This article lists Category A Senior High Schools (SHS) in the Greater Accra Region. We have also published the list of category A Senior High Schools in the Ashanti region while the list here is also the top 50 senior high schools in Ghana in 2023.
Students who are considering attending a Senior High School in Ghana would want to attend one of the most prestigious Senior High Schools in Ghana. It is not uncommon for parents to do their research on potential schools for their children prior to the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) every year in order to find the right school for their children.
The Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) and the Ghana Education Service (GES) use a variety of factors to rank Senior High Schools in Ghana based on their academic performance at WASSCE, School achievement, Infrastructure, and facilities, all of which are key ranking factors.
Our aim today is to share with you the names of senior high schools in the Greater Accra Region. These schools have defied all odds to register their names as category A schools.
When it comes to Senior High School education in Ghana, the Greater Accra Region is also home to excellent schools that provide quality educational opportunities for students. However, unfortunately, out of the many senior high schools in the Region, only seven have been designated as “Category A schools.”
List of Category A SHS in the Greater Accra Region
The table below lists category A schools in the Ashanti Region. Also, we have added the locations of these schools. After the table, there is also a detailed description of each school.
It should be noted that the arrangement of schools here is not in any particular order. We are just presenting them as they were written.
| SCHOOL | LOCATION |
|---|---|
| Accra Academy | Bubuashie, near Kaneshie |
| Accra Girls Senior High School | North Ridge, Accra |
| Achimota School | Achimota, Accra |
| St. Mary’s Senior High School | Korle Gonno |
| Thomas Aquinas Senior High School | Cantonments, Accra |
| Presbyterian Boys’ Secondary School (PRESEC) | Legon, Accra |
| Tema Senior High School | Tema |
Detailed list of category A SHS in the Greater Accra region
This section is meant to guide students or parents looking for category ‘A’ schools in the Greater Accra Region for their wards.
The following are category ‘A’ schools in the Greater Accra Region.
Accra Academy
The Accra Academy was the first private academy established on the Gold Coast, present-day Ghana. The academy is one of the foremost secondary educational institutions in Ghana. It operates as a non-denominational day and boarding boys’ school located at Bubuashie, near Kaneshie, in the Greater Accra Region.
Moreover, Accra academy runs courses in business, science, general arts, general agriculture, and visual arts, leading to the award of a West African Senior School Certificate.
The school has also produced notable personalities such as Madam Betty Mould-Iddrisu, Rt. Hon. Edward Doe Adjaho and Asamoah Gyan.
Motto: Esse Quam Videri
Founded: 20th July 1931
Accra Girls Senior High School
Accra Girls’ Senior High School, commonly known as AGISS, is an all-female second-cycle institution in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana.
Also, the school operates as a non-denominational day and boarding school. The school runs business courses, general science, general arts, home economics, and visual arts, leading to the award of a West African Senior High School Certificate (WASSCE).
Motto: Aim high
Founded: 30th September 1960
Achimota School
Achimota School is a co-educational boarding school located at Achimota in Accra, Greater Accra, Ghana. The school was founded in 1924 by Sir Frederick Gordon Guggisberg, Dr James Emman Kwegyir Aggrey, and the Rev. Alec Garden Fraser. It was formally opened in 1927 by Sir Frederick Guggisberg, then Governor of the British Gold Coast colony. Achimota school, modelled on the British public school system, was the first mixed-gender school established on the Gold Coast.
The school has educated many African leaders, including Kwame Nkrumah, Edward Akufo-Addo, Jerry John Rawlings, and John Evans Atta Mills, past Heads of State of Ghana. Former President of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, had his primary education there, while former Prime Minister of Ghana, Kofi Abrefa Busia, also taught at Achimota.
Motto: Ut Omnes Unum Sint
(That they all may be one)
Founded: January 28th, 1927
St. Mary’s Senior High School
St Mary’s Senior High School is an all-female second-cycle institution in Korle Gonno in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana.
St. Mary’s Senior High School was established on February 6th, 1950, by the Catholic missionary sisters known as Sister Servants of the Holy Spirit (SSPS). The school started with ten girls and a staff of two (2) Reverend sisters: the late Reverend Sisters Jane and Rosette.
The school boasts of high-profile people such as Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, Jean Adukwei Mensa and musician MzVee.
Motto: Truth and Virtue
Thomas Aquinas Senior High School
St. Thomas Aquinas Senior High School is a Ghanaian public day senior high school for boys in the Osu district of Accra in the Greater Accra Region. The school is currently located in Cantonments, a suburb of Accra.
It was established mainly to provide education for boys in the Accra Archdiocese. The school was founded because parents could not afford the high costs of sending their male children to boarding schools. It was among five secondary schools established in 1952.
The school has produced numerous politicians, religious leaders and entertainment pundits. Professor Nii Ashie Kotey, Hon. Benjamin Ayiku Narteh and DJ Vyrusky of Lynx Entertainment are products of St. Thomas Aquinas Senior High School.
Motto: Veritas Liberat
(The truth shall set you free)
Presbyterian Boys’ Secondary School (PRESEC)
Presbyterian Boys’ Secondary School (PRESEC) is a prestigious secondary boarding school for male students in Legon, Accra, Ghana. It is a category A SHS in the Greater Accra region and was founded in 1938 under the auspices of the Presbyterian Church of the Gold Coast.
The Basel missionary Nicholas Timothy Clerk (1862–1961), who served as the first Synod Clerk of the Presbyterian Church of the Gold Coast from 1918 to 1932, used his tenure to advocate for the establishment of the secondary school.
The school has produced notable people such as Lt. Gen. F. W. K. Akuffo, Eugene Arhin, Kwesi Botchwey, Kwaku Sintim-Misa and many more.
Motto: In Lumine Tuo Videbimus Lumen
Tema Senior High School
Tema Senior High School was opened on Friday, September 22nd, 1961, with an initial intake of 52 students. The number increased to 105 at the end of the month.
There were 3 Form 1 streams [A, B, and C]. These continued to Sixth Form Level and turned out the first batch of graduates in 1968.
The subjects offered at Advanced Level were: English, Economics, Geography, History, and Logic for the Arts and Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Pure and Applied Mathematics for the Sciences.
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Wrap-Up of Category A SHS in the Greater Accra Region
Students who attend a Category A school can receive a more well-rounded education and prepare for tertiary-level studies. If you do well at the BECE, you’ll get into a Category A school in the Greater Accra region.
Category A schools are typically located in larger cities and have better access to resources than smaller schools in rural areas. They often have better facilities and infrastructures and more extracurricular activities.
