Category A, B and C Schools in Northern Region (2026)

Which schools are Category A in Northern Region?

We looked for an official public list of Category A, B and C schools on the CSSPS portal, in the Ministry of Education's 2026 school selection guidelines and on the Ghana Education Service website, and found none. Lists that circulate online and on social media disagree with each other, usually name no source, and in some cases put the same school in two regions. We do not repeat them.

So we cannot tell you which Northern schools are in Category A, B or C. What we can tell you, with sources, is below. If you need the category of a particular school, ask your junior high head teacher for the school selection form, or the Northern regional or district education office. A school's category matters for your choices because the 2026 guidelines allow no more than two Category A schools and three Category B schools among your eight choices.

Senior high schools in Northern Region on the register

The Ministry of Education register, which our records start from, lists 46 senior high schools in Northern Region, in 17 districts. That is 4% of the senior high schools nationally. The districts with the most senior high schools are shown below.

Each district name opens the district page, which lists every school there. The full regional list is on the Northern senior high schools page, and the region overview is at Northern Region.

Schools in Northern Region with places open on the CSSPS portal

The CSSPS school vacancy directory lists schools that still have places open for self-placement and later steps. On 12 October 2026 it listed 32 schools in Northern Region with 10,904 places in total. Of those, 31 are mixed, 1 is a girls' school.

This table shows the eight schools with the most open places, not the best schools. Open places mean that a school was not filled through automatic placement. That often reflects a large intake, a remote location or a programme mix that fewer candidates chose.

Programmes with open places in Northern Region

Technical and vocational programmes account for about 33% of the open places in Northern Region. General Science has 855 open places across the region's schools. If you want a particular programme, such as General Science or Business, check that the school you pick still runs it.

Of the residential places the portal prints for Northern Region, about 42% are boarding and the rest day. Boarding places are the harder ones to win: the guidelines say a candidate who chooses boarding and misses out is not moved to the day option at the same school.

Well-known Northern schools on our lists

1 Northern school is in the pool for our lists of leading senior high schools. None of them has reached an NSMQ grand final since 1994, so their points come from the Ministry's list of most chosen schools.

The points are explained on the rankings methodology page. They are a way of ordering a list from public facts and are not a category and not a measure of exam results.

Technical and vocational options in Northern Region

Besides the general programmes, the portal shows technical and vocational places in Northern Region. The largest are Garment / Fashion Tech (615 places), Wood Technology (544 places), Building Construction (387 places), Electrical Eng Tech (368 places). Technical and vocational programmes are chosen on the same form, under the same eight-choice rule, and a candidate who wants only a TVET pathway must pick all eight from TVET institutes.

Colleges and universities in Northern Region

After senior high school, the register holds these institutions in Northern Region: 3 universities and technical universities; 5 nursing and midwifery training colleges; 1 tertiary college. Many tertiary institutions on the register carry a town and no region, so this count is a floor and not a total. For the full picture see the Northern region page, university cut-off points and the nursing training colleges list.

How to choose among Northern Region schools

1. Start from the programme. Decide whether you want General Science, Business, General Arts, Visual Arts, Agricultural Science, Home Economics or a technical programme. Then look at which Northern schools run it.
2. Think about the day choices first. Three of your eight choices must be day, and they must be within the area you can easily attend. In Northern, use the district pages above to see which schools are near you.
3. Fill the boarding choices with a spread. No more than two Category A and three Category B schools in total. Your head teacher can tell you which of your shortlisted schools fall in each.
4. Check the numbers on the ground. Visit or phone the school. Ask for the programme list, boarding places and the list of required items.
5. Use your results. The BECE aggregate calculator helps you see how your grades might fit, and the placement guide walks through merit placement, tie-breaks and self-placement.

Other regions

Ashanti · Greater Accra · Eastern · Central · Western · Volta · Upper East · Upper West · Bono · Bono East · Western North · Oti · Savannah · Ahafo · North East

Back to the national page: Category A, B and C schools in Ghana.

Frequently asked questions

Which schools are in Category A in Northern Region?

We could not find an official public list, so we do not name any Northern school as Category A. Your junior high head teacher or the Northern education office can tell you from the selection form.

How many senior high schools are in Northern Region?

The register lists 46 senior high schools in Northern Region: 42 public and 4 private.

Which Northern schools still have places?

On 12 October 2026 the CSSPS portal listed 32 Northern schools with places open. The table above shows the eight with the most. Check the portal for the current list: CSSPS, school vacancies directory.

Can I choose more than one Category A school?

You can choose up to two. You can choose up to three Category B schools and all eight from Category C.

Is there a girls' or boys' school in Northern Region with places open?

The directory listed 1 girls' and 0 boys' school in Northern Region with places open on 12 October 2026. All other listed schools are mixed.

Which Northern school is the best?

We hold no school-level WASSCE results, so we cannot rank Northern schools on exam scores. On the NSMQ and demand record, Tamale Senior High School leads the Northern schools in our pool.

How do I find a senior high school near me in Northern Region?

Use the Northern senior high schools page, or the schools near me tool.

Update log

Sources

• Ministry of Education, 2026 school selection and placement guidelines (PDF) (checked 2026-10-12)
• CSSPS, school vacancies directory (checked 2026-10-12)
• Wikipedia, Ghana National Science and Maths Quiz (list of past winners) (checked 2026-10-12)
• Ghana Education Service (checked 2026-10-12)