Education is the foundation of progress and a key catalyst for personal growth and societal development. In Ghana, where quality education is highly valued, the path to academic excellence begins in high school. These institutions play a central role in shaping the country’s future by nurturing young minds, equipping them with essential knowledge, and supporting their 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 considered the various factors that contribute to a school’s reputation and status in the education world. These factors include academic performance, extracurricular activities, leadership development, infrastructure, graduate strengths and activities, and overall student satisfaction. By considering these important aspects, we aim to provide an objective and informative guide for students, parents, and educators.
By presenting the top 10 best senior high schools in Ghana, we are recognizing schools that are continually committed to nurturing talented individuals and creating a conducive learning environment. In addition, we also recognize the immense contributions these schools make in producing outstanding graduates who make a positive impact on society in many fields, including science, arts, technology, and entrepreneurship. Whether you are a student looking for an institution that nurtures your intellectual development, a parent seeking the best education for your child, or an education enthusiast curious about the education landscape in Ghana, this article will be a valuable source of information for you.
The overall top 10 best senior high schools in Ghana are:
- Presec Legon
- Wesley Girls’ High School
- Achimota High School
- Aburi Girls’ High School
- St. Andrew’s High School
- St. James Seminary High School
- Opoku High School
- Holy Child High School
- Adisadel College
- Mfantsipim High School
1. Presec Legon
Presec Legon is a secondary school and boarding school for boys based in Legon, Accra. The school has a beautiful campus with ten residence halls namely Kwansa House, Clark House, Engman House, Acro House, Reece House, Labone House, Ako Adjei House, Owusu Parry House, House 9, and P.T.A. House. The school has good facilities including a basketball court, a well-equipped teaching block, and a cafeteria. Academically, Presec is one of the best senior high schools in Ghana, as shown by its performance in several quiz competitions in Ghana and Africa. Presec has won the National Science and Mathematics Quiz at least six times. The school has also won multiple medals at the International Junior Science Olympiad (IJSO) in Nigeria and Qatar. In 2022, a Presec student was named the Overall Best WASSCE Candidate in Ghana, won second place in West Africa in WAEC’s 2021 International Excellence Awards, and the list goes on. It has also produced two of the best WASSCE candidates, the first time it won was in 2009 and the most recent in 2021. It has also consistently produced notable graduates who have excelled in various fields such as Aaron Mike Okwei, Speaker of Parliament from 2017 to 2021, journalist Bernard Avuru, Kofi Burns, Canadian Judge, Andrew Kwabla Ppulampu, Minister of Lands from 1965 to 1966, and Kwaku Boateng, Minister of Education and Minister of Interior for the First Republic.
2. Wesley Girls’ High School
Wesley Girls’ High School is a girls’ educational institution in Cape Coast, Ghana, founded in 1836 and named after John Wesley, the founder of Methodism. The school has achieved an incredible pass rate in the WASSCE examinations over the years and in 2003 was ranked 68th out of the 100 best high schools in Africa by the Yearbook based on the quality of teaching, student engagement, and the strength and activity of its former students. School profile and visibility on the Internet and in the news. Wesley Girls’ High School has always been one of the best schools in Ghana. She is a true stalwart that has produced many important figures in Ghanaian society and has traditionally performed well in the WAEC examinations. This is reflected in the average pass rate for WASSCE 2022 being about 87.60%, the fifth highest in Ghana. The school excels not only academically but also athletically; it won the Sprite Ball Championship in 2008 and 2016. Wesley Girls has produced the highest number of students in the WASSCE with a total of seven toppers since 2006. It was also the first school to win the award in 2006. Notable alumni of the school include former Minister of Fisheries Gladys Asuma, Africa’s first female pilot Melody Millicent Danquah, and Florence Dolphin, the first female professor and first Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Legon.
3. Achimota High School
Achimota High School, since its establishment in 1927 in Achimota, Accra, has been committed to developing and training transformational leaders, stimulating creativity, innovation, and critical thinking in its students, and upholding Ghanaian cultural identity through its various activities and programs. Their commitment to holistically supporting their students is based on their mission and vision of integrating core competencies for the benefit of the learner. The best WASSCE student in 2007 was Mr. Akoyi Kwame, a student of Achimota High School. Achimota School, also known as Motown, has long been considered the best co-educational school in Ghana, offering a broad and balanced GES-based curriculum that meets the needs of all students, with facilities to support the teaching and learning of Natural Sciences, Arts, Agriculture, Fine Arts, and Home Economics. To educate the whole person in boys and girls, not just academically, to make the most of their minds and bodies, and to enable them to respect all that is true and of lasting value in ancient African cultures, beliefs, and ways of life. The school has trained many Ghanaian leaders including former Ghanaian Heads of State Kwame Nkrumah, Edward Akufo-Addo, Jerry John Rawlings, and John Evans Atta Mills. The school’s achievements include: Two-time winner of the National Science and Mathematics Quiz (1998 and 2004), 2018 WASSCE – 3rd place in Greater Accra, and Inter-School Games – Overall – 1st place.
4. Aburi Girls’ High School
Aburi Girls’ High School, also known as Abgis, is a Presbyterian girls’ boarding school located in Aburi South in the Eastern Region of Ghana. The school was established in 1946. The school has excellent facilities such as eight boarding rooms, a cafeteria, an auditorium, a library, a basketball court, a sports field, and a modern teaching building. In 2021, 12 students from Aburi Girls High School represented Ghana in the 1st World Robot Games. Another notable achievement of the school is that it won two top honours in the West African School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE) from 2011 to 2015: Best in Mathematics and Best in Science. In 2015, ABUGISS also won three top awards including Best School in the Nation. Notable alumni of ABUGISS include the current Attorney General and Minister of Justice of Ghana, Gloria Akufo, Ghanaian author and history professor Akosua Adoma Pelbi, and Founding Vice Chancellor of the University of Energy and Natural Resources, Esi Awuah.
5. St. Andrew’s High School
St. Andrew’s High School is a popular secondary school located in Foso, Kumasi, Ghana. The school was established in 2005 and is one of the youngest institutions. The flagship school, St. Andrew’s SHS, is located in Central Ghana with further branches in Mankeshim, New Edubias, Dankwa-on-Offin, and Bomsu Nkwanta. Although a relatively new school, it has already the potential to compete with top schools due to its excellent performance in West African Examination Council examinations. After consistently performing well, the institution was upgraded to a “Class A” Private SHS and the school’s WASSCE results continue to be excellent. It was accredited by the Ghana Education Service in 2007 and received further recognition from the West African Examination Council (WAEC). This school has emerged as the best overall school in Ghana in 2022 with an average exam pass rate of 98.80%. The school has been gradually gaining momentum since 2015 and its recent achievements are no coincidence. While it is certainly the best school in Ghana based purely on academic performance, it ranks 5th on this list because a good school is not judged solely on academic merit. However, if academic performance is the only factor that matters to you, St. Andrews High School is the best high school in Ghana. St. Andrews High School has grown into one of the best private educational institutions in the country, providing quality education with a good track record and excellent infrastructure.
6. St. James Seminary Catholic High School
St. James Seminary Catholic High School is a boys’ high school established in 1978 in Sunyani, the capital of the Bono Region. The school emphasizes moral, spiritual, and positive character education in addition to the pursuit of academic excellence. Her high moral integrity and spirituality earned her the nickname “Saint”. Of course, discipline is one of the cornerstones of the institution. And it is this discipline that has created a culture of academic excellence. They are ranked as the best secondary school in Ghana due to their excellent performance in WASSCE over the years. The school was the WASSCE topping school in 2006, 2009, 2011, and produced the best overall and third-best candidates in West Africa in the 2016 examinations. The school pulled off a big surprise in the recent 2022 WAEC examinations, recording a pass rate of 96.40%, the second-best result in the country. The school also produced the best WASSCE candidates in 2022. The school first won the award in 2016. The school is very well equipped and has four boarding houses: St. Kizito, St. Charles Lwanga, St. Thomas Aquinas, and St. Augustine’s House. Being a Catholic school, it is not surprising that the school places spiritual growth at the heart of its human resource development. Students can also attend academic and career counselling to deal with difficult situations and emotional issues at school. Among the school’s many academic achievements, some noteworthy are: Award given by WAEC to the best candidate in the General Arts Programme in the Ghana WASSCE 2021, being named the best school in the WASSCE since 2011, and winner of the Queen Mother 40th Anniversary Debate Competition in 2013.
7. Opoku Ware High School
Opoku Ware High School is a public Catholic boys’ high school in Kumasi established in 1952. The school is popularly known as OWASS. The school offers three years of upper secondary education. The school’s curriculum consists of core subjects such as English, Science, Mathematics, Social Studies, ICT, RME, and Physical Education, and four special programs namely General Science, General Arts, Business Management, and Fine Arts. Opoku Ware School has long been one of the best schools in the country. She proved this status again with her excellent results in the 2022 WAEC examinations, achieving an average pass rate of 88.23%, making her the fourth-best performing school in the country. The school produced the best WASSCE candidates in 2017. Over the years, the school has produced many notable alumni, including the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto and former head coach of the Ghana Black Stars, Mr. James Kwasi Appiah. The school has also won many awards over the years, including the Global Innovative Award at the 2018 World Robot Championships in Michigan, beating high schools from around the world, including Pakistan, India, China, Europe, and the United States. She was also named the third overall winner of the annual Independence Day Cancer Quiz, organized and sponsored by Breast Care International (BCI).
8. Holy Child High School
Holy Child High School is a girls boarding school in Cape Coast, central Ghana. The school is a Catholic school established in 1946. The school has always performed well in WAEC examinations and its recent results in 2022 are cause for celebration. The average percentage was 87.53%, the sixth best result in the country. In 2003, the school was ranked among the top 10 schools in Africa and produced overall best students in the 2003 SSSCE. Holy Child also produced the overall best and second-best students in WASSCE 2017. The school has always prided itself on providing a holistic education to its female students to help them aim higher and become “women of importance”. Holy Child School has an existing partnership with St. Augustine’s College, a Catholic boys’ school. The partnership is known as APSU-HOPSA. Some of the school’s most notable alumni include former government statistician Philomena Nyarko, Director General of the Public Investment Department at the Ghana Ministry of Finance and Economy Magdalene Apenteng, and NPP parliamentary candidate Ama Pomah Boateng Andoh.
9. Adisadel College
Adisadel College is a boys’ boarding school established in 1910 and is the second oldest high school in Ghana. It is located in Cape Coast. The school is popularly known as ADISCO. ADISCO is considered one of the best secondary schools not only in Ghana but in the whole of Africa because of the quality of education, the strength and activity of its alumni, the school profile, its visibility on the internet, etc. It has been featured in the news and was ranked as the 10th best secondary school in Africa by the African Yearbook in 2003. The school is one of the traditional giants when it comes to WAEC examinations. Their students usually perform very well. In 2022, it recorded the seventh highest average pass rate in the country, 86.31%. Adisadel University has some notable alumni, including Heads of State: Akwasi Amanguwa Africa, Scholars: Ni Quaynagh and Ave Kurze, Supreme Court Justices: Justice Koi Larbi and Henry K. Prempeh, and many others. ADISCO has also won several awards, including the 2016 National Science and Mathematics Quiz, the 2021 National Robotics Championship, and the 2016-2019 National Hockey Championship. This is a clear indication of their academic ability.
10. Mfantsipim School
Mfantsipim School is a boys’ boarding school established in 1876 in Cape Coast to promote spiritual, moral, and intellectual growth. It is the oldest high school in Ghana. Mfantsipim also has many notable alumni, including three Governors of the Bank of Ghana, three Vice Presidents, and one Head of State. Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan is one of Mfantsipim’s most notable alumni. The school is an intellectual hub, which is reflected in the numerous awards it has won. Mfantsipim has won the National Science and Mathematics Quiz twice, in 1999 and 2014. It has also won the Sprite Ball Championship five times. In 2020, an Mfantsipim student was awarded Best Student in WASSCE.
