Category A Schools In Ghana

Category A schools sit at the top of Ghana’s secondary school categorisation system, and almost every conversation about BECE placement eventually circles back to them.

They are the schools that dominate scholarship lists, university admission tallies, and the aspirations of students and parents across the country. But the Category A label carries weight that is worth examining honestly rather than simply accepting at face value.

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What Puts a School in Category A

The Ghana Education Service assigns Category A status to senior high schools that recruit nationally, meaning their student intake is drawn from across all regions of Ghana rather than from a single region or district. This national catchment is the defining structural characteristic of Category A schools, and it shapes everything from the competitiveness of their admissions to the diversity of their student populations.

Beyond catchment, Category A schools are generally characterised by longer institutional histories, stronger infrastructure, broader subject offerings, and more consistent access to qualified teachers across all WASSCE subject areas. Many of Ghana’s Category A schools were among the first secondary institutions established in the country, and decades of alumni networks, government attention, and community investment have compounded their advantages over time.

Schools like Achimota, Prempeh College, Wesley Girls, Adisadel, Ghana National College, and others in this tier carry reputations that extend beyond Ghana’s borders and are recognised across West Africa as institutions with serious academic traditions.

The Competitive Reality of Category A Placement

Getting placed in a Category A school requires BECE results that place a student among the most competitive performers nationally. Because these schools draw from the entire country, a student in the Volta Region is competing for the same limited places as a student in the Northern Region, the Ashanti Region, and everywhere else. The placement algorithm administered through the Computerised School Selection and Placement System considers aggregate scores, subject grades, and school preferences in that national competition.

This means that a student who performs very well within their district or region may still not secure a Category A placement if their scores do not meet the national threshold these schools effectively set. It is a genuinely competitive environment and students and parents should approach the placement process with clear eyes about what the numbers say rather than what the preferences alone express.

The Reputation Gap and What It Obscures

The concentration of national attention on Category A schools creates a reputation gap that obscures some important realities. Not every Category A school performs equally across all subjects or all programmes. Some have stronger science departments than humanities, or vice versa. Some have gone through periods of administrative instability that have affected academic outcomes despite the institutional prestige.

Conversely, several Category B schools consistently produce WASSCE results and university entrants that rival or exceed some Category A institutions on specific measures. The category is a useful signal but it is not a complete picture of where a student will be best served.

Table of Contents

Category A Schools In Ghana

Access the category A SHS / SHTS / TVET schools with their respective region, school code, School Name, district and day and boarding status below.
Table Number 1-70 are SHS/SHTS while Table Number 54 – 71 are TVET schools

S/N	Region	School Code	School Name	Location	Status
1	Ahafo	0061201	OLA Girls Senior High, Kenyasi	Kenyasi	D/B
2	Ahafo	0060203	Serwaa Kesse Girls Senior High	Duayaw Nkwanta	D/B
3	Ashanti	0050102	St. Louis Senior High, Kumasi	Oduom-Kumasi	D/B
4	Ashanti	0050111	Kumasi High School	Gyinyase-Kumasi	D/B
5	Ashanti	0050110	Opoku Ware School	Santasi-Kumasi	D/B
6	Ashanti	0050108	Prempeh College	Sofoline-Kumasi	D/B
7	Ashanti	0050104	T. I. Ahmadiyya Senior High , Kumasi	Kumasi – Stadium	D/B
8	Ashanti	0050201	Yaa Asantewaa Girls Senior High.	Tanoso-Kumasi	D/B
9	Bono	0060303	Berekum Presby Senior High	Berekum	D/B
10	Bono	0060505	Our Lady of Providence Senior High	Kwasi Buokrom	D/B
11	Bono	0060106	St. James Sem & Senior High, Abesim	Abesim	D/B
12	Bono	0060104	Sunyani Senior High	Sunyani	D/B
13	Bono	0060107	Notre Dame Girls Senior High, Sunyani	Sunyani	D/B
14	Central	0030102	Adisadel College	Cape Coast	D/B
15	Central	0030103	Holy Child School, Cape Coast	Cape Coast	D/B
16	Central	0030104	Mfantsipim School	Cape Coast	D/B
17	Central	0030101	St. Augustine’s College, Cape Coast	Cape Coast	D/B
18	Central	0030107	Wesley Girls Senior High, Cape Coast	Cape Coast	D/B
19	Central	0030301	Mfantsiman Girls Senior High	Saltpond	D/B
20	Eastern	0020402	Okuapeman Senior High	Akropong	D/B
21	Eastern	0020301	Aburi Girls Senior High	Aburi	D/B
22	Eastern	0021103	St. Rose’s Senior High, Akwatia	Akwatia	D/B
23	Eastern	0021302	Ofori Panin Senior High	Kukurantumi	D/B
24	Eastern	0021003	St. Peter’s Senior High, Nkwatia	Nkwatia	D/B
25	Eastern	0021501	Krobo Girls Senior High	Odumase	D/B
26	Eastern	0020104	Ghana Senior High, Koforidua	Koforidua	D/B
27	Eastern	0020101	Koforidua Senior High/Tech	Koforidua	D/B
28	Eastern	0020102	Pope John Snr. High & Min. Sem., Koforidua	Koforidua	D/B
29	G. Accra	0010121	Accra Academy	Kaneshie	D/B
30	G. Accra	0010112	Accra Girls Senior High .	Mamobi	D/B
31	G. Accra	0010110	Achimota Senior High	Achimota	D/B
32	G. Accra	0010102	St. Mary’s Senior High, Korle Gonno	Korle Gonno	D/B
33	G. Accra	0010105	St. Thomas Aquinas Senior High, Cantoments	Cantonments	D
34	G. Accra	0010111	Presby Boys Senior High, Legon	Legon	D/B
35	G. Accra	0010201	Tema Senior High	Tema Comm 5	D/B
36	Northern	0080101	Tamale Senior High .	Tamale	D/B
37	Northern	0080107	St. Charles Senior High, Tamale	Tamale	D/B
38	Northern	0080102	Ghana Senior High, Tamale	Tamale	D/B
39	U. East	0090401	Bolga Girls Senior High	Zaare-Bolgatanga	D/B
40	U. East	0090501	Navrongo Senior High	Janania-Navrongo	D/B
41	U. East	0090505	Notre Dame Sem/ Senior High, Navrongo	Navrongo	D/B
42	U. East	0090403	Bolgatanga Senior High	Bolgatanga	D/B
43	U. West	0100302	St. Francis Girls Senior High, Jirapa	Jirapa	D/B
44	U. West	0100202	Lawra Senior High	Lawra	D/B
45	U. West	0100201	Nandom Senior High	Nandom	D/B
46	Volta	0070102	Mawuli School, Ho	Ho	D/B
47	Volta	0070101	OLA Girls Senior High, Ho	Ho	D/B
48	Volta	0070601	Bishop Herman College	Kpando	D/B
49	Western	0040103	Archbishop Porter Girls Snr.High .	Sekondi	D/B
50	Western	0040104	Ghana Senior High/Tech	Takoradi	D/B
51	Western	0040102	Sekondi College	Sekondi	D/B
52	Western	0040107	St. John’s Senior High, Sekondi	Sekondi	D/B
53	Western	0040105	Fijai Senior High	Sekondi	D/B
54	Ashanti	9050101	Kumasi Tech. Inst.	Kumasi	D/B
55	Bono East	9060901	Nkoranza Tech Inst.	Nkoranza	D/B
56	Central	9030101	Cape Coast Tech. Inst.	Cape Coast	D/B
57	Central	9030401	Asuansi Tech. Inst.	Asuansi	D/B
58	Eastern	9020101	Koforidua Tech. Inst.	Koforidua	D/B
59	Eastern	9021101	Akwatia Tech. Inst.	Akwatia	D/B
60	Eastern	9021301	St. Paul’s Tech. Inst.	Kukurantumi	D/B
61	Gt. Accra	9010101	Accra Tech. Trg. Centre	Kokomlemle	D
62	Gt. Accra	9010201	Tema Tech. Inst.	Tema	D
63	Gt. Accra	9011601	Ada Tech. Inst.	Ada	D/B
64	Northern	9080101	Dabokpa Voc/Tech. Inst.	Tamale	D/B
65	Upper East	9090101	Bawku Tech. Inst.	Bawku	D/B
66	Upper East	9090401	Bolga Tech. Inst.	Bolgatanga	D/B
67	Upper West	9100101	Wa Tech. Inst.	Wa	D/B
68	Volta	9070501	Anlo Tech. Inst.	Anloga	D/B
69	Volta	9070601	Kpando Tech. Inst.	Kpando	D/B
70	Western	9040101	Takoradi Tech. Inst.	Takoradi	D
71	Western	9040401	Kikam Tech. Inst.	Kikam	D/B