Schools in Wa
322 schools are on the register in the district that make up Wa, Upper West Region. 12 are senior high schools, 4 are universities or colleges, and 18% of schools with a stated owner are private, against 29% across Ghana. This is a floor: 24 schools in Upper West Region have no district recorded.
About Wa
Wa is the capital of the Upper West Region and of Wa Municipal. The 2021 census counted 200,672 people in the municipality, which covers about 580 square kilometres. Wa is the home of the Wala people, and their king, the Wa Naa, lives in a mud brick palace in the town. Every year around September and October the Dumba festival gathers chiefs and families to mark the birth of the Prophet, and the Wa Naa leaps over a tethered cow. Farming is the main economic activity. The municipality has four tertiary institutions, including the University of Business and Integrated Development Studies, and nine senior high schools, public and private.
What makes Wa proud
- Wa Naa's Palace is built of sun-dried mud brick in the western Sudanese style and is the home of the king of the Wala people.
- The Dumba festival, held in September and October, ends with the Wa Naa leaping over a tethered cow.
- Wa has four tertiary institutions, and one of them, UBIDS, grew out of a University for Development Studies campus.
Education pride in Wa
Founding years are shown only where the sources are reliable and agree. A school without a year here is listed without one rather than guessed.
Universities and colleges based here
- University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (UBIDS) Wa, Public university, since 2019
Wa in numbers
The districts that make up Wa, with their schools. A district is counted whole, so some schools on its edge may sit outside the city proper.
Schools by district
- Wa Municipal322 · 18% private
Source: Ministry of Education school register, 2023/24. Click a district for every school in it.
Schools by level
- Basic schools259 · 80%
- Primary schools19 · 6%
- Junior high schools13 · 4%
- Senior high schools12 · 4%
- Kindergartens12 · 4%
- Vocational schools6 · 2%
- Technical universities1 · 0%
Basic schools combine KG, primary and JHS at one campus and are not split in the register.
Culture and heritage in Wa
Festival months are the usual ones, and some move with the lunar calendar. Ask locally before you travel.
Festivals and their usual month
- DumbaWala (Wa) Marks the birth of Prophet Muhammad. The climax is the Wa Naa leaping over a tethered cow.
Heritage sites
- otherWa Naa's PalaceWa Home of the Wa Naa, built of sun-dried mud brick with Y-shaped wooden columns in the western Sudanese style.
- otherDzendzen PoolWa area Listed by the assembly as a cultural facility.
- otherChegli crocodile pondWa area Listed by the assembly as a cultural facility.
The economy of Wa in a line
Farming accounts for about 70 percent of the municipal economy, helped by fertile soil. Trade in farm and manufactured goods takes place at the municipal markets.
Senior high schools in Wa
12 on the register in these districts.
| School | Level | Ownership | District |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aswaj SHS | Senior High | private | Wa Municipal |
| Islamic Senior High School | Senior High | public | Wa Municipal |
| Islamic SHS, Wa | Senior High | public | Wa Municipal |
| Jamiat Al-Hidaya Islamic Girls' Senior High School, Wa | Senior High | public | Wa Municipal |
| St. Francis Xavier Junior Seminary | Senior High | private | Wa Municipal |
| St. Francis Xavier Minor Seminary, Wa | Senior High | private | Wa Municipal |
| T. I Ahmadiyya S. H. S, Wa | Senior High | public | Wa Municipal |
| T. I. Ahmadiyya Senior High School, Wa | Senior High | public | Wa Municipal |
| T. I. Ahmadiyya SHS | Senior High | public | Wa Municipal |
| Tupaso Centre of Excellence | Senior High | private | Wa Municipal |
| Tupaso Senior High School | Senior High | private | Wa Municipal |
| Wa Senior High School | Senior High | public | Wa Municipal |
Senior high schools in Upper West Region
Universities and colleges in Wa
4 places on the register, matched to Wa by district or by the town they are listed under.
| School | Level | Ownership | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. Hilla Limann Technical University | Technical university | public | Wa |
| N. J. Ahmadiyya College of Education | College of education | public | Wa |
| S.D. Dombo University of Business and Integrated Development Studies | University | not stated | Wa |
| Wa Polytechnic | Technical university | public | Wa Municipal |
Towns and suburbs in Wa
Places in these districts with ten or more schools.
Schools near me in Wa
Looking for schools near you, or near Wa? Open the near me tool and, if you choose to share your location, it lists the closest schools to where you are. Your position is used once to work out the list and is not stored. You can pick a town instead.
Find schools near meThe closest schools to the centre of Wa, from schools with a position we trust:
- Home of Light Islamic Basic School, 0.0 km
- 31st December Kindergarten, 0.0 km
- St. Paul's Methodist Primary, 0.0 km
- Dobile Presby Junior H.igh School, 0.0 km
- T.I Ahmadiyya Kindergarten, 0.0 km
Questions people ask about schools in Wa
- How many schools are there in Wa?
- 322 schools are on the register in the district that make up Wa: Wa Municipal. This is a floor, not a final count: 24 schools in Upper West Region have no district recorded, so they cannot be placed in any city.
- How many senior high schools are in Wa?
- 12. They are listed on this page and in each district.
- How do I find schools near me in Wa?
- Open the schools near me page, allow your location or pick a town, and choose the kind of school. It lists the closest ones from schools whose position we trust. For Wa as a whole, start with the district list on this page.
- What are the best schools in Wa?
- We do not rank schools, because no source we can name measures them against each other. We can show you every school, its level, owner and district, the long-established schools below, and what a school has told us itself once it claims its page.
- How many schools are in Wa?
- SchoolRegistry lists 322 schools in Wa Municipal. The municipal assembly counts 7 public and 2 private senior high schools.
- Is there a university in Wa?
- Yes. The University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (UBIDS) is in Wa. It began as a campus of the University for Development Studies, and Parliament approved its conversion to a separate university in 2019.
- What is the Dumba festival?
- It is the yearly festival of the Wala people of Wa, held in September or October. It marks the birth of Prophet Muhammad, and the high point is the Wa Naa leaping over a tethered cow.