Secondary Schools in Trinidad and Tobago Compared: Naparima, QRC, Bishop Anstey, Speyside and the SEA Placement
Quick Answer: Trinidad and Tobago places children in secondary school by SEA composite score, four parental choices and, at denominational schools, a 20% principal's selection. 17,509 children wrote SEA in March 2026. Government and government-assisted schools are free; the International School of Port of Spain charges up to US$21,412 a year. Here is how the prestige schools in Port of Spain, San Fernando and Tobago compare.
Trinidad and Tobago places every child in secondary school on one exam. The Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA), written by 17,509 children on 26 March 2026, gives a composite score that is matched against four school choices in order of merit, with 20% of places at denominational schools reserved for the principal's own selection. Government and government-assisted schools charge no tuition. This guide covers the placement rules, the school types and the well-known colleges in Port of Spain, San Fernando and Tobago. Browse listings on our Trinidad and Tobago and Port of Spain pages.
How does SEA placement work in 2026?
The Ministry's SEA 2026 Information Booklet explains the mechanics. Three papers are marked by CXC: ELA Writing (out of 20, weighted 40%), English Language Arts (scaled to 100, weighted 60%) and Mathematics (scaled to 100, weighted 100%). Each becomes a weighted standard score; together they form the Composite Standard Score. Placement criteria are merit, parents' choices, the principals' 20% selection at denominational schools, gender, residence and multiple birth. The registration form takes four choices; a child whose score reaches none of them goes to an available school as close as possible to home, and a high score does not guarantee the first choice.
The 29 June 2026 release counts 8,854 boys and 8,655 girls; results went online on 2 July 2026. The 4 September 2026 results release reports national means of 53.84 in Mathematics, 68.66 in ELA and 11.57 out of 20 in Writing, 70.73% of children above the 50% benchmark and 683 (3.90%) above 90%.
What is the difference between government, assisted and private schools?
The booklet lists government, government-assisted and private secondary schools, plus Junior Life Centres. The assisted schools are the denominational colleges, whose position rests on the Concordat of 1960 between the state and the religious bodies. The US State Department's 2022 report summarises it: assisted schools admit 80% of students on SEA results and 20% at the denominational board's discretion, the religious bodies keep ownership and management, and government pays two-thirds of capital costs. The SEA booklet (Q10) calls this the Principal's 20% selection, made under each school's established criteria. The Ministry's scholarships page describes free primary and secondary education as a child's right. The private exception here is the International School of Port of Spain: 2026/27 tuition for Grades 9 to 12 is US$18,988 for residents and US$21,412 for international families, plus a one-time US$6,000 capital contribution. Our Barbados comparison covers the neighbouring system.
Which are the prestige schools in Port of Spain?
Queen's Royal College is the government-run boys' college in St Clair. Its website lists external Lower Six applications due 23 August 2026, and its guidelines prescribe a blue monogrammed shirt and khaki trousers, with a tie and dark grey trousers on formal days. St Mary's College (CIC) calls itself a government-assisted Catholic school established in 1863 with enrolment close to 1,200, and runs Forms 1 to 6. Fatima College, the Holy Ghost Fathers' boys' school, opened on 1 December 1945 with 115 students and built its Form 6 block in 1972. Bishop Anstey High School, the Anglican girls' school opened on 13 January 1921, caps its sixth form at two classes of about 60 to 70 and offers three CAPE subjects from a list of 18, according to its academics page. St Joseph's Convent calls itself the country's oldest secondary school, says most of its intake is in the national top 5%, and admits to sixth form on CSEC results.
What about San Fernando and Tobago?
Naparima College is the Presbyterian boys' school on Paradise Hill, governed by the Presbyterian Secondary Schools' Board; its history records state-aided secondary status in 1900 and the move to the present campus in 1917; it registers Lower Six students each year. Naparima Girls' High School started A Level classes in 1963 and produced Elizabeth Singh, a 2025 CAPE President's Medal winner. Presentation College began in 1930 as St Benedict's, the first Catholic secondary school in South Trinidad.
Tobago's nine secondary schools sit under the Tobago House of Assembly's Division of Education. Bishop's High School in Scarborough is co-educational, takes sixth-form applications and states CSEC and CAPE pass rates of 89% and near 99%. Speyside High School serves the north-east; the Division's January 2023 awards added it to Tobago's CSEC and CAPE merit-list schools. Scarborough Secondary, marking its 64th anniversary, runs a Lower Six intake.
| School | Location | Type | Gender | Sixth form | Notable |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Queen's Royal College | St Clair, Port of Spain | Government | Boys | Yes | External Lower Six entry |
| St Mary's College (CIC) | Frederick Street, Port of Spain | Government-assisted, Catholic | Boys | Yes | About 1,200 students |
| Fatima College | Mucurapo Road, Port of Spain | Denominational, Catholic | Boys | Yes | Opened 1945 |
| Bishop Anstey High School | Chancery Lane, Port of Spain | Denominational, Anglican | Girls | 60 to 70 places | Choir and steel ensemble |
| St Joseph's Convent | Port of Spain | Denominational, Catholic | Girls | Entry on CSEC | Oldest secondary school |
| Naparima College | Paradise Hill, San Fernando | Government-assisted, Presbyterian | Boys | Yes | Nine scholarships on 2024 CAPE |
| Naparima Girls' High School | San Fernando | Government-assisted, Presbyterian | Girls | Since 1963 | 2025 President's Medal |
| Presentation College | Coffee Street, San Fernando | Denominational, Catholic | Boys | Yes (CAPE) | Eight scholarships on 2024 CAPE |
| Bishop's High School | Scarborough, Tobago | THA Division of Education | Co-ed | Yes | CSEC 89%, CAPE near 99% |
| Speyside High School | Speyside, Tobago | THA Division of Education | Not stated | Not stated | Merit-list school since 2023 |
| Scarborough Secondary | Scarborough, Tobago | THA Division of Education | Not stated | Lower Six | 64th anniversary |
| International School of Port of Spain | Westmoorings | Private, IB | Co-ed | Grades 9 to 12 | US$18,988 to US$21,412 a year |
Who wins the national scholarships, and are the 2026 results out?
National scholarships follow CAPE results; our CSEC and CAPE guide explains the grades. The Ministry caps awards at 100 scholarships a year, no more than ten in each of ten cognate groups, plus 500 bursaries. The latest round, announced in Parliament on 23 January 2026 for the 2025 CAPE sitting, gave 105 scholarships (47 open, 58 additional) costing TT$35.8 million, with President's Medals to Elizabeth Singh of Naparima Girls' and Aliya Serrette of Bishop Anstey East and Trinity College East, according to Newsday. Awards for the 2026 sitting had not been published by 16 September 2026; the portal's Awards Offered 2026 page carries only the rules. The last per-school breakdown found is TTT's 5 December 2024 report on the 2024 CAPE: Presentation College Chaguanas 10, Naparima College 9, Hillview College and Presentation San Fernando 8 each, St Joseph's Convent Port of Spain and St Augustine Girls' 7 each.
Frequently asked questions
- How does SEA placement work in Trinidad and Tobago?
- Each child's SEA papers (Mathematics, English Language Arts and ELA Writing) are converted to standard scores, weighted and added to give a Composite Standard Score. The Ministry then assigns places by order of merit, the four school choices on the registration form, the principals' 20% selection at denominational schools, gender, residence and multiple birth. A child whose score does not reach any of the four choices is assigned to an available school as close as possible to home.
- What is the best secondary school in Trinidad and Tobago?
- There is no official ranking. The schools usually called prestige schools, and the ones that win most national scholarships, are the older denominational and government colleges: Queen's Royal College, St Mary's College (CIC), Fatima College, Bishop Anstey High School and St Joseph's Convent in Port of Spain, and Naparima College, Naparima Girls' and Presentation College in San Fernando. On the 2024 CAPE results, Presentation College Chaguanas won ten scholarships, Naparima College nine, Presentation San Fernando eight and St Joseph's Convent seven.
- Is Naparima College a government school?
- No. Naparima College is a government-assisted (denominational) boys' school run by the Presbyterian Secondary Schools' Board of Education. It was founded by Canadian Presbyterian missionary Kenneth J. Grant, became a recognised secondary school eligible for state aid in 1900 and moved to its Paradise Hill campus in San Fernando in 1917. Like other assisted schools it charges no tuition, and its principal may select up to 20% of the Form 1 intake under the Concordat of 1960.
- Does Bishop Anstey have a sixth form?
- Yes, but it is small. Bishop Anstey High School (St Hilary's) in Port of Spain limits its sixth form to two classes of roughly 60 to 70 students because of space and staffing, so entry is competitive and based on CSEC results, teachers' assessments, attendance, conduct and involvement in school activities. Sixth formers choose three CAPE subjects from a list of 18 that includes Accounting, Biology, Chemistry, Economics, Physics, Sociology and Spanish.
- What is the pass mark for SEA?
- There is no pass mark for placement; every child who writes SEA is assigned a school. The Ministry does use two thresholds. It reports the share of children scoring above 50%, which was 70.73% in 2026, and it requires a child born after 31 August 2013 whose composite standard score is 30% or less to re-sit the SEA the following year. A child aged 13 or over with 30% or less is placed in a Junior Life Centre.
- How many students wrote SEA in 2026?
- 17,509 students, made up of 8,854 boys and 8,655 girls, wrote the SEA on Thursday 26 March 2026. Results were released through the Ministry's online portal on 2 July 2026. National mean scores were 53.84 in Mathematics, 68.66 in English Language Arts and 11.57 out of 20 in ELA Writing, and 683 children (3.90%) scored above 90%.
- Are secondary schools in Trinidad and Tobago free?
- Government and government-assisted (denominational) secondary schools charge no tuition; the Ministry of Education describes free primary and secondary education as a child's right. Families still pay for uniforms, books and exam-related costs such as CXC reviews. Private and international schools set their own fees: the International School of Port of Spain lists 2026/27 high school tuition of US$18,988 for residents and US$21,412 for international families, plus a one-time US$6,000 building fund contribution.
