India sets record with 7 schools representation on World’s Best School 2026 list

2 min readNew DelhiJun 26, 2026 01:24 PM IST

The winners will be chosen by an expert Judging Academy, with the top three finalists and winners to be announced in November.

Seven Indian schools have been named in the top 10 shortlist for the World’s Best School Prizes 2026, announced in London on Thursday. India has set a new record this year as the highest number of schools shortlisted in a single year by any country in the four-year history of the prizes.

The World’s Best School Prizes, presented across five categories, were founded by UK-headquartered T4 Education in the wake of COVID-19 as a platform to recognise schools that are changing lives in their classrooms and beyond.

Innovation

Two schools have been shortlisted in the Innovation category. PCMC Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj English Medium School, a public school at Kasarwadi in Pune, and Army Goodwill School Wuzur, a public school in Anantnag, Jammu and Kashmir, have both made the cut.

Community Collaboration

Three schools have been recognised under Community Collaboration. Healthy Planet TGA Early Years School, an independent kindergarten in Noida; Inventure Academy, an independent school in Bengaluru; and Seth MR Jaipuria School, Vineet Khand, Gomti Nagar, Lucknow have all been shortlisted in this category.

Environmental Action and Supporting Healthy Lives

EuroSchool Bannerghatta, an independent school in Bengaluru, is in contention for the World’s Best School Prize for Environmental Action. Seth Anandram Jaipuria School, also from Lucknow, has been named in the top 10 shortlist for Supporting Healthy Lives.

Vikas Pota, Founder of T4 Education and the World’s Best School Prizes, said each shortlisted school had, in its own unique way, helped prepare young people for an increasingly uncertain world. “It is more important than ever that our schools grow the leaders we’ll need to face massive challenges from rising conflict and inequality to populism and climate breakdown,” he said.

What’s next?

The winners will be chosen by an expert Judging Academy, with the top three finalists and winners to be announced in November. All 50 shortlisted schools across the five prize categories will also participate in a public vote, which opened this week to determine the Community Choice Award winner. Shortlisted schools and winners will be invited to the World Schools Summit in London in January 2027.