Last reviewed: 24 October 2026
Parents who went through 8-4-4 grew up with four labels for public secondary schools: national, extra-county, county and sub-county. Under Competency-Based Education, public senior schools are grouped into clusters instead, from C1 to C4. This guide explains what the clusters mean, how they relate to the old labels and how to use them when choosing schools.
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The Four Clusters
- Cluster 1 (C1): corresponds to the former national schools. C1 schools offer all three pathways: STEM, Social Sciences, and Arts and Sports Science (Daily Nation).
- Cluster 2 (C2): media reports describe these as broadly matching the former extra-county schools.
- Cluster 3 (C3): broadly matching the former county schools.
- Cluster 4 (C4): broadly matching the former sub-county schools, many of them day schools.
The match between clusters and old categories is approximate. Always check an individual school’s cluster and the pathways it offers on the Ministry’s official selection portal.
Pathways by Cluster
C1 schools offer all three pathways. Day schools mostly offer two pathways, depending on their staff and facilities. A school in a lower cluster is not automatically weaker in every subject. Some have strong programmes in a particular pathway, so look at the combinations offered rather than the cluster alone.
How Many Schools Are There?
For the first cohort, the Ministry said there were 9,540 senior schools with capacity for 2.2 million learners. Our Senior School Finder, built from the Ministry’s school list, covers 9,569 public senior schools and lets you filter by cluster, county, sub-county, gender and boarding status.
Clusters and Placement
Learners choose 12 schools: for the first cohort, nine boarding schools (three in the home county and six outside it) and three day schools in the home sub-county. Placement then considers performance, pathway, choices and space. Slots in each category were shared between counties using a formula based on the County Revenue Allocation, which the Daily Nation reported as weighting population at 42%, learner performance 22%, poverty 14%, distance 13% and school size and infrastructure 9%. Read our placement guide.
Clusters and Fees
Fees depend on whether a school is day or boarding, not directly on its cluster. Under Gazette Notice No. 1449 of 2026, day senior schools charge parents nothing in tuition. Boarding schools may charge up to KSh 53,554 or KSh 40,535 a year, depending on the ceiling each was previously approved for. Ask each school which ceiling applies. See senior school fees 2026.
A Balanced List
A sensible list mixes clusters. Include a few ambitious C1 or C2 choices, several realistic C3 options, and three reachable day schools close to home. Our guide on how to choose 12 senior schools works through this step by step.
Browse by County
Each county page in our senior schools hub lists every public senior school grouped from C1 to C4, with a sub-county breakdown. Start with Nairobi County or find your own county from the hub.
Prepare for Placement
Placement uses 60% KJSEA, 20% school-based assessment and 20% KPSEA. For younger learners still building that score, the Year Pass at KSh 4,000 (about KSh 333 a month) opens every practice paper and revision book, paid by M-Pesa.