Kerala’s classroom surge: 4 state schools grab top national ranks in C fore 2026 survey
Pallikoodam School in Kottayam, Navy Children School in Kochi, GEMS Modern Academy in Kochi, and Kendriya Vidyalaya in Pattom, Thiruvananthapuram, have secured top positions in Kerala across their respective categories in the newly released C fore School Rankings 2026.
The results stem from a comprehensive nationwide survey involving 64,567 respondents across 244 cities and towns throughout India.
C fore, a multidisciplinary research organisation and pioneer in Indian educational assessment, announced the 2026 rankings, highlighting several institutions from Kerala that achieved notable positions among the national standouts.
The evaluations were drawn from an extensive perception survey measuring institutions across multiple dimensions of academic quality and operational performance.
Kerala Schools Earn National Recognition
Pallikoodam School, Kottayam, claimed the No. 1 position in Kerala and No. 2 nationally in the Day-cum-Boarding Schools category.
Navy Children School, Kochi, earned the top spot in Kerala and placed No. 5 in India among Defence Services Schools.
GEMS Modern Academy, Kochi, ranked No. 1 in Kerala and No. 15 nationwide among Day Schools offering an International Curriculum.
In the Government Day Schools category, Kendriya Vidyalaya, Pattom, Thiruvananthapuram, secured No. 1 in Kerala and No. 3 in India, while Kendriya Vidyalaya No. 2, Naval Base, Kochi, took the No. 2 position in the state and No. 5 nationally.
| School | Kerala Rank | India Rank |
| PM SHRI Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Alappuzha | 1 | 4 |
| PM SHRI Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Kozhikode | 2 | 6 |
| PM SHRI Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Ernakulam | 3 | 8 |
Strong Performance by State Institutions
Kerala’s PM SHRI Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas also achieved prominent positions within the Government Residential Schools category.
In the Day Co-Ed School (Indian Curriculum) division, Rajagiri Christu Jayanthi Public School, Kochi, emerged as Kerala’s top-ranked institution in the C fore School Rankings 2026, followed by Christ Nagar Higher Secondary School, Thiruvananthapuram, and Loyola School (CBSE), Thiruvananthapuram.
| Rank | School | Score (out of 1450) |
| 1 | Rajagiri Christu Jayanthi Public School, Kochi | 1186 |
| 2 | Christ Nagar Higher Secondary School, Thiruvananthapuram | 1176 |
| 3 | Loyola School (CBSE), Thiruvananthapuram | 1166 |
| 4 | Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Senior Secondary School, Thiruvananthapuram | 1162 |
| 5 | Mar Gregorios Memorial Central Public School, Thiruvananthapuram | 1138 |
| 6 | Navajeevan Bethany Vidyalaya, Thiruvananthapuram | 1127 |
| 7 | Jyothis Central School, Thiruvananthapuram | 1124 |
| 8 | Devmata Higher Secondary School, Thrissur | 1123 |
| 9 | Silver Hills Public School, Kozhikode | 1120 |
| 10 | Excelsior English School, Kottayam | 1118 |
Nationwide Survey Spans 244 Cities and Towns
The C fore School Rankings 2026 were compiled following a nationwide perception survey conducted between March and July 2026, encompassing 244 cities and towns.
The 64,567 respondents included parents from Socio-Economic Category A (SEC A), teachers, headteachers, education specialists, and students enrolled in Grades 10 to 12.
Participants were provided with a pre-selected list of regional schools and asked to evaluate only the institutions with which they had direct familiarity. Each school was rated on a 10-point scale across 14 key parameters covering various facets of educational quality and institutional performance.
The inclusion of diverse stakeholder groups was structured to offer a balanced perspective on school performance rather than relying on a single group. The broad geographic scope allowed the study to evaluate schools in both major metropolitan centres and smaller urban areas.
The rankings aim to extend beyond academic results alone, offering parents, educators, and stakeholders a comprehensive appraisal of secondary institutions.
Encouraging Excellence Through Healthy Competition
Addressing the findings, Premchand Palety, Founder of C fore, noted:
“The objective of the C fore School Rankings has always been much larger than simply identifying the leading schools. We aim to provide parents and other stakeholders with credible information while encouraging healthy competition among schools."
“Equally important is our effort to identify quality benchmarks and share best practices that can help schools continuously improve and enable every child to discover and unlock their potential while retaining their curiosity, creativity and interest in learning.”
C fore introduced K–12 school rankings to India in 2001. Over the past 26 years, the annual assessment has expanded significantly in scale and scope while maintaining its focus on providing actionable data to parents and educators.
The complete C fore School Rankings 2026, including national, state-level, city-level, and category-wise breakdowns, have been published at cforerankings.com.
About C fore
Founded in 2000, C fore is a multidisciplinary research organisation specialising in the performance evaluation of educational institutions, market analysis, and public opinion surveys.
Its school ranking framework is designed to establish benchmarks of excellence, foster the distribution of effective educational methodologies, encourage healthy institutional competition, and supply stakeholders with trustworthy data for decision-making.