India has 33 Sainik Schools run by the Sainik Schools Society under the Ministry of Defence, in 24 states and union territories. The list below follows the Society’s own list of existing schools, with the state of each school from the AISSEE-2026 bulletin and a link to its website. Alongside them sit three other kinds of institution that people often call military schools: the approved New Sainik Schools in partnership mode, the five Rashtriya Military Schools and the Rashtriya Indian Military College. They are separate, and this page tells them apart.
All 33 Sainik Schools in India, by state
Uttar Pradesh has three Sainik Schools. Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha and Rajasthan have two each, and the other sixteen states and union territories in the table have one each. Sainik Schools are English-medium residential schools affiliated to CBSE, and the Society’s counselling procedure says all of the existing schools cater for the Science stream only.
We checked each website on 12 October 2026. For Bhubaneswar, Chittorgarh and Sambalpur, the addresses on the Society’s list were serving unrelated pages, and for Kazhakootam the listed address did not respond, so those four rows use the addresses printed in the AISSEE-2026 bulletin. If a link ever stops working, start from the Society’s page and the NTA bulletin and do not trust a search result for a school’s name.
Military school in my state: a quick finder
People search for a military school in their own state, and the answer depends on what they mean. This table shows the Sainik Schools of a few states that families often ask about, and the other institutions in or near them.
| State | Sainik Schools (existing) | Other military schooling in the state |
|---|---|---|
| Rajasthan | Chittorgarh, Jhunjhunu | Rashtriya Military Schools at Ajmer and Dholpur |
| Himachal Pradesh | Sujanpur Tira | Rashtriya Military School, Chail |
| Maharashtra | Chandrapur, Satara | Approved New Sainik Schools in partnership mode, listed in the bulletin |
| Gujarat | Balachadi | Approved New Sainik Schools in partnership mode, listed in the bulletin |
| Uttarakhand | Ghorakhal, in Nainital district | Rashtriya Indian Military College, Dehradun |
| Karnataka | Bijapur, Kodagu | Rashtriya Military Schools at Bengaluru and Belgaum |
Uttarakhand’s only existing Sainik School is at Ghorakhal, near Nainital, and it is not in Dehradun. Our page on Sainik School in Dehradun and Uttarakhand explains this and the options near Dehradun.
Why the state of the school matters to your child
For the 33 Sainik Schools, 67 per cent of the seats go to candidates domiciled in the state or union territory where the school stands, and 33 per cent to candidates from other states. A child is home state for the school in his or her own state of domicile and outside state for every other school. So a family should look first at the schools in its own state, where the larger quota applies, and then at others, where competition is for the smaller quota and no single state can take more than a quarter of it. Our guide to AISSEE eligibility and age limit explains the rule.
The approved New Sainik Schools in partnership mode
These are schools run by NGOs, private bodies and state governments that have been approved under a scheme of the Ministry of Defence, and they follow the Society’s rules for the Sainik School stream while keeping their own board and fee structure. The Society’s page describes the scheme as an initiative to set up 100 new Sainik Schools. In the AISSEE-2026 bulletin, 69 of them admit to Class 6 through the exam, and 19 admit to Class 9, which are the ones that have progressed to that class.
We do not reproduce those names here, because the list is long, changes as schools are approved and open, and carries postal addresses and websites in Appendix I-B of the bulletin. Use the bulletin’s list. Our guide to new Sainik Schools in partnership mode explains the three numbers people quote: the 100-school scheme, the 69 schools in the 2026 exam for Class 6 and the 19 that admit to Class 9.
Rashtriya Military Schools and RIMC are different
| Institution | Where | Entry |
|---|---|---|
| Rashtriya Military Schools | Ajmer, Bengaluru, Belgaum, Chail and Dholpur | Class 6 and Class 9 through the Rashtriya Military Schools common entrance test; NTA’s calendar tentatively lists the next one for 13 December 2026 |
| Rashtriya Indian Military College | Garhi Cantt, Dehradun | Class 8 only, through the RIMC entrance examination, a viva and a medical |
| Sainik Schools | The 33 schools above | Class 6 and Class 9 through the AISSEE, e-counselling and a medical; no interview |
The Rashtriya Military Schools’ own website asks families to check the latest notification and to contact the schools directly for admission, vacancy and eligibility details, so we do not quote their age or gender rules here. A family choosing among the three should read each body’s current notice.
How to check whether a school is a real Sainik School
- Look for the school on the Society’s list of existing schools or in Appendix I-A of the bulletin. Those are the 33.
- For a partnership school, look for it in Appendix I-B of the bulletin, which lists the approved New Sainik Schools.
- A school that uses the word Sainik in its name, but appears in neither list, is not one of these. Ask it plainly what its status is.
- Apply only through the NTA portal. The bulletin cautions families against touts and agents who promise admission, and states that neither NTA nor the Society has authorised any such help.
Free counselling is available from GS India Defence Academy by phone or WhatsApp on +91 70170 31757 if you would like to talk through which route suits your child. We teach in a classroom in Dehradun and do not offer online classes.
Sainik Schools in India: common questions
FAQs
Questions parents ask us.
Can't find yours? Ask on WhatsApp; a counsellor usually replies within working hours.
Ask on WhatsAppHow many Sainik Schools are there in India?
There are 33 Sainik Schools run by the Sainik Schools Society, according to the Society's list and the AISSEE-2026 bulletin. The approved New Sainik Schools in partnership mode are additional, and the bulletin lists 69 of them for Class 6 admission in 2026-27.
Which states have the most Sainik Schools?
Uttar Pradesh has three. Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha and Rajasthan have two each.
Is there a Sainik School in Uttarakhand?
Yes, one: Sainik School Ghorakhal, near Nainital. There is none in Dehradun.
Are Rashtriya Military Schools the same as Sainik Schools?
No. They are a different set of schools with their own common entrance test. There are five of them, at Ajmer, Bengaluru, Belgaum, Chail and Dholpur.
Is RIMC a Sainik School?
No. The Rashtriya Indian Military College in Dehradun admits to Class 8 only, through its own entrance examination, viva and medical.
Do Sainik Schools admit girls?
The 2026 bulletin says admission for girls is open in Class 6, and open in Class 9 subject to availability of vacancies, with the same age criteria as boys.
Where do I apply for Sainik School admission?
Apply online through the NTA portal for the AISSEE, then register for e-counselling on the portal that the Society links from its website.
Sources
- Sainik Schools Society, existing schools
- Sainik Schools Society, new schools in partnership mode
- NTA, AISSEE-2026 information bulletin (PDF)
- Sainik Schools Society, AISSAC 2026 standard operating procedure (PDF)
- Rashtriya Military Schools, official website
- RIMC, admission procedure
- NTA, public notice of 16 September 2026 with the examination calendar up to March 2027 (PDF)
Once you have a list of schools, read about Sainik School coaching in Dehradun for the preparation, and the page on Sainik School fees and seats for each school’s fee page. The fee structure lists our own coaching fees.
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