Mid-tier schools show strong promise in UCE 2025 rankings

The 2025 Uganda Certificate of Education rankings continue to show that academic strength in Uganda is not limited to only the most famous schools at the very top. A close look at schools ranked 201 to 300 reveals a broad and competitive layer of institutions that are producing strong results, building consistency, and proving that quality learning is spreading across many districts. The ranking data shows that schools in this category are not merely participating in the national conversation; they are shaping it in a very serious way.

At the head of this group are Naggalama SS, Standard SS Kisoro, Gayaza Cambridge College, and Royal College Namugongo Mukono, each with 66 A grades. They are followed closely by Archbishop Kiwanuka SS Kitovu and Paul Mukasa SS Mukono with 65 A grades each. These figures show that while the spotlight often stays on the elite top 100, the schools immediately below them are also producing impressive performances. In many cases, the gap between these schools and those ranked higher is not very large, which suggests that the national academic field is becoming deeper and more competitive.

One of the strongest patterns in this section of the ranking is the continued influence of Wakiso and Mukono. Wakiso is represented by schools such as Madinah Islamic SS Nsangi, Atlas High School Gayaza, Good Samaritan High School Nansana, St Julian High School Gayaza, Buloba Christian High School, Sam Iga Memorial College, New High Tech SS Kajjansi, Kisubi Seminary, Queen of Martyrs SS Kigoma, Matugga Hills SS, Wakiso Seed SS, Gayaza Adventist SS, and Wits College Namulanda. Mukono is equally visible through schools such as Naggalama SS, Paul Mukasa SS Mukono, St Charles Lwanga SS Bukerere, St Julian High Schools Seeta, St Peters SS Namawojjolo, Agape Christian SS Mukono, and Mpoma Royal College. This repeated appearance of schools from the two districts points to a deep academic culture supported by access to schools, stronger competition, and steady demand for performance.

The ranking also confirms that Uganda’s academic potential is increasingly spread across many regions. Western Uganda is strongly represented by schools such as Kyebambe Girls SS, Kashaka Girls SS, Kinkizi High School Nyakatare, St Kaggwa Bushenyi High School, Nyakura School, Kashenyi SS, and Vine High School Kyeizooba. Northern Uganda also appears through schools like St Josephs College Layibi in Gulu and Archbp. Flynn SS in Pader. Eastern Uganda is visible through schools such as Jinja Progressive SS Annex, St Florence SS Bugembe, and Ngoma SS Mbale. This wider spread of performance is encouraging because it suggests that excellence is no longer confined to only a few long-established urban schools.

Another striking feature of the data is that several schools in this band have very large overall totals, showing that they are not only producing a few top students but handling significant candidate numbers. Madinah Islamic SS Nsangi posted a total of 4,489, St Julian High School Gayaza reached 4,477, Jeress AR High Schools Soroti recorded 4,490, and Kasenyi SS of Mubende posted 4,364. These are major totals that point to broad school size, wide participation, and substantial learner output. In practical terms, this means many of these schools are important contributors to Uganda’s transition into Senior Five and beyond.

The grade profiles in this section also reveal something important about the current direction of education under the competency-based curriculum. Many schools in the 201–300 range show not only respectable A grades, but also very strong B and C grade clusters. For example, Kabukunge Muslim SS had 64 As but also over 2,500 Cs. Kamuli Progressive College combined 47 As with 2,325 Cs, while St Charles Lwanga SS Bukerere posted 61 As together with 2,368 Cs. This suggests that a growing number of schools are not just training a small elite group to score highly, but are helping a wide range of learners attain reasonable competence levels. That is an important national signal because true education progress is measured not only by top distinctions, but by how many learners are supported to perform meaningfully.

The rankings further show the rise of schools that may not always dominate public discussion but are steadily building a strong academic identity. Schools such as Amus College School, Pope John Paul II High School Nakaseke, St Joseph of Nazareth High School, Sebei College Tegeres, Kitagata SS, Nile Citizens SS Kalisizo, Bulemezi SS Vvuumba, Munta Royal College Bombo, and Dr. Obote College Boroboro all stand out as schools worth watching. These institutions demonstrate that the next generation of nationally prominent schools may not necessarily come from the traditional list alone. Many are already laying a strong foundation and could rise further in coming years.

There is also a powerful lesson here for parents and education leaders. Too often, school quality is judged only by fame. Yet these rankings show that many schools outside the most talked-about circles are delivering serious academic work. A school ranked in the 200s nationally is still among the stronger institutions in the country, and such schools often combine discipline, manageable school size, committed teaching, and stable academic direction. For many learners, such environments may actually provide better support than overcrowded or highly pressured prestige schools.

For policymakers and district education officials, this category of schools deserves special attention. The schools ranked 201 to 300 may be among the best places for targeted investment because they already show capacity, but still have room for major growth. Better teacher support, stronger academic monitoring, improved reading culture, and access to digital learning resources could help many of them break into the top 200 or even the top 100. In that sense, this ranking band is not a lower tier to be ignored; it is a growth zone for Uganda’s education system.

Overall, the 201–300 ranking tells a story of educational depth, steady competition, and widening opportunity. These schools are helping to build the academic middle-upper layer of Uganda’s secondary education system. They may not dominate the very first headlines after results are released, but they are essential to the country’s broader learning progress. Their results show that excellence is spreading, and that the future of Uganda’s education system will be shaped not only by the top 20 or top 50 schools, but also by this wider field of disciplined and improving institutions.

A full list of the schools ranked 201–300 is attached.

No	Centre name	District	As	Bs	Cs	Ds	Es	Total
201	NAGGALAMA SS	MUKONO	66	639	577	14	–	1,296
202	STANDARD SS KISORO	KISORO MAIN	66	629	1,421	49	3	2,196
203	GAYAZA CAMBRIDGE COLLEGE	WAKISO	66	505	933	111	14	1,638
204	ROYAL COLLEGE NAMUGONGO MUKONO	MUKONO	66	383	175	6	–	630
205	ARCHBISHOP KIWANUKA SS KITOVU	MASAKA	65	830	1,694	91	2	2,700
206	PAUL MUKASA SS MUKONO	MUKONO	65	793	1,090	27	3	1,978
207	KABUKUNGE MUSLIM SS	KALUNGU	64	1,002	2,573	349	7	3,995
208	MITYANA MODERN SS	MITYANA MAIN	63	696	1,062	67	2	1,899
209	MADINAH ISLAMIC SS NSANGI	WAKISO	62	1,934	2,446	38	–	4,489
210	AMUS COLLEGE SCHOOL	BUKEDEA	62	1,027	1,209	41	1	2,349
211	JINJA PROGRESSIVE SS ANNEX	JINJA	62	768	1,009	82	1	1,922
212	BWERA SS	KASESE	62	728	1,433	80	1	2,304
213	NGOMA SS MBALE	BUDAKA	62	332	730	88	3	1,215
214	POPE JOHN PAUL II HIGH SCHOOL NAKASEKE	NAKASEKE	61	716	468	2	–	1,247
215	ST. CHARLES LWANGA SS BUKERERE	MUKONO	61	510	2,368	625	62	3,661
216	ST. JOSEPH OF NAZARETH HIGH SCHOOL	MPIGI	60	773	1,188	22	–	2,043
217	IBANDA SS	IBANDA MAIN	60	488	771	19	3	1,341
218	MADINAH ISLAMIC SS NSANGI ANNEX	WAKISO	60	418	53	–	–	531
219	ST. CHARLES LWANGA G.T.C. KALUNGU	KALUNGU	59	330	559	15	–	963
220	ST. JOSEPHS COLLEGE LAYIBI	GULU	58	867	637	4	–	1,575
221	ST. EDWARDS SCHOOL BUKUUMI	KAKUMIRO	58	583	804	13	–	1,458
222	KITABI SEMINARY	BUSHENYI	58	526	326	8	–	918
223	ST. ANDREWS COLLEGE MOYO	MOYO	57	748	506	3	–	1,314
224	KYEBAMBE GIRLS SS	KABAROLE	56	601	747	9	–	1,413
225	CITIZENS SS IBANDA	IBANDA MAIN	56	573	378	1	–	1,008
226	ATLAS HIGH SCHOOL GAYAZA	WAKISO	56	513	1,071	118	6	1,764
227	AGA KHAN HIGH SCHOOL	KAMPALA	56	397	248	8	–	709
228	SEDES SAPIENTIAE ACADEMIAE SS	KIRUHURA	56	368	642	23	–	1,089
229	GOOD SAMARITAN HIGH SCHOOL NANSANA	WAKISO	55	670	1,498	264	5	2,511
230	ST.ANDREWS ACADEMY KISORO	KISORO MAIN	55	650	1,268	88	–	2,061
231	ST.LUCIA HILL SCHOOL NAMAGOMA	WAKISO	55	443	605	27	1	1,131
232	ST. JULIAN HIGH SCHOOL GAYAZA	WAKISO	54	1,327	2,969	108	1	4,477
233	KASHAKA GIRLS SS	MBARARA	54	1,047	1,409	54	1	2,565
234	KINKIZI HIGH SCHOOL NYAKATARE	KANUNGU	54	717	882	28	–	1,690
235	ST. MATTHIAS MBUYE VOC. SS	RAKAI	54	630	1,065	95	1	1,872
236	ST. FLORENCE SS BUGEMBE	JINJA	54	618	1,113	51	–	1,836
237	ST. ALOYSIUS SS BWANDA	KALUNGU	54	541	490	22	–	1,107
238	ST. ANDREWS COLLEGE SS ANDA	WAKISO	54	527	1,094	102	5	1,782
239	NAJJEMBE HOMELAND SS LUGAZI	BUIKWE	54	478	408	5	–	945
240	ST. KAGGWA BUSHENYI HIGH SCHOOL	BUSHENYI	53	947	844	18	1	1,863
241	ST. JOSEPHS SS NKONI	LWENGO	53	776	1,137	22	–	1,997
242	BULOBA CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL	WAKISO	53	588	1,096	69	2	1,818
243	JERESS AR HIGH SCHOOLS SOROTI	SOROTI	52	1,673	2,588	112	–	4,490
244	KITGUM COMPREHENSIVE COLLEGE	KITGUM MAIN	52	1,107	2,373	113	–	3,654
245	SEBEI COLLEGE TEGERES	KAPCHORWA MAIN	52	1,056	1,543	23	–	2,674
246	EKITANGAALA TRANSFORMATION HIGH SCHOOL	NAKASONGOLA	52	814	799	9	–	1,682
247	GOD MARK HIGH SCHOOL	MUKONO	52	536	1,074	111	–	1,773
248	KABOWA HIGH SCHOOL	KAMPALA	52	451	1,053	111	7	1,683
249	NAKASEKE CHRISTIAN SS	NAKASEKE	52	429	546	31	1	1,059
250	ACT HIGH SCHOOL KAKUUTO	KYOTERA	52	417	505	24	1	999
251	KITAGATA SS	SHEEMA MAIN	51	902	1,616	58	–	2,627
252	SAM IGA MEMORIAL COLLEGE	WAKISO	51	804	2,393	329	3	3,580
253	NEW HIGH TECH SS KAJJANSI	WAKISO	51	766	1,602	135	–	2,555
254	NILE CITIZENS SS KALISIZO	KYOTERA	50	788	1,132	37	–	2,007
255	ARCHBP. FLYNN SS	PADER	50	729	532	3	–	1,314
256	BULEMEZI SS VVUUMBA	LUWEERO	50	638	1,334	64	2	2,097
257	NYAKURA SCH	KABAROLE	49	841	1,614	161	8	2,673
258	ST. JULIAN HIGH SCHOOLS SEETA	MUKONO	49	736	1,554	164	4	2,552
259	KASHENYI SS	RUKUNGIRI	49	652	1,156	51	–	1,926
260	EMMANUEL COLLEGE KAZO-KAMPALA	KAMPALA	49	537	732	14	–	1,341
261	BONI CONSILII GIRLS VOC. SS	ISINGIRO	49	431	516	11	–	1,007
262	BEXHILL HIGH SCHOOL KAMUTUUZA	KALUNGU	49	391	540	19	–	1,008
263	KISUBI SEMINARY	WAKISO	49	260	168	9	–	486
264	LUWEERO SS	LUWEERO	48	846	1,655	154	–	2,739
265	ST. GONZAGA SS KIJJUKIZO	LYANTONDE	48	489	1,066	96	10	1,727
266	SHEPHERD HIGH SCHOOL KATOVU	LWENGO	48	476	533	23	–	1,080
267	MUHABURA SHINE SS	KISORO MAIN	48	435	1,052	91	1	1,636
268	SUNRISE SS NEBBI	NEBBI MAIN	48	418	540	94	7	1,116
269	KASAANA HIGH SCHOOL	SHEEMA MAIN	48	400	1,586	214	2	2,250
270	KAMULI PROG COLLEGE	KAMULI MAIN	47	917	2,325	240	5	3,545
271	MUNTA ROYAL COLLEGE BOMBO	LUWEERO	47	609	1,098	88	3	1,845
272	ST. PETERS SS NAMAWOJJOLO	MUKONO	47	449	1,214	148	5	1,863
273	QUEEN OF MARTYRS SS KIGOMA	WAKISO	47	424	824	67	6	1,368
274	PLUS TWO HIGH SCHOOL	BUSHENYI	47	395	491	11	–	945
275	MATUGGA HILLS SS	WAKISO	47	321	731	43	1	1,143
276	KASENYI SS	MUBENDE	46	934	3,050	332	2	4,364
277	ST. RAPHAEL SS NYAKANYINYA	RUKUNGIRI	46	600	903	26	–	1,584
278	RUBONGI ARMY SS ANNEX	TORORO	46	469	142	–	–	657
279	THE ACADEMY ST. LAWRENCE BUDO	WAKISO	46	383	291	–	–	720
280	WAKISO SEED SS	WAKISO	46	377	1,210	176	6	1,815
281	ST. PONTIANO NGONDWE SS	KAYUNGA	46	377	629	35	–	1,096
282	ST. MARY LAETICIA HIGH SCHOOL DDEGEYA	LWENGO	46	298	495	42	1	891
283	ST.JOHNS COLLEGE MPIGI	MPIGI	46	298	246	9	–	603
284	ST.BRUNO SS SERUNKUMAS SS	MPIGI	45	607	696	29	–	1,395
285	BUTIRU CHRISTIAN COMP. SS	MANAFWA	45	455	1,607	79	1	2,187
286	ST.MARYS GIRLS COLLEGE ABOKE	KOLE	45	412	145	1	–	603
287	AGAPE CHRISTIAN SS MUKONO	MUKONO	45	394	653	32	1	1,134
288	ST.ANTHONY SS KAKOOGE	NAKASONGOLA	45	255	274	11	–	585
289	GAYAZA ADVENTIST SS	WAKISO	45	195	302	23	2	576
290	BUBANGIZI SS	MITOOMA	44	695	985	31	–	1,755
291	VINE HIGH SCHOOL KYEIZOBA	BUSHENYI	44	640	981	27	–	1,692
292	CHRIST THE KING SS KALISIZO	KYOTERA	44	595	665	19	–	1,323
293	CALTEC ACADEMY MAKERERE	KAMPALA	44	444	648	13	–	1,149
294	JOHN PAUL SS CHELEKURA	PALLISA	44	438	944	111	1	1,538
295	NGANWA HIGH SCHOOL	SHEEMA MAIN	44	349	498	9	–	900
296	ST.JOHNS SS MUDUUMA	MPIGI	44	331	623	54	1	1,071
297	DR.OBOOTE COLLEGE BOROBORO	LIRA	43	805	925	8	–	1,781
298	ST.PAULS SS BUKINDA	RUKIGA	43	721	960	49	–	1,773
299	MPOMA ROYAL COLLEGE	MUKONO	43	512	1,236	46	–	1,861
300	WITS COLLEGE NAMULANDA	WAKISO	43	464	391	2	–	900