Last reviewed: 24 October 2026
Choosing senior schools is one of the biggest decisions in Grade 9. For the first cohort, each learner picked a pathway and subject combination and then 12 schools. A well-built list improves the chance of a good placement; a poorly built one can leave a learner in a school nobody planned for. This guide gives a practical method, based on the rules used in 2025.
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The Structure of the 12 Choices
According to reports in The Star and the Daily Nation, the first cohort chose:
- three boarding schools in the home county;
- six boarding schools outside the home county; and
- three day schools in the home sub-county.
Confirm the exact rules for your child’s cohort with the school, since the Ministry may adjust them.
Step 1: Settle the Pathway First
Every school you choose must offer your child’s pathway and, ideally, their subject combination. C1 schools offer all three pathways, while many day schools offer only two. Read choosing a senior school pathway before listing schools.
Step 2: Set a Fee Budget
Day senior schools charge no tuition fees. Boarding schools may charge up to KSh 53,554 or KSh 40,535 a year under the 2026 gazetted ceilings, paid 50:30:20 across the terms, plus uniform, shopping and transport. Only list boarding schools you could realistically afford. See senior school fees 2026.
Step 3: Build a Long List
Use the Senior School Finder to filter schools by county, sub-county, cluster, gender and boarding status. Our county pages in the senior schools hub list schools from C1 to C4. Write down 20 to 25 candidates.
Step 4: Balance Ambition and Realism
For the nine boarding choices, a common approach is:
- a few ambitious choices (often C1 or C2) that match your child’s strongest results;
- several solid choices where your child would be competitive; and
- some safer choices that you would still be happy with.
Remember that county shares and space limit placement in popular schools, so not everyone can get their top choices.
Step 5: Take the Day Schools Seriously
The three day schools are the realistic fallback, and they are fee-free. Choose ones your child can reach safely every day, and visit them if you can. See why day school choices matter.
Step 6: Check the Details
- Does the school admit your child’s gender?
- Does it offer the pathway and combination?
- Is it day, boarding or both?
- What is the fee structure, by vote head?
- How far is it, and how would your child travel?
Step 7: Decide Together
Involve your child. They will spend three years at the school. Ask their teachers for an honest view of their likely performance and fit.
After Results
In 2025, learners could revise their choices for five days after results. Keep your long list handy in case a window opens again. Read revising choices after results and priority boarding slots.
Strengthen the Score
For learners in Grades 6 to 8, every school-based assessment and KPSEA counts towards placement. The Year Pass at KSh 4,000, about KSh 333 a month, opens every practice paper and revision book, paid by M-Pesa.
Ten-minute check: try the free Grade 9 CBC Challenge. It has 10 questions, each marked on the spot with the working, and it shows which topics to practise next.