Abuja and FCT

Best secondary schools in Abuja: the shortlist, with fees where they are published

Abuja has more than 260 secondary schools on the FCT register, and the ones parents ask about fall into four groups: the international and British-curriculum schools around Maitama, Wuse and Jabi; the mission and faith schools; the three Federal Government (unity) colleges; and the long tail of private day schools in Gwarinpa, Kubwa, Lugbe and Karu. This page compares the schools that come up most often, in one table, with the fee figure and where it came from.

We do not rank schools by exam results, because no school in Abuja publishes results in a form that can be compared, and we will not print a pass rate we cannot source. What you get instead is a shortlist ordered by a method you can read, a fee column that tells you whether the number came from the school or from a third party, and the questions to ask on the visit.

22 schools listed, 13 with a fee figure and its source. Updated 21 September 2026.

How this list is ordered

Schools are listed by how often they appear across five independent 2025 and 2026 published lists of Abuja secondary schools, then by fee transparency (a school that publishes its schedule sits above one that does not), then by the facts we could confirm: ownership, day or boarding, curriculum and area. Position on this list is not a judgement of teaching quality.

•Named on independent published lists of Abuja secondary schools (SchoolViya, Campus Cybercafe, LinkNearBiz, Abuja Guide, Best Nigerian Schools)
•Fee transparency: a figure on the school's own site beats a third-party estimate, which beats nothing
•Ownership and type confirmed: private, mission, federal unity college or FCT public
•Day or boarding, and the curriculum the school states it teaches
•A live profile on SchoolRegistry that the school can claim and correct

Fees. A figure marked 'school schedule' was read on the school's own website or fee document. A figure marked 'estimate' comes from a named third-party page, linked beside it, and can be a year or more out of date; treat it as the order of magnitude, not the invoice. 'Not published' means neither the school nor a source we would cite prints a figure; several of the best-known schools in Abuja fall in that group and will only quote at the admissions office. All figures exclude uniforms, books, PTA levies, transport and boarding extras unless the note says otherwise.

The list

#	School	Area	Type	Fees	Why it is here
1	Loyola Jesuit College Nigerian · Co-educational · Boarding School website	Gidan Mangoro, Karu	Private mission (Jesuit), full boarding	Not published, ask the school The college does not publish a fee schedule; third-party figures vary so widely that we do not print one. Ask at admission.	Named on four of the five independent lists we checked. Opened in 1996 as a full boarding school run by the Society of Jesus with over 600 students from JSS1 to SSS3, and admission is by entrance examination.
2	American International School of Abuja (AISA) American, IB Diploma · Co-educational · Day School website	Durumi	International, day	Not published, ask the school AISA publishes tuition in US dollars on its admissions pages; the naira figure moves with the exchange rate, so check the current schedule there.	Named on three of the five lists. The only American-curriculum, IB Diploma secondary school in the capital; most students are children of diplomats and expatriate staff, and the fee sits at the top of the Abuja market.
3	Lead British International School British (IGCSE, A Level) · Co-educational · Day and boarding	Gwarinpa	Private, British curriculum, day and boarding	₦900,000 to ₦2,400,000 per yearestimate Source: doris.school (2025) Range quoted for primary; secondary and A Level are higher. Confirm with the school.	Named on three of the five lists. Runs IGCSE and A Level and is one of the Abuja schools families use as a route to UK and North American universities.
4	Nigerian Tulip International Colleges (NTIC) Nigerian with Cambridge options · Co-educational · Day and boarding	Wuse 2 (day) and Ushafa (boarding)	Private, day and boarding	Not published, ask the school Fees are given at admission. Recent third-party reports for the boarding campus are far above the day fee; confirm which campus you are quoted for.	Named on three of the five lists, and the Abuja school most often cited for science olympiad results. Two campuses: day in Wuse 2, boarding at Ushafa.
5	Regent Secondary School British (IGCSE) · Co-educational · Day	Mabushi	Private, British curriculum, day	₦2,900,000 to ₦3,200,000 per yearestimate Source: doris.school (2025)	Named on four of the five lists. Part of the Regent group that also runs the Maitama primary campus, so families can stay in one system from nursery to IGCSE.
6	Whiteplains British School British · Co-educational · Day and boarding	Jabi	Private, British curriculum, day and boarding	₦551,250 to ₦750,000 per termestimate Source: SchoolsCompass (2025) Tuition ₦551,250 per term on SchoolsCompass, plus PTA levy, uniform, books and a ₦20,000 application fee.	Named on two of the five lists. British curriculum at a lower fee than the Maitama international schools, with boarding available; a common shortlist entry for Jabi, Utako and Life Camp families.
7	Premiere Academy Nigerian with Cambridge options · Co-educational · Boarding	Lugbe	Private, boarding	₦1,000,000 per termestimate Source: SchoolsCompass (2025) SchoolsCompass lists tuition above ₦1,000,000 per term and a first-year joining total of about ₦5.4m including one-off charges.	The main private boarding option on the airport road side of the city, with a large purpose-built campus.
8	Faith Academy Nigerian · Co-educational · Boarding	Goshen City, Abuja-Keffi Road	Private mission (Living Faith), boarding	₦200,000 to ₦285,900 per termestimate Source: Nigeria Private Schools (2025) JSS ₦200,000 to ₦261,500 and SS ₦270,000 to ₦285,900 per term, plus a small PTA levy. One of the few boarding schools on this list under ₦300,000 a term.	Named on two of the five lists. A Living Faith (Winners) mission boarding school about 26 km out on the Keffi road; the lowest published boarding fee among the private schools here.
9	Glisten International Academy Nigerian and British · Co-educational · Day and boarding School website	Jahi	Private, day and boarding	₦500,000 to ₦800,000 per termestimate Source: Nigeria Private Schools (2025) The school's own site lists a ₦50,000 commitment fee at admission.	Named on one of the five lists. A mid-fee Jahi option that runs both the Nigerian and British streams.
10	Aduvie International School Nigerian and British · Co-educational · Day and boarding	Jahi	Private, day and boarding	₦1,350,000 to ₦1,800,000 per yearestimate Source: doris.school (2025), Nigeria Private Schools (2024) Two sources disagree: ₦1.35m to ₦1.8m a year on one, ₦300,000 to ₦700,000 a term on the other. Confirm before budgeting.	Named on two of the five lists. Nursery to secondary on one Jahi campus, with a one-off capital fee in the first year.
11	The Centagon International School Nigerian and British · Co-educational · Day	Maitama	Private, day	₦400,000 per termestimate Source: Best Nigerian Schools (2024) Listed from ₦400,000 per term, about ₦1.2m a year, in a 2024 round-up.	Named on two of the five lists. A Maitama school with fees well under the international schools around it.
12	Funtaj International School Nigerian and British · Co-educational · Day and boarding	Gudu	Private, day and boarding	Not published, ask the school Source: Best Nigerian Schools (2024) Listed among Abuja schools with annual fees under ₦1.5m in 2024.	Named on two of the five lists. Long-established on the Apo and Gudu side with both day and boarding places.
13	Federal Government Girls' College, Bwari Nigerian · Girls · Boarding	Bwari	Federal unity college, boarding	₦100,000 per termestimate Source: Federal fee revision reported on Nairaland (2024) Unity college fees are set nationally by the Federal Ministry of Education; the 2024 revision took the term fee to about ₦100,000. Admission is through the National Common Entrance Examination.	One of the three federal unity colleges in the FCT, and the girls' boarding option. Entry is by the National Common Entrance Examination, not by ability to pay.
14	Federal Government College, Kwali Nigerian · Co-educational · Boarding	Kwali	Federal unity college, boarding	₦100,000 per termestimate Source: Federal fee revision reported on Nairaland (2024) Nationally set unity college fee; confirm the current figure with the college.	The co-educational unity college for the FCT, about 70 km from the city centre on the Lokoja road. Same national admission route and fee scale as every other unity college.
15	Federal Government Boys' College, Apo Nigerian · Boys · Boarding	Apo	Federal unity college, boarding	₦100,000 per termestimate Source: Federal fee revision reported on Nairaland (2024) Nationally set unity college fee; confirm the current figure with the college.	Named on two of the five lists. The boys' unity college inside the city, which makes it the easiest of the three for Abuja families to visit.
16	Capital Science Academy Nigerian, science focus · Co-educational · Boarding	Kuje	Private, boarding	Not published, ask the school Published third-party figures range from about ₦750,000 to ₦2m a term and do not agree, so we print none.	Named on two of the five lists, usually for its science and mathematics emphasis. A boarding campus at Kuje, south of the city.
17	Olumawu College Nigerian · Co-educational · Day School website	Wuse 2	Private, day	Not published, ask the school The school's admissions page lists a ₦50,000 entrance examination fee but not tuition.	Named on one of the five lists. A long-standing Wuse 2 day school with its own nursery and primary feeder.
18	Regina Pacis College Nigerian · Co-educational · Day	Garki 2	Private mission (Catholic), day	Not published, ask the school No published schedule found.	Named on one of the five lists. The Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja's secondary school in Garki, and the usual Catholic day option inside the city.
19	Chrisland School, Abuja Nigerian and British · Co-educational · Day	Wuse 2	Private, day	Not published, ask the school Chrisland publishes Lagos figures more readily than Abuja ones; ask the Abuja campus directly.	Named on one of the five lists. The Abuja campus of the Lagos Chrisland group, nursery to secondary in one place.
20	Pacesetters' Schools Nigerian · Co-educational · Day and boarding	Wuse 2	Private, day and boarding	₦50,000 to ₦400,000 per termestimate Source: Nigeria Private Schools (2025) The listed range spans nursery to secondary; the secondary fee sits at the top of it.	Named on one of the five lists. One of the older private groups in the city with both day and boarding streams.
21	Model Secondary School, Maitama Nigerian · Co-educational · Day	Maitama	FCT public, day	Not published, ask the school FCT public secondary schools charge nominal levies set by the FCT Education Secretariat.	The best-known public secondary school in the capital, and the reference point for families comparing a free public place against a private fee.
22	Government Secondary School, Garki Nigerian · Co-educational · Day	Garki	FCT public, day	Not published, ask the school FCT public secondary schools charge nominal levies set by the FCT Education Secretariat.	The main public secondary school for the Garki and Area districts; included so the list is not private schools only.

Run a school on this list, or know a figure is out of date? Claim the profile and correct it; corrections with a fee schedule attached go live the same week.

By area

Maitama, Wuse and Asokoro

The international and British-curriculum schools cluster here, and so do the highest fees in the city. If you live in these districts, Regent, Centagon, Olumawu, Chrisland and Pacesetters are all within a short drive.

Jabi, Utako and Jahi

The mid-fee British-stream schools: Whiteplains, Glisten and Aduvie. Boarding is available at all three, which matters for families in the satellite towns.

Gwarinpa and Life Camp

Lead British is the anchor here. Gwarinpa also has the largest number of private day schools in the FCT register, most of them under ₦300,000 a term.

Lugbe, Gudu, Apo and Airport Road

Premiere Academy, Funtaj and FGBC Apo. Faith Academy is further out on the Keffi road. Fees on this side run lower than the city centre for comparable facilities.

Bwari, Kubwa and Kwali

The two unity colleges outside the city, and Kubwa's long tail of affordable private day schools. Loyola Jesuit sits on the Karu side, east of the city.

What 'best' can and cannot mean in Abuja

No school in Abuja publishes its WAEC or NECO results in a form that lets you compare one against another, and the pass rates you see on other lists are not sourced. So this page does not rank by results. What you can compare is what a school is (mission, unity college, international, public), what it costs and whether it will tell you, whether it boards, and what curriculum it teaches. Those four facts narrow twenty-two schools to three or four for most families.

The fee column is the honest part. Where a school publishes its schedule we say so. Where the only figure is a third-party estimate we link the page it came from, and where two estimates disagree we print both and say confirm. Several of the best-known schools, Loyola Jesuit, AISA, NTIC and Capital Science among them, quote only at the admissions office.

Day or boarding

Thirteen of the schools on this list board. The unity colleges and Loyola Jesuit are boarding only; Whiteplains, Glisten, Aduvie, Lead British, Funtaj and Pacesetters run both. Boarding adds feeding, bedding, medicals and a longer list of provisions to the fee, and at the private schools it usually adds a separate boarding charge on top of tuition. Ask for the boarding invoice as a separate line before you compare.

The unity college route

The three federal unity colleges in the FCT (FGGC Bwari, FGC Kwali, FGBC Apo) admit through the National Common Entrance Examination, taken in Primary 6, with places allocated by state quota. Fees are set nationally and are a fraction of any private school here. The trade is boarding only, large classes, and a campus that may be an hour or more from home. For a family that wants a recognised boarding school at the lowest fee in the city, it is the first option to test.

What to ask on the visit

Ask for the full fee schedule in writing, including PTA levy, books, uniform, transport and any development or capital fee charged in the first year. Ask which examination board the school registers students for in SS3 (WAEC, NECO, IGCSE) and how many candidates it entered last year. Ask to see the timetable for a normal week, and where the school publishes its results. A school that answers all four in one visit is usually a school that runs well.

Questions parents ask about schools in Abuja

How much do secondary schools in Abuja charge per term?

From about ₦100,000 a term at the federal unity colleges, through ₦200,000 to ₦800,000 at most private day and mission schools, to well above ₦1,000,000 a term at the British and American curriculum schools in Maitama, Jabi and Gwarinpa. The table above gives the figure and its source for each school.

Which schools on this list publish their fees?

Very few in full. Most figures here are third-party estimates and are marked as such, with the page they came from linked. Loyola Jesuit, AISA, NTIC, Capital Science, Regina Pacis, Chrisland Abuja and Olumawu give tuition only at admission.

Which Abuja secondary schools have boarding?

Loyola Jesuit, the three federal unity colleges, Premiere Academy, Faith Academy and Capital Science are boarding schools. Lead British, Whiteplains, Glisten, Aduvie, Funtaj, NTIC (Ushafa campus) and Pacesetters offer both day and boarding.

How do I get a place at a federal unity college in Abuja?

Register your child for the National Common Entrance Examination in Primary 6, choose FGGC Bwari, FGC Kwali or FGBC Apo among your options, and wait for the merit and state-quota lists. Fees are set nationally and admission does not depend on them.

Are there good public secondary schools in Abuja?

Model Secondary School Maitama and Government Secondary School Garki are the reference points, with nominal levies set by the FCT Education Secretariat. Class sizes are large; ask about the SS3 examination entry numbers before deciding.

Why does this list not show WAEC pass rates?

Because no Abuja school publishes results in a comparable form and we will not print a number we cannot source. If a school on this list shares its results with us, we will add them with the document attached.

FCT on the register

SchoolRegistry data, 2026-10-02

We hold 1,841 schools in FCT, out of 38,124 nationally. These are counts from our own register rather than estimates, which is why they will not match a published national total: they count what is recorded, not what exists.

Inside FCT

Largest areas by schools on the register

Garki257

Lugbe192

Kubwa187

Gwagwalada174

Gwarinpa166

Karu155

Wuse133

Bwari98

Areas are recorded as the source gives them, so a city and a local government area can both appear. Counted on 2026-10-02.

What kind of schools

Education level mix in FCT

secondary: 53%
primary: 26%
nursery: 20%
professional: 1%
university: 1%

Share of the 1,841 schools we hold for FCT, by the level each one is recorded at.

Private or government

Ownership mix in FCT

private: 85%
government: 15%
business_school: 0%

The private share is high because private schools are more consistently listed in the public records we ingest, not because government schools are rarer on the ground. Treat this as a measure of our coverage.

Fees: we hold a figure for 9,137 schools, of which 8,947 are an estimated band rather than a fee quoted by the school. We show fees as ranges for that reason, and confirming with the school is still the only way to know what you will pay. Counts generated from the register on 2026-10-02.