Schools in Greater Accra Region
5,405 schools across 29 districts in Greater Accra Region, 12.4% of every school in Ghana, against an average of 2,727 a region. 116 are senior high schools and 61% of schools with a stated owner are private. The regional capital is Accra. About 88% of people aged 6 and over can read and write (our calculation from Census 2021 counts).
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About Greater Accra Region
Greater Accra is the smallest region by area and the largest by population. The 2021 census counted 5,455,692 people on 3,245 square kilometres, and most of them live in towns. It has been a region of its own since 1982, when it was separated from the Eastern Region. Accra is both the regional and the national capital. The first communities along this coast were Ga and Dangme. Ga towns such as Osu, La, Teshie and Nungua each celebrate Homowo on their own dates, and the Ada people mark Asafotufiami in early August. Schools here have long histories. Achimota School opened in 1927 and Accra Academy followed in 1931. Presbyterian Boys' Secondary School began at Odumase-Krobo in 1938 and moved to Legon in 1968. The University of Ghana, which started in 1948, stands on the Legon hill. Along the shore, Fort James and Osu Castle belong to a UNESCO World Heritage property. The region has 29 municipal and district assemblies, so the area you live in often decides which schools are close.
How the region came about: A separate region since 23 July 1982 (Greater Accra Region Law, PNDCL 26). Before that it was the Accra Capital District, legally part of the Eastern Region.
What makes Greater Accra Region proud
- The University of Ghana, founded in 1948, is at Legon in Accra.
- At 87.9 percent, Greater Accra had the highest literacy rate of any region in the 2021 census.
- Fort James and Osu Castle are part of a UNESCO World Heritage property.
- The fantasy coffin tradition began in Teshie in the 1950s.
- Achimota School calls itself the country's first government co-educational boarding institution.
Education pride in Greater Accra
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.
Long-established schools by founding year
- The University of Ghana was set up by ordinance on 11 August 1948 as the University College of the Gold Coast, with David Mowbray Balme as its first Principal. It became the University of Ghana by Act 79 on 1 October 1961.
- Achimota School describes itself as the country's first government co-educational boarding institution, founded in 1927.
Universities and colleges based here
- University of Ghana Legon, Accra, Public university, since 1948
- Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) Accra, Public management and public administration institute that awards degrees, since 1961
- University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) Accra, Public university, since 1965
Greater Accra in numbers
5,405 schools on the register, counted by level and owner, against the whole country.
Schools by level
- Basic schools3,207 · 59%
- Junior high schools1,244 · 23%
- Primary schools549 · 10%
- Senior high schools116 · 2%
- Kindergartens108 · 2%
- Vocational schools90 · 2%
- Nursing and midwifery training colleges24 · 0%
- Professional institutes13 · 0%
- Tertiary colleges11 · 0%
- Nurseries10 · 0%
- Universities10 · 0%
- Technical universities1 · 0%
Source: Ministry of Education school register, 2023/24. Basic schools combine KG, primary and JHS at one campus and are not split in the register.
Public and private
Ghana: 29.0% private. Share is of schools with a stated owner.
Literacy and learning
Literacy is our own calculation from the Census 2021 counts. Learning scores are older, and are labelled with the region as it was then.
Share of people aged 6 and over who can read and write, by region
Greater Accra is 87.9% against 69.8% for the 16 regions together. Highest: Greater Accra 87.9%. Lowest: Savannah 32.8%, and 9.0% of people aged 3 and over have never attended school.
Our calculation from Census 2021 counts (4,190,996 literate of 4,766,249 aged 6 and over in Greater Accra). Source: Ghana Statistical Service, 2021.
Learning figures, Greater Accra Region, before 2019
Source: Ministry of Education, Ghana Education Service, UNICEF and CDD-Ghana, 2013 to 2018. These describe the region with its boundaries before 2019, not today's.
Culture and heritage in Greater Accra Region
Festival months are the usual ones, and some move with the lunar calendar. Ask locally before you travel.
Festivals and their usual month
- HomowoGa people of Accra and nearby towns Homowo means to hoot at hunger and remembers a famine in Ga history. The towns celebrate on different dates, so the season runs for several weeks. The National Commission on Culture gives August or September.
- AsafotufiamiAda Traditional Area (Dangme) A war festival of the Ada people, held in the first week of August, with a pilgrimage to old battle sites and musket firing at the Volta riverside.
- Fantasy coffins, called abebuu adekai or proverb boxes, began in Teshie in the 1950s when the carpenter Seth Kane Kwei built a coffin in the shape of an aeroplane for his grandmother. Workshops in Teshie still make them.
- The National Commission on Culture lists pottery and fishing nets among Ga crafts, and the Kpanlogo dance among the region's best-loved performances.
Heritage sites
- UNESCOFort JamesJamestown, Accra Part of the UNESCO World Heritage property 'Forts and Castles, Volta, Greater Accra, Central and Western Regions', inscribed in 1979 and kept by the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board.
- UNESCOUssher FortUsshertown, Accra Also part of the same UNESCO World Heritage property.
- UNESCOOsu (Christiansborg) CastleOsu, Accra One of the three castles named in the UNESCO property.
- otherKwame Nkrumah Memorial ParkAccra A museum, library and park dedicated to Ghana's first president, run by a government agency.
The economy of Greater Accra Region in a line
Accra is the national capital and about 87 percent of the region's people live in towns. In the 2010 census, wholesale and retail trade and manufacturing were the largest industries, while farming and fishing mattered more in the Dangme districts of Ada.
Districts of Greater Accra Region
Every district, with its private share and senior high count. Schools with no district recorded are in the region total only.
| District | Schools | Private | Senior high |
|---|---|---|---|
| AMA | 699 | 39% | 28 |
| Ga South Municipal | 496 | 62% | 6 |
| Ga East Municipal | 338 | 73% | 10 |
| Ga West Municipal | 331 | 58% | 5 |
| Ga Central Municipal | 324 | 91% | 6 |
| Tema Metro | 321 | 44% | 9 |
| Adentan Municipal | 246 | 80% | 6 |
| Kpone Katamanso Municipal | 229 | 66% | 1 |
| Ningo-Prampram | 200 | 72% | 3 |
| Ashaiman Municipal | 175 | 71% | 0 |
| Tema West Municipal | 174 | 77% | 4 |
| Weija Gbawe Municipal | 145 | 83% | 1 |
| Ablekuma West Municipal | 123 | 90% | 1 |
| La Nkwantanang Madina Municipal | 118 | 21% | 3 |
| La Dade-Kotopon Municipal | 116 | 58% | 3 |
| Shai-Osudoku | 100 | 43% | 1 |
| Ledzokuku Municipal | 95 | 66% | 0 |
| Ada West | 91 | 45% | 1 |
| Ga North Municipal | 87 | 62% | 3 |
| Ada East | 83 | 46% | 2 |
| Ablekuma North Municipal | 75 | 83% | 0 |
| Okaikoi North Municipal | 67 | 60% | 1 |
| Krowor Municipal | 65 | 62% | 0 |
| Ablekuma Central Municipal | 64 | 69% | 2 |
| Korle Klottey Municipal | 48 | 40% | 2 |
| Ayawaso Central Municipal | 42 | 71% | 0 |
| Ayawaso East Municipal | 32 | 56% | 1 |
| Ayawaso West Municipal | 18 | 33% | 1 |
| Ayawaso North Municipal | 13 | 62% | 0 |
Cities and towns in Greater Accra Region
- Accra city
- Tema city
- Ashaiman56
- Tema New Town32
- Teshi Old Town31
- Ablekuma30
- Madina28
- Kwabenyan25
- Accra24
- Dome24
- Kaneshie24
- Sowutuom24
Senior high schools in Greater Accra Region
The first ten of 116. The full list, by district, has its own page.
| School | Level | Ownership | District |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accra Academy | Senior High | public | AMA |
| Accra Academy | Senior High | public | AMA |
| Accra Girls Senior High School | Senior High | not stated | not stated |
| Accra Girls Senior Highschool | Senior High | public | AMA |
| Accra High School | Senior High | public | not stated |
| Accra STEM Academy | Senior High | public | Ayawaso West Municipal |
| Accra Wealey Girl'a High School | Senior High | private | AMA |
| Accra Wesley Girls High | Senior High | public | AMA |
| Achimota Senior High School | Senior High | public | Okaikoi North Municipal |
| Ada Senior High School, Aplene Ayerha | Senior High | public | Ada East |
All 116 senior high schools in Greater Accra Region
Universities and colleges in Greater Accra Region
35 universities, technical universities, colleges of education and other tertiary institutions on the register carry a Greater Accra region. 24 nursing and midwifery training colleges are listed.
| School | Level | Ownership | District |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accra Institute of Technology (AIT) | Tertiary college | private | AMA |
| Accra Technical University | Technical university | public | AMA |
| Bluecrest College | Tertiary college | private | not stated |
| Central University | University | private | AMA |
| Conference of Heads of Assisted Senior High Schools | Professional | public | not stated |
| Credit Mall Limited | Professional | public | AMA |
| Data Link University College | University | private | Tema Metro |
| Delexes University College | Tertiary college | private | not stated |
| Ghana Christian University College | Tertiary college | private | not stated |
| Ghana Institute of Languages | Professional | public | AMA |
| Ghana National Association of Teachers | Professional | public | not stated |
| Ghana Technology University College (GTUC) | University | private | AMA |
Search universities in Greater Accra Region
Schools near me in Greater Accra Region
Looking for schools near you, or near Greater Accra Region? 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 meQuestions people ask about schools in Greater Accra Region
- How many schools are there in Greater Accra Region?
- 5,405 schools across 29 districts, which is 12.4% of every school in Ghana. 116 of them are senior high schools.
- Which district in Greater Accra Region has the most schools?
- AMA, with 699 schools.
- How do I find schools near me in Greater Accra Region?
- Open the schools near me page and allow your location, or choose your town. It lists the closest schools to you from the schools whose position we trust. Each district page in Greater Accra Region also lists its schools.
- What are the best schools in Greater Accra Region?
- Several long-established schools are in the region. Achimota School opened in 1927 and Accra Academy in 1931. Presbyterian Boys' Secondary School (PRESEC) began in 1938 and moved to Legon in 1968. These are facts about history, not a ranking. To compare schools by area, type and programme, use the SchoolRegistry directory.
- Which universities are in Greater Accra Region?
- The University of Ghana at Legon was founded in 1948. The Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) began in 1961, and the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) in 1965.
- What festival do the Ga people celebrate in Accra?
- The Ga celebrate Homowo, which means to hoot at hunger. It remembers a famine in Ga history and is usually held in August, though the National Commission on Culture gives August or September. Each Ga town marks it on its own dates.