The top schools in Kenya by KCSE results are named mostly by newspapers and blogs, and we could not confirm an official national list for 2025. The lists online also disagree in places. This article sets out the figures we can verify, which schools led their counties, and what is still unconfirmed. We checked the sources on 26 October 2026. Use this page as a starting point, not a verdict. Each figure links to the document it came from, so you can check it yourself before you share it.
KNEC released the 2025 KCSE results on 9 January 2026. A total of 993,226 candidates sat the exam in 10,765 secondary institutions, and KNEC engaged 30,980 examiners to mark the papers.
Source: KNEC, 2026
Is there an official national list of top schools?
We did not find one. The KNEC and Ministry of Education pages we read do not publish a list of the top 10 or top 100 schools. We also could not confirm whether the Ministry or KNEC publishes a school ranking at all, because the pages we read did not say either way. Check the official KNEC site at knec.ac.ke before you quote any ranking.
Source: KNEC, 2026
Parents often ask for a list they can keep. Before you keep one, compare it with the KNEC and Ministry figures in this article, and check the date it was made. A list that does not show where its figures came from is hard to check, and a list you cannot check should not decide a school choice on its own.
What are the top 10 high schools in Kenya?
No official top 10 has been confirmed. The closest published list is a 30-school ranking by Education News Hub. We have not used its figures in this article, because outlets report slightly different scores for some schools. What we can confirm is the set of county leaders that The Standard named, shown in the table below. These are the best schools in each county, not a national ranking, and the list does not cover every county.
Source: Education News Hub, 2026
| County | School | Mean score |
|---|---|---|
| Nakuru | Moi High School Kabarak | 10.6 |
| Kiambu | Alliance High School | 10.47 |
| Siaya | Maranda High School | 10.2 |
| Nairobi | Starehe Boys Centre | 9.97 |
| Nyandarua | Kisima Mixed School | 9.94 |
| Kericho | Kipsigis Girls | 9.81 |
| Vihiga | Bunyore Girls | 9.8 |
| Homa Bay | Asumbi Girls High School | 9.78 |
| Bungoma | Friends School Kamusinga | 9.34 |
Source: The Standard, 2026
In Nairobi, Pangani Girls (9.71), Nairobi School (9.54) and Lenana School (9.49) also posted high scores. The Standard reported that Moi High School Kabarak topped the 2025 KCSE, and that is the only national top school we can tie to a named outlet.
Source: The Standard, 2026
The same coverage found sharp differences in performance from one county to another. National schools still lead at the very top, while county and extra-county schools are closing the gap. Strong results are no longer limited to small elite institutions. Education experts link the spread of strong schools to teacher deployment, infrastructure and academic culture.
Source: The Standard, 2026
A single mean score hides a lot. The coverage also noted wide variations in mean scores within the same county. Kisima Mixed School in Nyandarua scored 9.94 despite a small candidature, which is why one number can mislead.
Source: The Standard, 2026
How did students do in the 2025 KCSE?
The grade figures below show how the whole candidature performed. C plus is the grade that gives direct university entry.
| Grade band | Candidates in 2025 | Share of candidates |
|---|---|---|
| C plus or better | 270,715 | 27.18% |
| C minus or better | 507,131 | 50.92% |
| D plus or better | 634,082 | 63.67% |
Source: Ministry of Education, 2026
The C plus count rose from 246,391 (25.53 percent) in 2024. National schools produced the most candidates with an overall mean grade of A, 1,526 in total. Sub-County schools also produced more C plus candidates than County schools.
Source: Ministry of Education, 2026
Grades are only part of the picture. The coverage we read links strong results to teacher deployment, infrastructure and academic culture, so a grade on its own does not explain why a school performs well. For how grades are worked out, read our KCSE grading guide.
Which county has the most schools?
On the SchoolRegistry Kenya register, built from the Ministry of Education school lists of 2016 and 2010, Nairobi has the most schools of all levels, 4,917 of the 77,717 on the register. Nakuru follows with 3,358, then Kakamega with 3,212. For secondary schools alone the order changes: Nairobi has 482, Kisii 467 and Nakuru 437, out of 9,354 secondary schools on the register.
Counts are not quality. A county with many secondary schools is not a county with better results, and the register is a list of schools, not a ranking. KNEC counts candidates, and Kakamega County had the largest 2025 entry, at 51,593 candidates. A county total also hides the differences between schools inside it, which is one reason to look at individual schools. To see every county, go to counties, or read how many schools are in Kenya.
Source: KNEC, 2026
Can I get a PDF of the top 100 schools for KCSE 2025?
We found no PDF of a top 100 list for 2025 on any page we read, and no official or media PDF of a top 200 list either. Lists for 2021, 2022 and 2024 were not searched, so they remain unconfirmed. Check the official KNEC site for any list before you rely on one from a third party.
Source: KNEC, 2026
How do I check my child's KCSE result?
Individual results are checked at results.knec.ac.ke. Enter the index number and any one of the names as registered. Results went live on the portal as soon as the release event ended. For a step-by-step guide to the KNEC portals, read our KNEC portals explainer.
Source: Ministry of Education, 2026
Parents of 2026 candidates should know that KNEC said the registration portals were due to open in February 2026. KNEC also said it planned an SMS platform so parents and guardians could confirm a learner's registration. We did not find a confirmed SMS number or short code, so check with KNEC directly before you send anything.
Source: KNEC, 2026
Key figures to cite
- 993,226 candidates sat the 2025 KCSE, up from 962,512 in 2024.
Source: Ministry of Education, 2026
- Candidate numbers rose by 30,714, or 3.19 percent, from 2024 to 2025.
Source: Ministry of Education, 2026
- Female candidates outnumbered male candidates for the second year running, at 501,214 against 492,012.
Source: Ministry of Education, 2026
- 270,715 candidates, or 27.18 percent, reached grade C plus or better in 2025.
Source: Ministry of Education, 2026
- 1,180 candidates were found to have been involved in examination irregularities.
Source: Ministry of Education, 2026
- Kakamega County had the largest 2025 candidate entry, at 51,593.
Source: KNEC, 2026
- Results were released on 9 January 2026.
Source: KNEC, 2026
Read next
- KCSE grading system
- National and extra-county schools as clusters
- International schools in Kenya
- How many schools are in Kenya?
- Boarding schools in Kenya
Looking for a school? Search every school on the register or find schools near you. We explain how the register is built on the methodology page.
Questions people ask
What are the top 5 secondary schools?
We did not confirm a national top five. The county leaders named by The Standard include Moi High School Kabarak, Alliance High School and Maranda High School, but each one leads its own county only. For a fuller view, compare the county table above with the official KNEC results.
Who is the top 10 school?
We could not find an official top 10. The Standard reported that Moi High School Kabarak topped the 2025 KCSE, and we found no source for the rest of a national top 10. Read any third-party ranking with care, because its figures can differ slightly from other outlets.
Source: The Standard, 2026
What is the hardest school to get into?
We found no source that answers this, so we do not rank schools by how hard they are to join. KCSE results show how schools performed in exams, and they do not show how hard admission is.
Which country is best for high school?
No source we read compares countries, so the KCSE pages cannot answer this. To look up Kenyan schools yourself, you can search every school by name or location.
What is the top 1 best school in the world?
No source we read names one, and we do not give a world ranking. This article covers Kenyan schools and the 2025 KCSE results only.
What does a mean score mean?
The pages we read do not explain how a mean score is calculated, or what it says about teaching quality or a school's value. Treat a mean score as one number among several. To see how we put our school information together, read how we compile the register.
When will the 2026 KCSE results come out?
We did not find a release date for the 2026 results. KNEC said it had already begun the 2026 assessment and examination cycle, and the registration portals were due to open in February 2026. Check the official KNEC site for the release date once it is announced.
Source: KNEC, 2026
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