Ghana’s secondary education system has a history stretching back more than a century, with several senior high schools established during the colonial period and continuing to play a major role in the country’s educational development.
From missionary-founded institutions in Cape Coast to early technical and privately established schools in Accra, these institutions have produced generations of students and contributed significantly to Ghana’s educational heritage.
Here are 10 of the country’s oldest senior high schools, based on their documented establishment dates.
- Mfantsipim School
Mfantsipim School was established on April 3, 1876, by the Methodist Church in Cape Coast.
The institution started as the Wesleyan High School with an initial enrolment of 17 students. It subsequently underwent several changes before adopting the name Mfantsipim School.
It is widely recognised as Ghana’s first secondary school.
- Wesley Girls’ High School
Wesley Girls’ High School in Cape Coast has its roots in 1836, when Mrs Harriet Wrigley established a school for girls.
Its secondary section was later introduced in 1884 by Rev. W.M. Cannell, who was then headmaster of Mfantsipim School. The section began with 20 girls.
For many years, the primary and secondary sections operated together before the secondary division was eventually relocated to its current site.
- Ghana Secondary Technical School
Ghana Secondary Technical School (GSTS) was founded on August 9, 1909, in Accra as the Accra Technical School.
The institution was initially established to provide three-year training in woodwork and metalwork, preparing skilled artisans to support the infrastructure needs of the Gold Coast.
In 1939, the school was transferred to Takoradi. It later became known as Government Secondary Technical School before eventually adopting the name Ghana Secondary Technical School.
- Adisadel College
Adisadel College was established on January 4, 1910, in Cape Coast by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel.
The institution initially operated as the S.P.G. Grammar School and was later known as St Nicholas’ Grammar School before becoming Adisadel College.
The school regards itself as the second-oldest secondary school in Ghana, following Mfantsipim.
- Accra High School
Accra High School was founded on August 17, 1923, by Rev. James Thomas Roberts.
It started at Aayalolo in Accra with only eight students and has since grown into one of the country’s historic secondary institutions.
The Accra Metropolitan Assembly recognises it as the oldest secondary school in the Greater Accra Region.
- O’Reilly Senior High School
O’Reilly Senior High School was established in August 1925 by Rev. Ezekiel Festus O’Reilly, a Sierra Leonean Anglican priest.
The institution began as the O’Reilly Educational Institute at Korle Wokon in Accra and officially opened its doors on August 1, 1925.
Over the years, the school has evolved into one of the established secondary institutions in the capital.
- Achimota School
Achimota School was founded in 1927 under the name Prince of Wales College and School.
Its development was closely associated with Governor Sir Frederick Gordon Guggisberg, Rev. Alec Garden Fraser and Dr James Kwegyir Aggrey.
The institution became the Gold Coast’s first mixed-gender secondary boarding school and has maintained an important place in Ghana’s educational history.
- Krobo Girls’ Senior High School
Krobo Girls’ Senior High School traces its establishment to March 1927, when it was founded by Scottish missionaries.
The institution initially operated as a girls’ middle school, with a teacher-training college later added to it.
In 1973, the teacher-training college was converted into a girls’ secondary school. Despite the subsequent changes to its educational structure, 1927 remains its documented founding year.
- St. Augustine’s College
St. Augustine’s College was founded in 1930 at Amissano, near Elmina, as a Catholic educational institution.
The school was later relocated to Cape Coast, where it developed into one of Ghana’s notable boys’ secondary schools.
The college’s official history identifies 1930 as its year of establishment.
- Accra Academy
Accra Academy was founded on July 20, 1931, by Kofi George Konuah, Samuel Neils Awuletey, Gottfried Narku Alema and James Akwei Halm-Addo.
The school began at Ellen House in James Town with 19 students before becoming a government-assisted institution in 1950.
It remains one of Ghana’s oldest privately founded secondary schools.
A lasting legacy
The histories of these institutions reflect the different forces that shaped secondary education in Ghana.
Mfantsipim and Wesley Girls’ were established through Methodist efforts, while Adisadel College emerged under Anglican influence. GSTS was created partly to address the Gold Coast’s need for technical and vocational skills, while institutions such as Accra High School, O’Reilly and Accra Academy developed through private educational initiatives.
Achimota School and Krobo Girls’ also have distinctive histories that have contributed to Ghana’s educational development.
From Mfantsipim’s establishment in 1876 to Accra Academy’s founding in 1931, the schools collectively represent more than five decades of the evolution of secondary education in Ghana.
By: Prince Martey-Sogar.