National Schools in Kenya: Historical 2015 List and 2026 C1–C4 Clusters

National schools in Kenya were historically public secondary schools that recruited learners from across the country. This directory article was first published in 2016 and contains a list of schools and their codes attributed to 2015. That list remains useful as a historical record, but it should not be treated as the definitive list of senior schools for admission in 2026 or 2027.

National Schools in Kenya

What changed for senior schools in Kenya?

Kenya’s transition to Competency-Based Education (CBE) has introduced senior-school pathways for Grades 10–12. The Ministry of Education uses four groupings — C1, C2, C3 and C4 — as a guide to placement, school capacity, facilities and access. Under the earlier system, schools were commonly described as national, extra-county, county and sub-county schools. C1 broadly corresponds to the former national-school level, but the categories and individual school status can change.

  • C1: Senior schools in the top cluster, broadly corresponding to former national schools.
  • C2: Schools broadly corresponding to the former extra-county category.
  • C3: Schools broadly corresponding to the former county category.
  • C4: Schools broadly corresponding to the former sub-county category.

The Ministry announced a nationwide assessment of schools in May 2026 to review placement into the four categories, considering facilities, capacity and other criteria. Therefore, a school’s inclusion in this article’s 2015 list does not confirm its current C1 status. Students should consult the official Ministry of Education school-selection service for the relevant Grade 10 cohort.

How students select senior schools in 2026

Under CBE, Grade 9 learners choose subject pathways and schools before joining Grade 10. The main pathways are STEM, Social Sciences, and Arts and Sports Science. A school must offer the learner’s intended subject combination. Choices, deadlines and the permitted number of selections may differ by cohort; follow current Ministry instructions rather than applying a rule from a previous year.

  • Discuss academic interests, subject strengths, school costs and travel needs with the learner.
  • Identify one of the applicable pathways and the desired subject combinations.
  • Use the official Ministry of Education school-selection and placement system, with support from the current junior-school administration.
  • Check the school’s current category and its available subject combinations, rather than relying solely on the older name ‘national school’.
  • After selection and placement, download or obtain official joining instructions and confirm the school assigned.

The Ministry’s public announcements and school selection guidance are available through Ministry of Education and its official selection system. Never pay someone to guarantee placement or obtain an admission letter.

Historical 2015 list of national schools and school codes

Archive — 2015, not current classification: The table below preserves the historical school names and codes contained in the original article. These identifiers are reproduced for reference only. Some schools have changed names, categories, programmes or codes since the list was first published.

Historical school code (2015)School name as originally listed
01100003KENYATTA HIGH MWATATE
01100004BURA GIRLS
02100005KWALE HIGH SCHOOL
02100006MATUGA GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL
03100001MAMA NGINA GIRLS
03100007SHIMO-LA-TEWA SCHOOL
04100002RIBE BOYS
04100008BAHARI GIRLS SECONDARY SCHOOL
05100009HOLA BOYS SECONDARY SCHOOL
05100010NGAO GIRLS SECONDARY SCHOOL
06100011LAMU GIRLS SECONDARY SCHOOL
06100012MPEKETONI SECONDARY SCHOOL
07200009KARIMA GIRLS
07200014NYANDARUA HIGH SCHOOL
07214101NYAHURURU HIGH SCHOOL
08200007KAGUMO HIGH
08200010BISHOP GATIMU NGANDU GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL
09200011KABARE GIRLS’ HIGH SCHOOL
09200012BARICHO HIGH SCHOOL
10200008MURANGA HIGH
10200013MUGOIRI GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL
11200001ALLIANCE HIGH SCHOOL
11200002ALLIANCE GIRLS’ HIGH SCHOOL
11200003MANGU HIGH SCHOOL
11200004LIMURU GIRLS’ SCHOOL
11200005LORETO HIGH SCHOOL LIMURU
11200006MARYHILL GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL
12300001MACHAKOS BOYS
12300013KATHIANI GIRLS SCHOOL
13300005MUTHALE GIRLS
13300007KITUI HIGH
14300006MOI HIGH MBIRURI
14300011SIAKAGO GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL
15300002MERU SCHOOL
15300012ST. MARY’S GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL IGOJI
16300008MOI GIRLS SECONDARY SCHOOL-MARSABIT
16300014MOYALE SECONDARY SCHOOL
17300009ISIOLO GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL
17300015GARBATULA HIGH SCHOOL
18300003MAKUENI BOYS
18300016MBOONI GIRLS
19300004CHOGORIA GIRLS
19300010IKUU BOYS HIGH SCHOOL
20400001LENANA SCHOOL
20400002NAIROBI SCHOOL
20400003THE KENYA HIGH SCHOOL
20400004STAREHE BOYS’ CENTRE & SCHOOL
20400006PANGANI GIRLS
20400008MOI FORCES ACADEMY – NAIROBI
20400009STAREHE GIRLS’ CENTRE
21500012LODWAR BOYS HIGH SCHOOL
21500021TURKANA GIRLS’ SECONDARY SCHOOL
22500013MARALAL HIGH SCHOOL
22502101KISIMA GIRLS
23500003ST BRIGIDS KIMININI
23500014ST. JOSEPH’S BOYS HIGH SCHOOL – KITALE
24500004TARTAR GIRLS
24500022CHEWOYET H SCH
25508101TENWEK HIGH SCHOOL
25500019KAPLONG GIRLS SECONDARY SCHOOL
26500001MOI GIRLS’ HIGH SCHOOL- ELDORET
27500002NAKURU HIGH SCHOOL
27500007MOI FORCES ACADEMY LANET
27500008UTUMISHI BOYS ACADEMY
27500009NAKURU GIRLS’ HIGH SCHOOL
28500005KIPSIGIS GIRLS’ HIGH SCHOOL
28553202KABIANGA HIGH SCHOOL
29500006KAPSABET BOYS
29513401ST.JOSEPH’S GIRLS-CHEPTERIT
30500020NJONJO GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL
31500011MOI GIRLS ISINYA
31557201OLOOLAISER HIGH SCHOOL
32500015OLE TIPIS GIRLS SECONDARY SCHOOL
32500016KILGORIS BOYS SECONDARY SCHOOL
33500018BARINGO BOYS HIGH SCHOOL
34500010ST PATRICK ITEN
34500017MOI KAPSOWAR GIRLS
35600007BUTULA BOYS HIGH SCHOOL
35606102S.A. KOLANYA GIRLS SECONDARY SCHOOL
36600002LUGULU GIRLS
36600004FRIENDS KAMUSINGA
37600001KAKAMEGA HIGH
37600005BUTERE GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL
38600003BUNYORE GIRLS
38600006CHAVAKALI HIGH SCHOOL
39700001MASENO SCHOOL
39700009KISUMU GIRL’S HIGH SCHOOL
40700002KISII HIGH
40700003NYABURURU GIRLS
41700004ASUMBI GIRLS
41700010MBITA HIGH SCHOOL
42700005MARANDA HIGH
42700007NGIYA GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL
43700008NYAMBARIA  HIGH SCHOOL
43706108SIRONGA GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL
44700006KANGA HIGH
44708202MOI NYABOHANSE
45800001GARISSA HIGH
45800002NEP GIRLS HIGH
46800003WAJIR HIGH SCHOOL
46800004WAJIR GIRLS SECONDARY SCHOOL
47800005MANDERA SECONDARY SCHOOL
47800006MOI GIRLS SECONDARY SCHOOL.

Are the historical school codes still valid?

Do not automatically reuse an old code for a present-day application. School codes, names, school types, offered pathways and administrative categories may be updated. Parents and students should confirm the correct school profile in the current government system before making a selection.

Where to check current senior-school placement

Editorial review: October 27, 2026. The complete historical list of schools and codes and its original image were preserved. This article now distinguishes the historical classification from current CBE senior-school placement. The original publication date, author, URL, categories, tags and featured image were not changed.

Official sources and further information


 

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