National Schools in Sri Lanka: Nalanda, Royal, Ananda, D.S. Senanayake, Grade 1 Admission and the Grade 5 Scholarship
Quick Answer: Sri Lanka's Ministry of Education runs 396 national schools directly, with the other 9,680 government schools run by the provinces. Grade 1 places are allocated by category (50% proximity, 25% past pupils, 14% siblings) under an annual circular, and the Grade 5 Scholarship cut-off (140 for Sinhala medium in 2025) opens the door to Grade 6 at popular schools. Here is how the system works, with Royal, Ananda, Nalanda, D.S. Senanayake, Visakha and the main private and international schools.
Sri Lanka's state school system has two tiers: 396 national schools run directly by the Ministry of Education and 9,680 provincial schools run by the nine provincial councils, a total of 10,076 government schools in the School Census 2024. The national schools are the ones families search for: Royal, Ananda, Nalanda, D.S. Senanayake and Visakha in Colombo, Rahula in Matara, Jaffna Central. Entry is by the annual Grade 1 admission circular (50% of places for residents near the school), by the Grade 5 Scholarship (cut-off 140 for Sinhala medium in 2025) or by Advanced Level intake at Grade 12. This guide explains each route, then covers the private and international alternatives in Colombo and Kandy. Browse all listings on our Sri Lanka page.
What is a national school, and what do 1AB, 1C, Type 2 and Type 3 mean?
A national school is a government school administered by the Ministry rather than a province. The 2024 census puts 79 of the 396 in the Western Province, 70 in the Southern and 56 in the Central. National schools taught 830,021 pupils in 2023, 21.4% of the 3,882,688 in government schools, according to the 2023 census summary.
The same census also classifies schools by what they teach: 1AB as a school with science-stream Advanced Level classes, 1C as one with A Level classes in other streams only, Type 2 as a school running to Grade 11 and Type 3 as a primary school to Grade 5. In 2024 there were 1,009 1AB, 1,959 1C, 3,252 Type 2 and 3,856 Type 3 schools. Every school in the table below that is on the Ministry's 2024 national school list is 1AB.
How does Grade 1 admission work for 2027?
The Ministry issued Circular 25/2026 on 25 June 2026 for the 2027 intake, published on moe.gov.lk. The child must have completed five years on or before 31 January 2027. Places in each class are allocated by category: 50% residents close to the school, 25% children of past pupils, 14% siblings, 6% education-sector employees, 4% transferred public officers and 1% children returning from overseas, with 35 pupils per class plus up to five under the armed forces and police category, as summarised by Guruwaraya, which reports a closing date of 30 July 2026, interviews by 30 September and a provisional list on 15 October. Applications go on the circular's form to each school's principal. Government schools admitted 282,293 children to Grade 1 in 2024, but only 46,699 (16.5%) into 1AB schools; most start in Type 3 primary schools.
What is the Grade 5 Scholarship cut-off, and how does Grade 6 entry work?
The Grade 5 Scholarship Examination, run by the Department of Examinations, is the second route into a popular school. In 2025 303,671 pupils sat, the common cut-off was 140 (Sinhala medium) and 134 (Tamil medium) out of 200, and 51,969 pupils (17.11%) reached it, which the Department describes as qualified to receive bursaries and apply for schools. The exam was held on 10 August 2025 and results came out on 3 September, with district cut-offs of 140 for Colombo, Gampaha, Kandy, Galle and Matara in Sinhala medium and 132 for Jaffna in Tamil medium, per News 1st. Qualifiers apply to national schools for Grade 6; Devi Balika Vidyalaya, a Grade 6 to 13 girls' school, has admitted scholarship pupils since 1972.
What about O Level, A Level and the medium of instruction?
The GCE Ordinary Level closes Grade 11: 451,463 candidates sat the 2025 exam in February. The GCE Advanced Level closes Grade 13 and doubles as the university entrance test: in 2025, 281,810 sat and 62.64% passed three subjects, the Department's threshold for university eligibility. A third entry point exists at Grade 12: Royal College and Visakha Vidyalaya both called A Level applications from external students in June 2026.
Medium of instruction follows the school. In 2024, 6,204 government schools taught in Sinhala only and 2,995 in Tamil only; 607 offered Sinhala with English medium, 196 Tamil with English and 38 all three. The Ministry list shows Royal and D.S. Senanayake with Sinhala, Tamil and English media, Ananda, Nalanda and Visakha with Sinhala and English, and Jaffna Central with Tamil and English.
Which schools get the searches?
| School | City | Type | Gender | Founded | Notable |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal College | Colombo 7 | National, 1AB | Boys | 1835 (school site) | Grades 1 to 13; trilingual media |
| Ananda College | Colombo 10 | National, 1AB | Boys | 1886 (school site) | Buddhist Theosophical Society school; state school by 1961 |
| Nalanda College | Colombo 10 | National, 1AB | Boys | Not stated | Grades 1 to 13; Sinhala and English media |
| D.S. Senanayake College | Colombo 7 | National, 1AB | Boys | Not stated | Grades 1 to 13; trilingual media |
| Visakha Vidyalaya | Colombo 5 | National, 1AB | Girls | 1917 (school site) | About 4,000 pupils, 146 academic staff |
| Devi Balika Vidyalaya | Colombo 8 | National, 1AB | Girls | 1953 (school site) | Grades 6 to 13; national school since 1981 |
| Rahula College | Matara | National, 1AB | Boys | 1923 (school site) | Opened as Parakramabahu Vidyalaya |
| Sri Sumangala College | Panadura | National, 1AB | Boys | Registered 1911 (school site) | Declared national school 25 May 1993 |
| Jaffna Central College | Jaffna | National, 1AB | Boys | 1816 (school site) | Methodist mission origin; Tamil and English media |
| Hillwood College | Kandy | Private | Girls | 1890 (school site) | Anglican; pre-school to A Level; no fees published |
| Trinity College | Kandy | Private | Boys | Not stated | Anglican; boarding; local and international A Levels; no fees published |
| Colombo International School | Colombo 7 | International | Co-ed | 1982 (school site) | Edexcel; ages 2.5 to 18; Kandy branch; no fees published |
| The British School in Colombo | Colombo | International | Co-ed | 1994 (school site) | About 1,400 pupils; fees on request |
| Elizabeth Moir School | Colombo 5 | International | Co-ed | 1996 (school site) | British-owned; publishes fees |
| Gateway College | Colombo | International | Co-ed | Not stated | Cambridge programmes; site could not be opened in September 2026 |
The national schools charge no tuition. The private and international schools mostly do not publish fees: Hillwood describes itself as an independent private girls' college established in 1890, Trinity offers online fee payment and international A Level admissions but no schedule, CIS admits year-round on an English and mathematics assessment and starts its 2026/27 year on 28 August 2026, and BSC supplies its fee structure through its admissions office. The exception is Elizabeth Moir, whose 2025/2026 schedule lists a Rs 50,000 admission fee, a Rs 350,000 development fund donation for new pupils up to Form 5 and term fees from Rs 289,040 (Early Learners) to Rs 625,270 (Form 4 to Upper 6), plus 2% NBT; no 2026/27 schedule was online in September 2026.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a national school in Sri Lanka?
- A national school is a government school administered directly by the Ministry of Education rather than by a provincial council. The Ministry's School Census 2024 lists 396 national schools out of 10,076 government schools; the remaining 9,680 are provincial schools. National schools are almost all 1AB schools, meaning they teach the science stream at Advanced Level, and they include Royal College, Ananda College, Nalanda College, D.S. Senanayake College and Visakha Vidyalaya in Colombo.
- How many national schools are there in Sri Lanka?
- The Ministry of Education's School Census 2024 counts 396 national schools and 9,680 provincial schools, a total of 10,076 government schools. The Western Province has the most national schools at 79, followed by the Southern Province with 70 and the Central Province with 56. By functional type there are 1,009 1AB schools, 1,959 1C schools, 3,252 Type 2 schools and 3,856 Type 3 schools.
- How do you apply for Grade 1 admission in Sri Lanka?
- Under Ministry of Education Circular 25/2026 for the 2027 intake, the child must have turned five on or before 31 January 2027 and parents apply on the circular's form to the principal of each school, with the closing date reported as 30 July 2026. Places are split by category: 50% for residents near the school, 25% for children of past pupils, 14% for siblings, 6% for education-sector staff, 4% for transferred public officers and 1% for children returning from overseas. Interviews follow, with a provisional list in October.
- What is the Grade 5 scholarship cut-off mark?
- For the 2025 Grade 5 Scholarship Examination the Department of Examinations set the common cut-off at 140 for Sinhala medium and 134 for Tamil medium, out of 200. Of the 303,671 pupils who sat, 51,969 (17.11%) reached the cut-off and qualified to receive bursaries and apply for schools. District cut-offs apply for the school application: Colombo, Gampaha, Kandy, Galle and Matara were 140 for Sinhala medium, and Jaffna was 132 for Tamil medium.
- Is Nalanda College a national school?
- Yes. Nalanda College, Colombo 10, appears on the Ministry of Education's 2024 list of national schools as a 1AB boys' school with Grades 1 to 13 and Sinhala and English media. Ananda College, Royal College, D.S. Senanayake College, Visakha Vidyalaya, Devi Balika Vidyalaya, Rahula College Matara, Sri Sumangala College Panadura and Jaffna Central College are on the same list.
- Is Hillwood College a government school?
- No. Hillwood College's own site describes it as an independent private girls' college in Kandy, established in 1890 by Church of England Zenana missionaries and managed by the Governing Body for the Church Missionary Society in Ceylon. It takes girls from pre-school to Advanced Level, advertises Grade 1 admissions each March and does not publish a fee schedule online. Trinity College Kandy is likewise a private Anglican boys' school, not a national school.
- What percentage of Sri Lankan students qualify for university at A Level?
- At the 2025 GCE Advanced Level, 281,810 candidates sat the three core subjects and 176,527 (62.64%) passed all three, which is the Department of Examinations' definition of eligible for university entrance. Among school candidates alone the figure was 66.12%. Only 8,300 candidates (2.95%) obtained three A grades. Eligibility does not guarantee a state university place, which depends on the Z-score cut-offs for each course.
