Of the more than five thousand secondary schools in Kenya, very few have distinguished themselves in terms of education. The best national schools in Kenya are therefore those that have earned a reputation over the years, and that continue to defend their antecedents with consistently good results at the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations.

As some of the most historic schools in the country, these schools have produced some great citizens of the country; leaders of thought, captains of industry, politicians, administrators, and legal luminaries.

These schools instill high standards of education, as well as high expectations into their students; it is evident from their behavior, speech, and ethics that these young people have been trained to become achievers. They are brimming with ideas, and just cannot wait to get started with bringing them to life.

Top 10 Best National Schools In Kenya 2023

1. Kenyatta High Mwatate

Kenyatta High Mwatate was established in the year 1970 through a government grant. This hotel is a boy’s only boarding school, operating as a national secondary school. The school is located 700m away from Mwatate town, Taita Taveta county in Kenya.

Kenyatta High is one of most impressive schools in Kenya; it is cordoned off from the rest of the community, and sits on top of a spacious lot. Students enjoy very good facilities such as laboratories, sports, and agriculture.

The education is great and well rounded; and the results are great. This is one of the best national schools in Kenya by performance; recently they produced the second best overall student at the national exams, and the school had a mean grade of 8.131 in the same year.

2. Bura Girls       

Bura Girls was established in 1920 as a mixed day primary school. Now, however, it operates as a girls only public boarding secondary school. This is a national school sponsored by the Catholic Church.

The school is located in Ilole sub-location, Bura, Mwatate division in Mwatate constituency, Taita Taveta county. It is just along the Voi-Taveta road, approximately 41km from Voi Town.

The school sits on a 12 acre piece of land; enough space for agriculture, sports, and other activities. The school selects new students based on merit; said students then receive rigorous training; enabling them to shine in the national exams and in their chosen careers.

3. Mama Ngina Girls      

Mama Ngina Girls is the only national secondary school in Mombasa. It has now been moved to a brand new complex sitting on a 30 acre plot of land, with an Olympic size swimming pool, ample land for agriculture, sporting activities, and state of the art laboratory and theatre facilities.

Mama Ngina Girl’s secondary school was established on 25th January 1988. It is a public school; funded by the government, and administered by a board.

As for academic performance this is one of the giants in the region. Mama Ngina Girls secondary school recently produced the second best student in the region at the KCSE exams.

4. Ribe Boys       

Ribe Boys was started in the year 1940 as a mixed primary school by the Methodist Church. By 1963 it was then changed to a boys only secondary school, by phasing out the girls school which was established in a different location. The school sits on a 25 acre piece of land; great for agriculture, sporting activities, and so on.

Ribe Boys is located in Chauringo sub location, Ribe location, Kaloleni division, Kaloleni constituency, Kilifi county; in Kenya. It is just along the Nairobi-Mombasa highway at Mazeras junction.

Ribe Boys is a proper educational institution; form one students are admitted on merit. This has helped make the school competitive; and one of the most consistent when it comes to performance. Ribe Boys recently came out as the fourth top school in the KCSE. The school has continued to impress in the national exams.

5. Kagumo High               

One of the most prestigious national schools in Kenya, Kagumo High school was established in 1933 as a primary school with the aim of producing artisans to work for the colonialists. The school has now become one of the finest boys schools in Kenya, with a student body numbering 2000. It is a boarding school; one that offers the best quality of education and facilities.

Presently Kagumo High School is one of the best performing schools in the KCSE exams; the school recently posted outstanding results which means 374 of its 392 candidates score C+ and above, therefore qualifying for university.

Kagumo High School saw 19 of its candidates score A plain, with 100 scoring A- and 112 with B+.

6. Muranga High              

Muranga High School is a Catholic church sponsored boys boarding high school which is located in Murang’a town, Kenya. The school was established in 1964 as a simple day school, but has since grown to one of the top secondary schools in the country. It became a national school in 2014.

Muranga High has a student body of more than 1000, and they are given rigorous academic instruction. The school motto is “Discipline Order Determination.”

Muranga High has over the years produced very good results in the KCSE exams. For example, the school has in recent years come out as one of the top 100 schools in the KCSE exams.

7. Machakos Boys           

Machakos Boys High School, which is also known simply as Machakos Boys, is a Public National Secondary School for boys which is located near Machakos Town, Machakos Town Constituency in Machakos County, Kenya. It is along the Machakos-Chumvi Road, very close to Machakos Town.

Machakos Boys was established in 1915; it was then a boy’s primary school.

Machakos Boys recently came out as the best school in the MachaKos County; it has consistently performed well in the KCSE Exams, and has produced notable people in all walks of life.

8. Muthale Girls

Muthale Girls’ High School, also simply known as Muthale Girls is a girls’ boarding secondary school in Kitui County. The school was founded by the Franciscan Sisters for Africa in 1970, as a mixed day school before changing to girl’s only school the same year it was founded.

The school has a student body numbering around 800. It became a National School in 2011. Muthale Girl’s is one of the best performing schools in Kenya.

Some years ago this was the overall best performing school in Kitui County. More recently, the school performed above average in the KCSE Exams.

9. Moi High Mbiruri       

Moi High Mbiruri is a national public boys boarding secondary school located in Embu, Kenya. The school is sponsored by the Anglican Church of Kenya. Moi High Mbiruri was established in the year 1953 as a mixed primary school, but became a secondary school in 1965, and then became a boys only school in 1996.

Moi High is known for high performance in all things both academic and sports. The school recently posted impressive results at the KCSE; it produced 137 candidates for the KCSE Exams and most of them qualified for University. The mean result was 8.52; thus ranking the school at number 55.

10. Meru School              

Meru School is a national public boarding secondary for boys, which is located in Meru County, Kenya. The school was established in the year 1956, at that time it was a sister school to Meru Teachers Training College. It became a boys only school in the year 1961 when the girls were moved to another school at a different location. The school then became a national school in the year 2011.

The school has consistently performed well at the KCSE Exams; the school is one of the giants in its region. The school recently posted a mean score of 69.833, which is a B+.

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Closing

The top national schools in Kenya are mostly old and well established places of learning. Many of these schools have already created incredible records since the early days of their formation; the current students only have to ensure that they keep up the good work done by their predecessors.