By Damian Avevor
Twelve Catholic Schools in Ghana have been listed among 25 best Schools that recorded highest percentages of students who obtained grades from A1 to C6 in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) from all Second Cycle institutions in Ghana over a five year period (2011-2015).
The first three Schools with the best performance was three Catholic Schools namely St. James Seminary Senior High School at Sunyani first; St. Francis Xavier Junior Seminary in the Wa Diocese, second and Opoku Ware Senior High School in the Kumasi Archdiocese, third.
Statistical data available to AB Review and published on Africa Schools online, on April 5, 2016, stated that with an average percentage pass of 99.22 percent, St. James School recorded its highest performance in 2011 with all 203 students obtaining grades from A1 to C6 – achieving a 100 percent pass rate.
Despite a substantial increase in students presented to sit the WASSCE, the School has scored between 98.35 percent in 2013 and 99.60 percent in 2012 over the last four years.
Usually, the most likely Ghanaian Senior High School that comes to mind anytime top academic performers are mentioned is Wesley Girl’s High School, but accumulative performance data from 2011 till date shows “Wey Gey Hey” may be strong academic performers but they are not the best High School in Ghana.
No other School that St. James Seminary, a less known Catholic School has been the most consistent WASSCE performers since 2011.
St. Francis Xavier Junior Seminary at Wa, was rated second with an average pass of 94.19 percent. Noted for their prowess in the National Science and Math Quiz, Xavier Boys have scored above 90 percent for all the five years considered except for 2014, when they scored 88.52 percent.
Only forty six students were presented in the last WASSCE with forty two of them scoring A1-C6 in all subjects and qualifying for University education.
Opoku Ware Senior High School, which is leading the Ashanti Regional pack of Schools, came third with an Average pass of 92.52 percent. What is incredible about their impressive performance over the years is the large number of students the school presents each year.
In 2011, 507 out of 509 qualified for Tertiary education and 667 students out of 774, representing 87.34 percent who obtained A1 – C6 in 2015.
St. Augustine’s College at Cape Coast is the fourth Catholic School which was rated sixth with an average percentage pass of 88.54 percent. AUGUSCO as it is affectionately called scored above the 90 percent pass mark from 2011 to 2013 but has seen a dip in performance in the last two years, scoring 78.20 percent in 2014 and 74.95 percent in 2015.
Holy Child School also at Cape Coast is the fifth Catholic School which was rated seventh, scoring an Average percentage pass of 88.48 percent. They posted their best performances in 2011 and 2012 where they achieved 93.24 percent and 98.11percent passes respectively.
St. Peter’s Senior High School at Nwatia-Kwahu in the Koforidua Diocese is the sixth Catholic School which closely follows HOLICO in the eighth position with an average percentage pass of 87.45 percent.
PERSCO, had their best performance in 2012 when they posted a 96.98 percent pass rate. They suffered their worst performance last year with a 70.25 percent pass rate (only 281 students out of the 400 students presented for the WASSCE exams scored between A1 – C6 in 6 subjects.)
The seventh Catholic School, St. Louis Senior High School in the Kumasi Archdiocese came eleventh rating with an average percentage pass of 84.97 percent. As a leading the Girls’ School in the Ashanti Region, St. Louis posted their best performance in 2012 with a 93.88 percent pass rate.
St. Roses Senior High School at Akwatia in the Koforidua Diocese is the eighth Catholic School which placed 13th in the rating with an Average percentage pass of 83.32 percent.
Placing second overall in the Eastern Region, behind their brother School PERSCO, St. Roses obtained its best performance with a 97.85 percent pass rate in 2012 but under performed in 2015 with a 52.90 percent pass rate
Pope John Senior High School and Junior Seminary at Koforidua, the ninth Catholic School, makes the list as the 14th consistent School with an average percentage pass of 83.31 percent.
St. Hubert Seminary Senior High School, in the Kumasi Archdiocese is the 10th Catholic School which had an average percentage pass of 81.90 percent in the 16th position of rating. It recorded a high pass rate in 2011 with 98.92 percent passes.
The 11th Catholic School is Notre Dame Seminary Senior High School at Navrongo takes the 17th position with an average percentage pass of 81.29 percent.
As a Catholic School in Upper East Region, it has showed strong academic performance as they made some good results in 2012 with 97.92 percent pass rate. In 2015 the school obtained 69.57 percentage pass, the least the school has recorded over the period.
The 12th Catholic School, Archbishop Porter Girls’ Senior High School at Takoradi came 18th with an average percentage pass of 79.04 percent, recording its highest performance in 2011 with 98.32 percent and its lowest pass rate of 53.83 percent in 2015.
Non Catholic Schools who were rated among the 25 top Schools in Ghana were Wesley girls at Cape Coast and Adisadel College, Cape Coast, 4th and 5th positions; Prempeh College in Kumasi, 9th; Sunyani Senior High School, 10th; Mfantsipim, Cape Coast, 12th; Presby Boys, Accra, 15th position.
The rest are Koforidua Senior High/Technical, 19th position; Ghana Senior High School, 20th; Accra Academy, 21st; Aburi Girls, 22nd ; Akosombo International School, 23rd ; Seven Great Princess Senior High School, Accra, 24th and Ghana Labone Islamic Senior High School, 25th position.
