WAEC exams, and its most recent 2022 performance is something to celebrate; it recorded an average percentage of 87.53%, the sixth-best result in the country. In 2003, the school was ranked among the best 10 schools in Africa, producing the best overall female student in the 2003 SSSCE. Holy Child also produced the best overall student and the second-best overall student for the 2017 WASSCE.

The school has always prided itself in providing holistic education for females so that they may strive to achieve higher heights and become “Women of Substance”. Holy Child School has an ongoing alliance with its fellow Catholic boys’ school, St. Augustine’s College. The alliance is known as APSU-HOPSA.

Some of the school’s most notable alumni are Philomena Nyarko, a former government statistician, Magdalene Apenteng, Director of the public investment division of Ghana’s Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning and Ama Pomaa Boateng Andoh an NPP parliamentary candidate.

9. Adisadel College

Adisadel College is a boys’ boarding school established in 1910, making it the second oldest senior high school in Ghana, located at Cape Coast. The school is popularly known as ADISCO.

ADISCO is recognized as one of the best senior high schools not only in Ghana but in Africa based on the quality of education, the strength and activities of the alumni, the school’s profile, and the internet and news visibility and was ranked as the 10th best senior high school in Africa by Africa-by-Africa Almanac in 2003.

The school is one of the traditional powers when it comes to WAEC exams; its students usually do very well. In 2022 it recorded an average percentage pass rate of 86.31%, the seventh best in the country.

Adisadel College also has many notable alumni including a head of state: Akwasi Amankwa Afrifa, scientists: Nii Quaynor and Ave Kludze, Supreme Court Judges: Justice Koi Larbi and Henry K Prempeh, and many others.

ADISCO has also won several awards including the National Science and Maths Quiz in 2016, National Robotics Championship in 2021, and National Hockey Championship from 2016-2019. This goes a long way to show their academic prowess.

10. Mfantsipim School

Mfantsipim is an all-boys boarding secondary school established in 1876 located at Cape Coast to foster spiritual, moral, and intellectual growth. It is the oldest senior high school in Ghana.

Mfantsipim can also boast of many notable alumni having produced 3 Bank of Ghana Governors, 3 Vice Presidents, and 1 Head of State. Kofi Annan the former secretary general of the United Nations is one of the most notable alumni of Mfantsipim.

The school is an intellectual powerhouse which is evident in many of the awards won by the school. Mfantsipim has won the National Science and Maths Quiz twice, in 1999 and 2014. It is also the five-time winner of the Sprite Ball Championship. In 2020, a student from Mfantsipim was awarded the best student in WASSCE.

38 Responses

  1. Good day! This post could not be written any better!
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    Fairly certain he will have a good read. Thank you for sharing!

      1. Good point. Accra Academy is certainly a top-notch school in Ghana but the list is only up to 10 so I could not include all good schools.

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    1. Wesley girls is the highest ranked girls shs in Ghana. Aburi girls is ahead of holy child dear.

  7. Very good article but I respectfully disagree with Mfantsipim being the tenth in the list. Mfantsipim has shown vibrancy in academic excellent more than some schools which have been afore mentioned.

    1. The reason for this is because Mfantsipim has not been at the top in recent years when it comes to their performance in WASSCE. That is why they are in 10th place.

    1. How can Opoku Ware be the best and yet PRESEC beat them countless times in the NSMQ? Surely, you see that that can’t be possible right? If they are the best, then the NSMQ is an excellent way to prove it.

    1. Not at all. Prempeh College is one of the best shs in Ghana, however their performance in WASSCE in recent years has not been the best, that is why they were not included.

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