It was before 100 years ago that Dehradun valley and its adjacent areas saw a boom in the school education, hence giving birth to plentiful of premier educational institutes during the colonial era.
Even today Dehradun has consistently procured the title of the ‘city of Schools’ because it is continuously contributing majorly in residential as well as day schooling education.The atmosphere and weather of Dehradun is so pleasant that it is well suited for the students of all age group which is the reason that even after many years such schools are doing pretty well and are in huge demand.
Some of the oldest of schools in Dehradun and Mussoorie are as follows:
1. Convent of Jesus and Mary, Waverley
Location- Waverley, Mussoorie
Type- All girls boarding school
ESTD. – 1845
Board - CBSE
Convent of Jesus and Mary, Waverley, was established on 18th September 1845, by the religious of Jesus and Mary. The school is a recognised Christian Minority Institution, affiliated to the CBSE. Situated at an elevation of 6,600 feet above sea level, this exclusive, all girls residential and day school, holds pride of place in the small hill station of Mussoorie, in the North Indian state of Uttarakhand.
Nestled among pines and deodars, away from the hustle and bustle of city life, CJM Waverley, provides the perfect ambience for a child's all-round development. Managed by the devoted and selfless Sisters of the Religious of Jesus and Mary, the school is home to 350 boarders and 250 day scholars from classes I to XII. The school is staffed with the most experienced and qualified personnel, who are dedicated to nurturing the future leaders of tomorrow.
2. St. George’s College
Location: Barlowganj, Mussoorie
Type- All boys boarding school
ESTD. – 1853
Board – ICSE
St. George’s College is a premier boarding school in Mussoorie which is affiliated to the ICSE council. The school, an all-boys residential and non-residential institution, spreading over 400 acres (1.6 sqkm) of land, was founded in 1853 by the Capuchin Fathers and entrusted to the Society of the Brothers of St. Patrick (Ireland) in 1894. It was opened in a cottage known as Manor House; the name by which the campus is still known. The students are known as Manorites.
The St. George’s College museum showcases the history of the school over the past 150 years. The museum also serves as an archive for preserving hundreds of old photographs, instruments, school records, yearbooks and furniture. The collection includes photographs from the 1870s, scientific instruments from the 1900s, and an old piano.
3. Woodstock School
Location- Landour, Mussoorie
Type- Co Ed boarding school
ESTD. – 1854
Board – Cambridge IGCSE
For over 160 years, Woodstock school covers more than 250 acres of protected forest cover on the foothills of Himalayas, situated between 2000 and 2300 metres above sea level on south- facing slope, Woodstock school enjoys spectacular views over the Doon valley, the Tehri hills and the ancient Shivalik range.
The earliest days of school coincided with the dominance of east India company. Though the school was managed by the Americans during the Raj, at times it provided refuge for families who opposed British rule in India. The school has witnessed two world wars, Indian independence and partition, and several subsequent political upheavals; all of which can be traced in the alumni and history of the school.
4. Wynberg Allen School
Location- Near mall road, Mussoorie
Type- Co Ed boarding school
ESTD- 1888
Board- ICSE
In Kanpur, during the year 1887, a group of friends, Alfred Powell, Arthur Foy and his wife and Brig. J H Condon met and decided to set up a school in Mussoorie. Hence, Wynberg Allen School is one of India's oldest educational institutions. The school has always maintained an excellent standard of holistic education and co-curricular activities for its students. It is a residential co-educational institution and accommodates around 700 children out of whom 550 are boarders. The well-experienced team of teaching and non-teaching staff ensures that the young people entering the world turn out to be responsible citizens capable of steering themselves and their country towards excellence.
5. Oak Grove School
Location- Jharipani, Mussoorie
Type- co ed boarding school
ESTD – 1888
Board- CBSE
Oak Grove school was started in 1888 by East India Railway Company with an endowment fund of Rs 2 lac on the recommendations of the School Committee. In the 19th century Companies and Industrial concerns were mainly driven by profit motive and rarely invested in areas of social concern like Educational institutions, which was mainly left to Religious and Philanthropic Institutions. It was therefore quite creditable on the part of EIR to start an institution like Oak Grove, way back in the 1880's.
Around 42 well qualified teachers are round the clock available at the campus to look after the needs of 615 students at an extremely healthy Teacher Student ratio of 1:15. All the staff are qualified as per strict Govt. conditions and are selected after a rigorous screening process.
6. Convent of Jesus and Mary, Dehradun
Location- Dehradun, Uttarakhand
ESTD- 1901
Board- CISCE, New Delhi
Type- All girls Boarding School
Convent of Jesus and Mary is one of the oldest chains of girl’s school in India. Convent of Jesus & Mary High School is also written as CJM Dehradun and it was founded in the year 1901. Convent of Jesus and Mary CJM is affiliated to the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examination (ICSE). The academic session of the school begins in April and ends in March of the following year.
It is located in the idyllic surroundings of the picturesque Doon Valley. The school stands for academic excellence, development of skills and character formation. The Convent of Jesus & Mary School which has been established by the J&M Dehradun Educational Society, a Christian Minority Institution, aims primarily at the education of the Catholic Community and the preservation of Catholic faith and religious practices.
7. CJM Hampton Court School
Location- Mall road, Mussoorie
Board- CISCE
ESTD. - 1922,
Type – Co Ed Boarding school
Hampton Court, boarding school, was opened for junior Boys and Day Pupils, both girls and boys in 1922 by the Jesus and Mary Mussoorie Educational Society, a Christian Minority Institution which aims primarily for the education of the Catholic Community and the preservation of Catholic faith and religious practices.
Preference in admission to the School will be given to Catholic children. Admission will, however, be open to children of other communities without distinction of caste or creed.
8. Col. Brown Cambridge School
Location- Dalanwala, Dehradun
Type- All boys boarding school
ESTD- 1926
Board- ICSE
Colonel Brown Cambridge School for Indian Boys was founded in March 1926, by Col. and Mrs. W. Brown, for Indian boys. It is an English Medium Residential School and is open to all boys irrespective of caste, creed or social status. The school ranks high amongst educational Institutions in India. It attracts students not only from all parts of India, but also from parents living abroad. An Irish man of repute, with an enviable record of distinguished service both in the sphere of education and the British Army, Col. William Brown retired from the Army but did not want to leave India, the country he had adopted, served and grown to love passionately.
Admission to Col. Brown School is done in the month of March/July each year on the basis of merit after conducting a written test. Striving hard behind these ‘Gentlemen’ of the future is the earnest effort of the teaching fraternity of Col. Brown Cambridge School. In pursuance of this aim certain rules and regulations are laid which are followed rigidly for maintaining the decorum and discipline of the school.
9. The Doon School
Location- Krishna Nagar, Dehradun
ESTD- 1935
Board- IB, CISCE, IGCSE
Type- All boys residential school
Established in 1935, the Doon School is a full boarding school only for boys aged 12-18 which is probably the only ‘All India’ school with applications from almost every state each year, as well as from Indian families overseas. The school offers a choice of the IB or the ISC and has a recent track record of excellent examination results.
It is one of India’s finest schools built in beautiful seventy-acre campus with a vast range of flora, fauna and bird life, an environment rarely offered by schools in large and small cities in India, or indeed some other countries. All boys are able to seek advice from the teaching staff, the Wellness Centre and the school counsellor living on the school campus throughout the seven-day week. There is no wasted time travelling to learn Sport, Art, Music, Drama and benefit from Careers Guidance as well as other necessary university and college entrance preparation.
10. Welham Boy's School
Location- Dalanwala, Dehradun
Type- All boys boarding school
Board- CBSE
ESTD- 1937
Welham Boys' School is a residential school for boys, in Dehra Dun, affiliated to the C.B.S.E. India. Nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas over an area of 30 acres, the school lies amidst the hills and rivers of the Doon valley. Students from varying backgrounds and from many different parts of the sub-continent and beyond, attend the school.
The infrastructure of the school includes, Learning Resource Centre (LRC), Senior and Middle School, Junior School, well-furnished Hostels, Play Fields and Courts, Activity Centre, Bethany (dining hall) and Hospital.
