Which State Has the Highest Number of CBSE Schools?

When it comes to school education in India, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is one of the most widely followed boards. With over 25,000 affiliated schools across the country and even abroad, CBSE’s reach is massive. But if you’re asking which state has the highest number of CBSE schools, the answer isn’t what most people assume. It’s not Maharashtra, not Uttar Pradesh, and not Tamil Nadu. It’s Delhi.

Why Delhi Leads in CBSE School Count

Delhi, despite being a union territory and not a state, operates like a state in terms of education administration. It has more than 1,800 CBSE-affiliated schools - more than any actual state in India. That’s roughly 7% of all CBSE schools in the country. Why? Because Delhi is the national capital. It’s home to central government offices, defense establishments, and a huge population of central government employees. These families prefer CBSE because it’s a national board, and their children can easily transfer schools if they move to another city for work.

Plus, Delhi has a dense network of private schools that choose CBSE over state boards because of its standardized curriculum and national recognition. Many of these schools are run by trusts linked to the central government or defense services. The board’s focus on science, math, and English also makes it attractive to urban families aiming for competitive exams like JEE and NEET.

How CBSE School Numbers Compare Across States

After Delhi, the next highest numbers come from actual states. Here’s a rough breakdown based on the latest CBSE affiliation data from 2025:

Uttar Pradesh, with its huge population and growing middle class, has seen a surge in private CBSE schools over the last decade. Cities like Lucknow, Noida, and Ghaziabad now have dozens of new CBSE-affiliated institutions every year. Maharashtra follows closely, especially in Mumbai, Pune, and Nagpur, where parents value CBSE’s exam pattern and alignment with engineering and medical entrance tests.

Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are interesting cases. Both have strong state boards - Kannada and Tamil respectively - yet they still host a large number of CBSE schools. This is because of the high demand from non-resident Indians (NRIs) and expatriate families working in tech hubs like Bengaluru and Chennai. Many international schools in these cities also choose CBSE as an alternative to ICSE or IB.

Why CBSE Is Preferred Over State Boards

CBSE’s dominance isn’t just about numbers - it’s about perception. Parents choose CBSE because:

• It’s the board used in most Kendriya Vidyalayas (KV) and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNV), which are government-run and highly respected.
• The syllabus is uniform across the country, making transfers easier for families who move due to job changes.
• CBSE exams are considered slightly easier than state boards, especially in Class 10, which helps students build confidence before Class 12.
• It aligns directly with national competitive exams like JEE Main, NEET, and NDA, which are designed around CBSE content.
• Many coaching centers and study materials are built around CBSE patterns, making it easier for students to access resources.

State boards, on the other hand, often focus more on regional languages and local history. While that’s valuable, it doesn’t always serve families who plan for national-level mobility or higher education outside their home state.

What About Rural Areas?

It’s important to note that most CBSE schools are in urban or semi-urban areas. Rural India still relies heavily on state boards or government-run schools following the NCERT curriculum without formal CBSE affiliation. CBSE schools require infrastructure - labs, libraries, trained teachers, and digital resources - that many rural areas lack.

So while Delhi, UP, and Maharashtra have thousands of CBSE schools, states like Bihar, Jharkhand, and Odisha have fewer than 500 each. The gap isn’t just about population - it’s about economic investment in education infrastructure.

How CBSE Affiliation Works

Not every school that teaches CBSE syllabus is officially affiliated. Only schools that apply, meet infrastructure standards, and pass an inspection by CBSE are granted affiliation. The process takes 6-12 months and costs between ₹50,000 and ₹2 lakh, depending on the school’s size and location.

CBSE also requires schools to have:

• A minimum of 3 classrooms for Classes I-V, and separate labs for science and computer science
• At least one qualified teacher per subject
• A library with 500+ books
• A website with student performance data

These standards explain why affiliation grows faster in wealthier regions. A school in a small town in Rajasthan might struggle to meet these requirements, while a school in Gurgaon can easily afford them.

What’s Changing in 2026?

The CBSE board has recently started encouraging schools in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities to apply for affiliation through simplified processes and reduced fees. In 2025, over 300 new schools in states like Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Andhra Pradesh joined the board.

Also, the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 pushed for more uniformity in school education, which indirectly benefits CBSE. As more states adopt the CBSE curriculum for government schools, the gap between urban and rural affiliation numbers may shrink over time.

Still, for now, Delhi remains the undisputed leader - not because of size, but because of its role as the nation’s educational and administrative hub.