Top 10 CBSE schools in Chennai

India being a large nation has to cater to the educational requirements of a vast and culturally diverse population. At the school level, there are multiple educational authorities/board that conduct school level examinations ranging from the local state boards to boards offering international education like the International Baccalaureate etc. The most prominent of them is the Central Board of Secondary Education which offers a national level curriculum with more than 17000 schools affiliated to it across the country. The CBSE provides a nationalised curriculum to students across the nation, with varying language options in different states.

Tamil Nadu is one of the few states in India with educational infrastructure comparable to International standards, this has made the state a leader in providing both school level education and University Level education. In spite of having a State Education Board catering to a majority of school students in the state, there is a strong CBSE presence with close to 600 schools across the state affiliated to the board. The schools are spread across various tier 1, tier 2 and tier 3 cities in the state, but there is a very high concentration of CBSE schools in Chennai owing to its metro status. Chennai is home to nearly 135 CBSE schools spread across the city. Given below is a list of top 10 CBSE schools in Chennai.

1. D.A.V. Boys Senior Secondary School, Gopalapuram

D.A.V. Boys Senior Secondary School situated at Gopalapuram Chennai is the main branch of the D.A.V. Group of Schools, managed by The Tamil Nadu Arya Samaj Educational Society. It was established in the year 1970 and is affiliated to and fully recognized up to the class XII level by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). It currently has a student strength of 2386 boys. D.A.V. Girls Senior Secondary School is located in the campus adjacent to the DAV Boys School and is equally reputed.

The schools follow a scheme of general studies up to class 10, that is, all subjects are compulsory. Post class 10, a student can opt for different specialisations in the 11th and 12th level, the following options are available to them:

1. Science Group: English (Core), Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics with either Biology/Computer Science/Engineering Graphics.

2. Commerce Group: English (Core), Business Studies, Accountancy, Economics with either, Mathematics or Marketing.

The school believes in the all-round development of students and includes various co-curricular activities in their course for attaining this goal. The schools have shown exemplary results in the past in both 12th and 10th standard levels and strive to set academic records year after year.

2. Kendriya Vidyalaya IIT Madras

Kendriya Vidyalaya IIT was established in the year 1964 with the patronage and assistance of the management of IIT Madras. Nestling in the greenery of the eco-friendly IIT Campus, the Vidyalaya has been nurtured by the parental care of the IIT authorities. The school boasts of a sprawling campus with the best infrastructural facilities and maintenance, thanks to IIT Madras.

The Kendriya Vidyalaya IIT is the toughest to get admissions in as far as government run CBSE schools in Chennai are concerned. There is stiff competition for seats every year, owing to the location of the school which is inside the IIT Madras Campus. Track record of the school in past board examinations has been a major attraction for students and parents to opt for this school. The training provided here for the 11th and 12th standard students in the science streams are rigorous and highly effective.

3. Chettinad Vidyasharam

Chettinad Vidyashram is a co-educational days school located along the banks of the Adyar river in Chennai. It was founded in 1986 by Kumara Rani of Chettinad, Dr.Meena Muthiah, a prominent Chennai based philanthropist and educationalist. The school is a long cherished dream of Mrs Muthiah, whose vision was to start an educational institution combining the virtues of art and culture, which will endeavour to raise the integrated child who is not dwarfed by any form of oppression or classification.
The education imparted at Chettinad Vidyasharam is an immaculate blend of India’s priceless cultural and modern scientific knowledge.

The School follows the CBSE curriculum with the three language formula. English being the first language is compulsory for all classes. Hindi, Tamil, Sanskrit, French, German and Telugu are the range of languages that can be chosen as the 2nd and 3rd languages.

The School Also offers a range of non-scholastic activities for students, like arts (CV is the only school that offers training in Tanjore art), various sports such as football, basketball etc, club activities - the eco club, Astronomy club etc. and much more. The school is one of the largest day schools in India both in terms of size and the total number of students enroled.

4. PSBB-Padama Seshadri Bala Bhavan Senior Secondary School, KK Nagar.

The first PSBB School in Nungambakkam was established in 1958 by a group of housewives of the Nungambakkam Ladies Recreation Club. There were 13 students in a thatched shed on the terrace of the residence of the dean and director of the school, Mrs Y. G. Parthasarathy. The land was donated by the family of famous Table Tennis Player, Venugopal Chandrasekhar. Today the school has six branches (including PSBB Millennium) with over 8000 students and 500 staff members.

In 1976 another branch of the PSBB School, affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education, was started in a residential area of K. K. Nagar with a 5-acre campus. The K. K. Nagar branch has seen forty-eight batches pass out. PSBB has been visited by (former) President of India A. P. J. Abdul Kalam. The K. K. Nagar branch is one of its biggest schools in the city. Many notable personalities from the film industry and the sporting world are an alumnus of this prestigious institution.

5. Vidya Mandir Senior Secondary School, Mylapore

The MLC School Society (Mylapore Ladies’ Club) established Kindergarten School on 3rd February 1956 to accommodate the boys in Mylapore and its surrounding areas. The first president of the society was Sister Subbalakshmi, supported by Shri Subbaraya Aiyar, a leading lawyer of his time, and Mrs Padmini Chari, Educationist. Thus the school was born through the efforts of the three, and Vidya Mandir Matriculation School (boys school) was formally opened in 1960. The School obtained a CBSE affiliation in the year 1975 and the first batch of 10th standard students passed out in the year 1978 and in the same year, the school was made co-educational.

Since then the school has been functioning as a co-educational institution of repute among the residents of Mylapore and surrounding areas, and with time has gained statewide recognition. The institution also boasts of an illustrious list of alumni, who are achievers in various fields.

The school aims at making its students confident and capable citizens, who constantly evolve through learning and be able to identify opportunities for growth and exploit them to the fullest.

6. P.S Senior Secondary School, Mylapore

Located in the heart of the city – Mylapore, the cultural hub of Chennai – PS Senior Secondary School has been providing quality holistic education at an affordable cost since 1976. We have excellent teachers to support us in our mission. All our principals since 1978 are recipients of the coveted National Award for Teachers from the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), conferred by the President of India.

Since its inception in 1976, in a little over 4 decades, the school has recorded phenomenal growth both in size and stature. From 265 students and 13 teachers at the beginning, the school today has a student strength of 2800 students and nearly 180 teachers and other members of staff. Known for its academic prowess, the school has regularly sent students to International Olympiads. Graduates of the school joined reputed colleges of higher education such as IIT, NIT, Anna University in India, and premier institutes of higher education in the US, UK and Singapore. Students of the school have excelled in all fields including engineering, medicine, law, accounting, finance, education, research, etc and even as entrepreneurs, artists, dancers, singers, musicians, and social workers.

7. Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Taylors Road

Chinmaya Mission was established in India in 1953 by devotees of the world-renowned Vedanta teacher, His Holiness Swami Chinmayananda. Guided by his vision, devotees all around the world formed the nucleus of a spiritual renaissance movement that now encompasses a wide range of spiritual, educational, and charitable activities, ennobling the lives of thousands in India and across its borders.

The Mission runs various Schools in India and a number of them are located in the State of Tamil Nadu. Chennai alone is home to 5 schools Chinmaya mission schools and the most famous of them is the Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Taylors Road, Chennai. The school is situated amidst upscale localities and has enjoyed the patronage of many an eminent personality. The school provides a conducive environ for the learning and development of children and is thus a prefered option for parents in and around the locality.

8. National Public School, Gopalapuram

National Public School, Gopalapuram, was founded in 1970 by our Chairman Dr K. P. Gopalkrishna and Dean Dr Santhamma Gopalkrishna. The school is located in the heart of the city in Gopalapuram.

NPS Gopalapuram has been granted the status of permanent affiliation by the Central Board of Secondary Education. The benchmark of its success has been its admirable record in academics as well as co-curricular programs including the personality development programme.

While most schools offer only the traditional three options of Computer Science, Biology and Commerce groups for the classes 11 and 12, NPS provides 6 streams to choose from:-

• Group 1: Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry & Computer Science
• Group 2: Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry & Biology
• Group 3: Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Economics
• Group 4: Mathematics, Business Studies, Accountancy, Economics
• Group 5: Economics, Business Studies & Accountancy
• Group 6: Core English / English Literature, History, Psychology, Economics, Business Studies / Marketing.

The school is also situated in a prominent locality of the city and has good infrastructure such as libraries, a theatre and state of the art science laboratories etc. This makes the school an attractive option among CBSE schools in Chennai.

9. Bala Vidya Mandir Senior Secondary School, Adyar

Bala Vidya Mandir enjoys a justifiable reputation among schools in Chennai, for its balanced approach to education. In this school, Indian tradition and Western liberalism achieve a harmony. The school believes in imbibing thirst a thirst for knowledge in students, this thirst would drive students to learn out of their own interest and be inquisitive from a very young age. The motivation to learn comes from within the student thus creating highly Independent and Enterprising individuals.

The school follows a continuous evaluation process for students and was one of the earliest schools in Chennai to adopt the two-semester pattern instead of three terms per year as recommended by the CBSE in the year 2010. Exams are not conducted up to class 5 and the students are evaluated regularly based on class tests and other activities/assignments, till class 5 students are required to wear uniforms only on Mondays and normal colour clothes can be worn on the other days. Apart from scholastics the students also take up sports and other cultural activities, in the higher classes training is provided to students in life skills such a First Aid etc. and students are evaluated on their participation in these activities. The emphasis laid by the school on overall development students and its unconventional approach to education has made the school among the best in Chennai.

10. ASAN Memorial Senior Secondary School

The Asan Memorial Senior Secondary School was started in the year 1966, by A.K Gopalan. It is the first CBSE School in Chennai, and one of the largest in the country. A temporary shed was constructed in the compound for 5 classrooms in just 18 days, and ASAN MEMORIAL SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL was declared open on June 27th, 1966 - a red-letter day for the Association and its dedicated team led by Shri. A.k. Gopalan. The school was initially set up to cater to the natives of Kerala settled in Chennai, promoting their culture and heritage. With the school expanded and is now renowned for the quality of education imparted. There is a huge list of Chennai base personalities who call ASAN Memorial their Alma Matter and the most prominent one being Actor Ajith Kumar.

The cherished objective of the school is to equip young boys and girls with knowledge, in all subjects perfected with character and a true sense of human values. Students are encouraged to take up various activities apart from scholastics, this is done to make to students multifaceted.

Get personalised online tutoring for CBSE from the comfort of your home. Request your first lesson at Vidyalai.