With so many top-notch boarding schools in Dehradun for girls & boys, the city is rightly regarded as the School Capital of India. A majority of prestigeous academic establishments among these, exists since the British age. The schools of Dehradun with its quality education attracts education seekers from all over the country.
Among different schools in Dehradun of high repute, below occupies top spot in our list :
The Doon School (Boys)
Undoubtedly the most legendary residential school in India, The Doon School (or more popularly known as Doon) is often referred to the ‘Eton of India’.
Founded in the year of 1935 by notable Kolkata-lawyer Satish Ranjan Das, the primary object behind Doon’s birth was to strike a fine balance between the specialty of British public school system and the values and culture deep-ingrained in India.
Over the years, this boys-only boarding school had given birth to many luminaries of India from the fields of Politics, Journalism, Entertainment, Literature to name a few.
The aim of the school towards its pupils is to make each of them a highly intellectual individual with analytical/critical thinking skill as well as leadership quality.
Doon runs a super-competitive admission process that includes a written test followed by a personal interview.
So you may consider yourself lucky if your boy gets through this tight screening process as the Doscos (the moniker given to refer the alumni of Doon) are generally proved to be highly successful individuals in their respective careers.
The over-all development of a child is given utmost importance here, that’s why the school has the infrastrucre to encourage it boys in taking up sports, nurturing hobbies and other extra-curriculum activities.
Provisions have been made to give each students access to personal as well as career counseling.
Convent of Jesus And Mary (Girls)
Not only for all-boys’ boarding schools, Dehradun is famous for its all-girls’ boarding schools and Convent of Jesus and Mary is one of the premiers among them. This school was established in Dehradun in the year of 1901 by J &M Education Society – an institution for Christian minorities in Dehradun.
One of the oldest girl’s schools in India, Convent of Jesus and Mary was founded primarily to cater to the educational needs of girls from catholic community.
Though over the years, the school became more open to welcome students irrespective of their religion, cast or creed, but still Convent of Jesus and Mary is recognized as one of the premier academic institutions in India which believes in preserving Catholic practices and beliefs.
Along with its academic brilliance, this school nourishes a student by crafting various opportunities so that she can pursue any creative hobby she likes- whether it’s Yoga, music, needle work and so on.
St. Jude’s School (Co-ed)
Apart from its well-known residential schools that are gender-specific, Dehradun also doesn’t lag behind- when it comes to Co-ed academic institutions and St. Jude’s School is one the front-runners in this category.
Established in the year of 1993, the school has become a favorite among parents who wish to send their children in a school campus that promotes gender-equality and firmly believes in the fact that- only a healthy mingling between boys and girls right from the tender age can culminate to a society, where discrimination between sexes will be blurred completely.
The school has four houses- Lyons, Khanna, Gardener and Howard.
Boys and girls of various backgrounds can appear for the admission test organized by the school and once they get through, all their past backgrounds are totally forgotten and from thereon, their first identities becomes- the pupils of St. Jude’s School.
Apart from academics, the school authority gives priorities to extra-curricular activities like- sports and games, quizzes, debates, theatre, performing arts to name a few.
Colonel Brown Cambridge School (Boys)
‘MAGNA EST VERITAS’ or ‘Truth Is Great’- the motto of Colonel Brown Cambridge School of Dehradun remained the same, starting from its foundation year in 1926.
Established by Col. Brown and Mrs. Brown, this English medium boys’ boarding school is one of the renowned academic institutions in India.
Surprisingly, though the school was founded by a British couple, from the very beginning their idea was to treat each of the students with equality barring his cast, color or creed. Such open-mindedness was a rare sight in those pre-independence years in India in a British-led school!
Though more than 88 years had passed and Colonel Brown Cambridge School had gone through much changes and leaning more towards assimilating its once- British inspired culture with that of Indian one; you will still get to see the few glimpses of British era scattered around the school’s campus, especially the chhota hazri ( the popular moniker for break-fast among the British officers) that is served every morning to the students and the names of various students’ houses like- Silverton, McIntosh, Ireland, Longfold to name a few.
Apart from putting strength on academics, the school is famous for giving proper attention to the physical fitness of its students as well as their over-all grooming.
The inception of open-air Tamarind Theatre and the vast playground are the proofs of that. Also this school has an attached hospital which also assures the parents about their kids’ healthcare system.
Welham Girls School (Girls)
The picturesque location of Wellham Girls School Dehradun is enough to melt your heart at the first sight. Amidst lush greenery, this grand building will evoke both intimidation and awe in the mind of the beholder.
One of the most respected boarding schools for girls in India, Welham has had an famous list of alumni– from the feisty journalist Tavleen Singh to famous bollywood actor Kareena Kapoor, from the prominent politician Brinda Karat to noted Indian-Canadian film director of movies like ‘Fire’ and ‘1947 Earth’ Deepa Mehta, the halls and corridors of Welham Dehradun saw many dazzling stalwarts during their formative years.
If you want to put your girl up in a school which gives number one priority to all-round development of its pupils- then look no further than Welham Girls School.
Established in 1957 by a respected British lady Miss H.S. Oliphant who, with the assistance of a prominent educationist Miss Linnell, got hold of a small estate at the foothills of Himalaya in Dehradun and turned it into her dream school named after a Welsh village ‘Welham’. Even after 58 years of its foundation, the spirit of Welham is going stronger than ever.
But if you think that Welham is all about an assortment of students from posh and affluent families, you would be far from the truth. The school has wonderful scholarship structure and fee wavering schemes for pupils from the under-privileged backgrounds.