Best schools in Delhi

You’ll almost certainly find fewer schools to choose from in Delhi than in your home country or other major cities. But the small selection of international schools all have something a little different to offer relocating international families.

Education in Delhi

It is rare for expats on short contracts to send their children to Indian schools, but a few NRIs (non-resident Indians) and long-term Europeans, who have married into Indian families, choose this system. Among those worthy of note include Sanskriti School and the Delhi Public School chain, particularly the one in RK Puram. Classes are universally large, about 40 and above, and the style of teaching is didactic and very disciplined. The successful schools turn out engineers and electronic whiz kids by the score, but they are hothouses and very high pressure with little or no extracurricular activity. There are lines around the blocks on enrolment and admission days and grades have to be very high for children to be accepted.

For the most part, expats choose one of the international schools and top up the learning with tutors. There are tons of tutors in Delhi, who offer extra lessons for schoolwork (as well as just about every extracurricular subject you can think of) to children of all ages. At The American School, assistant teachers offer extra lessons to back up classroom work or assist with English after school. The British School offers extra lessons and prefers to use in-house teachers rather than external tutors. Extra lessons for senior school children can also be arranged with a reputable private tutor who will come to your home for all subjects. Be warned that as tutoring prices are reasonable, it is highly contagious and you can soon find your child – and you – have no downtime.

Choosing a school in Delhi

Location, fees, curriculum, staff, facilities, clientele and community all factor into the equation with varying degrees of importance.

Due to the increase in expats moving to Delhi, it has become extremely difficult to secure a place in the two leading international schools - both tend to have long waiting lists. But there are few other viable international school options. Some have a bus service – handy if you have to go further afield than you’d like. Otherwise the ride to school is done by the drivers, either with or without parents, with some car-pooling.

Pre-schools, kindergarten and nurseries in Delhi

For 2 to 4 year-olds, expats have several options. Magic Years in Vasant Vihar is a Montessori school with a good sports programme in the afternoons. Little Senators (a Montessori pre-school) in Vasant Vihar and Your Kids R Our Kids in Jorbagh are also popular. As each of their styles are different, parents should visit first. All staff are Indian, and children often end up with a good smattering of Hindi and an adorable Indian accent.

Since most diplomats and corporate staff don’t get help with fees at this stage, these local schools offer a good alternative to the oversubscribed embassy-run nurseries (American Embassy - ‘Apple’; British High Commission - Busy Bees). Both take from outside the diplomatic enclave too, but priority is given to embassy employees, followed by selection by nationality and finally the Joe Ordinaries.