UACE 2025: Ankole’s top schools in Arts and Sciences show depth, tradition and new competition

When the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Janet Kataaha Museveni, released the 2025 UACE results on Friday, March 13, 2026, the national picture showed a sharp rise in candidature. UNEB reported 166,400 registered candidates, up from 141,996 in 2024, an increase of 17.2%. The exams were conducted between November 10 and December 5, 2025.

For Ankole, those results tell a compelling story. The sub-region remains one of Uganda’s strongest academic belts, combining the weight of historic schools such as Ntare School, Maryhill High School, Mbarara High School, Bweranyangi Girls’ School and Ntungamo High School with the rise of newer competitors like Alliance SS Ibanda, Citizens SS Ibanda, Standard College Ntungamo and Imperial SS Ibanda. In both Arts and Sciences, the 2025 UACE data shows that Ankole is not relying on reputation alone; it is producing breadth, scale and consistency across many schools.

This analysis is based on UNEB results data, using the same broad method widely used in media league tables: schools are compared using average points per candidate, while also considering the number of candidates presented. In the words attributed to Patrick Uma in the ranking notes, the analysis examined the average class performance for each school in the 2025 UACE examinations. That is an important distinction. It means the ranking is not about one or two exceptional candidates, but about the overall strength of a school’s cohort.

The wider education context also helps explain why Ankole matters in any national discussion of school quality. According to the Education Statistical Abstract 2025, Ankole had 480 secondary schools captured in EMIS, made up of 165 government and 315 private schools, representing 10.5% of all secondary schools recorded nationally. That makes Ankole the second-largest sub-region by number of secondary schools after Buganda. The same official dataset lists Ankole’s education administrative coverage across Buhweju, Bushenyi, Ibanda, Isingiro, Kazo, Kiruhura, Mbarara, Mitooma, Ntungamo, Rubirizi, Rwampara and Sheema, while also reporting some municipalities separately, including Mbarara City, Bushenyi-Ishaka, Ibanda Municipality, Ntungamo Municipality and Sheema Municipality.

That scale matters because strong performance in a region with many schools is usually a sign of a more developed education ecosystem. It suggests deeper competition, stronger parental demand, more diversified school leadership, and in some districts a better mix of government, faith-based and private providers. It also means that when a school tops Ankole, it is emerging from one of Uganda’s most competitive school landscapes.

In Arts, the 2025 UACE rankings show a fascinating blend of elite tradition and broad-based strength. Maryhill HS takes the number one slot with an average of 15.7 points from 56 candidates, ahead of Nsambya Hillside-Western Campus on 14.8 and Ntare School on 14.5. The top ten further includes Kitabi Seminary, Bweranyangi Girls’ School, Ntungamo Girls’ HS, Link Excel HS Igorora, Kigaragara Vocational SS, St. Joseph’s Vocational School Mbarara and Crater HS Kijongo. What stands out here is not just the high averages, but the fact that several of these schools posted strong numbers with respectable candidate volumes. That is often a more convincing sign of institutional quality than a high average from a very small class.

Top UACE Schools in Ankole – Arts (2025)

Rank	School	Avg Points	Candidates
1	Maryhill HS	15.7	56
2	Nsambya Hillside-Western Campus	14.8	25
3	Ntare School	14.5	26
4	Kitabi Seminary	14.1	13
5	Bweranyangi Girls’ School	13.7	62
6	Ntungamo Girls’ HS	13.4	63
7	Link Excel HS Igorora	13.3	19
8	Kigaragara Voc. SS	13.1	22
9	St. Joseph’s Voc. Sch., Mbarara	13.0	32
10	Crater HS Kijongo	12.9	29
11	Timbitwire Girls’ SS	12.8	10
12	Alliance SS Ibanda	12.7	86
13	St. Mary’s Voc. Sch., Kyamuhunga	12.6	80
14	Sacred Heart SS Mushanga	12.5	82
15	St. Mary’s Girls’ Voc. Sch., Mbarara	12.5	82
16	St. Cecilia Girls SS Bushenyi	12.4	17
17	St. Mark Voc. Sch. Nyakatoma	12.2	38
18	Citizens SS Ibanda	12.2	215
19	Mbarara HS	12.2	53
20	St. Kaana SS Katooma, Kigoma	12.0	42
21	Shuhadae Islamic School, Mbarara	12.0	42
22	Ntungamo HS	11.8	132
23	St. Charles Lwanga HS Kashekuro	11.7	76
24	Global HS Omugyenyi	11.7	80
25	Sheema Premier School	11.6	58
26	Bugongi SS	11.5	43
27	Bwongyera Girls’ SS	11.5	42
28	Rushanja Girls SS	11.5	18
29	St. Augustine Minor Seminary, Rwera	11.5	27
30	Masheruka Girls’ SS	11.5	63

Just outside the top 30 in the supplied dataset: Kichwamba HS – 11.4 (73 candidates).

The Arts table says several things about Ankole. First, girls’ schools remain hugely influential. Maryhill, Bweranyangi, Ntungamo Girls’, Timbitwire Girls’, St. Mary’s Girls’ Vocational School Mbarara, St. Cecilia Girls and Masheruka Girls’ SS all appear in the top 30, showing the continued strength of girls’ education in the sub-region. Second, the vocational and faith-based school tradition is still paying off. Schools with “Voc.” in their names and seminaries such as Kitabi Seminary and St. Augustine Minor Seminary, Rwera continue to perform strongly, suggesting that discipline, focused leadership and stable teaching cultures still matter greatly at A-Level. Third, candidate volume matters. Citizens SS Ibanda posted 12.2 average points with 215 candidates, one of the biggest cohorts on the table. That is not just a good result; it is a large-scale result.

If the Arts rankings underline Ankole’s breadth, the Sciences table reveals its sharper competitive edge. Ntare School leads the region with an outstanding 16.4 average points from 157 candidates, a result that marks it out not only as Ankole’s science leader but also as a school with serious national weight. It is followed by Maryhill HS on 14.0, Alliance SS Ibanda on 13.8, and then St. Thomas Vocational SS Rubirizi and Citizens SS Ibanda, both on 13.7. These are high science averages, especially where candidate numbers are also substantial.

Top UACE Schools in Ankole – Sciences (2025)

Rank	School	Avg Points	Candidates
1	Ntare School	16.4	157
2	Maryhill HS	14.0	90
3	Alliance SS Ibanda	13.8	124
4	St. Thomas Voc. SS Rubirizi	13.7	63
5	Citizens SS Ibanda	13.7	144
6	St. Mark Voc. Sch. Nyakatoma	13.5	16
7	St. Mary’s Voc. Sch. Kyamuhunga	12.7	69
8	St. Joseph’s Voc. Sch. Mbarara	12.6	57
9	Imperial SS Ibanda	12.5	21
10	Standard College Ntungamo	12.3	101
11	Ntungamo Girls’ HS	12.3	11
12	Sacred Heart SS Mushanga	12.2	52
13	Kichwamba HS	12.1	35
14	Nyakyera SS	12.0	22
15	St. Charles Lwanga HS Kashekuro	11.9	44
16	Ryeru School	11.7	42
17	Global HS Omugyenyi	11.7	16
18	Rwashamire HS	11.6	23
19	Ntungamo HS	11.6	60
20	Nsambya Hillside-Western Campus	11.5	50
21	Mbarara HS	11.2	166
22	St. Mark’s SS Kabwohe	11.2	19
23	Bweranyangi Girls’ School	11.0	117
24	Valley College SS Bushenyi	10.9	20
25	Kyeizooba Girls’ SS	10.8	45
26	Ibanda SS	10.8	55
27	Five Star HS Ntungamo	10.7	15
28	Bubangizi SS	10.7	112
29	Pius Two HS	10.7	132
30	St. Kaggwa Bushenyi HS	10.5	48

Just outside the top 30 in the supplied dataset: Bougarba SS – 10.5 (57 candidates).

Several patterns emerge immediately from the Sciences ranking. The first is that Ntare School clearly dominates sciences in Ankole, and it does so with a large cohort. A science average of 16.4 from 157 candidates is not a marginal lead; it is a commanding one. The second is the rise of Ibanda district schools. Alliance SS Ibanda, Citizens SS Ibanda and Imperial SS Ibanda all appear in the top ten science conversation, confirming that Ibanda is becoming one of the sub-region’s most dynamic science-performing zones. The third is that Ankole’s old guard is still present. Mbarara HS, Ntungamo HS, Bweranyangi Girls’ School and St. Joseph’s Vocational School Mbarara all remain highly relevant, even as newer schools intensify the competition.

The comparison between Arts and Sciences is especially revealing. Maryhill HS is number one in Arts and number two in Sciences, showing unusual balance. Ntare School is third in Arts but first in Sciences, reinforcing its identity as a top all-round school with particular science strength. Alliance SS Ibanda is 12th in Arts but 3rd in Sciences, which suggests a school with especially strong STEM orientation. Citizens SS Ibanda is 18th in Arts yet 5th in Sciences, another sign that the science landscape in Ankole is being reshaped by schools outside the traditional historical elite. At the same time, Bweranyangi Girls’ School and Ntungamo Girls’ HS show that girls’ schools are not confined to Arts excellence; they are also competitive in science.

This kind of dual-category analysis matters because it gives a more complete picture of school quality. A school that performs strongly in both Arts and Sciences is usually doing several things right: teacher deployment, timetable management, learner support, academic supervision and leadership. By contrast, schools that appear only in one category may still be excellent, but their strengths may be more specialized. That is why league tables should be read carefully. They are useful, but they are most meaningful when interpreted alongside cohort size, category balance and local context.

There is also an important regional equity story behind these rankings. Ankole’s strong showing does not mean every school in the region is equally resourced. Like much of Uganda, the sub-region still has schools dealing with uneven lab capacity, staffing gaps, variable ICT access and differences in boarding versus day-school learning conditions. The national education statistics show the sheer scale of the secondary sector in the region, but the top tables capture only the strongest performers. That means the policy question is not just how the leading schools succeeded, but how lessons from those schools can be transferred to the wider system.

Nationally, the 2025 UACE results were released in a year when candidature surged and UNEB reported that humanities still attract a larger share of candidates than sciences. That makes Ankole’s science performance even more interesting. In a context where science participation and performance are often national concerns, the region’s leading science schools are showing what is possible when academic culture, school leadership and investment align.

For KAWA readers, the Ankole story is therefore bigger than a ranking. It is a case study in how a region builds educational depth over time. It has legacy schools that still command national respect. It has girls’ schools that continue to post elite outcomes. It has vocational and faith-based institutions that remain academically relevant. And it now has a new wave of district-based contenders, particularly from Ibanda and Ntungamo, that are reshaping the map of excellence.

In the end, the 2025 UACE results confirm that Ankole is not just one of Uganda’s largest secondary school sub-regions; it is also one of its most competitive and most productive academically. Arts results show breadth and tradition. Science results show sharpness and rising specialization. Together, they present Ankole as a region where educational excellence is both inherited and being reinvented.