Oldest Secondary Schools In Nigeria By Geopolitical Zones

Bolarinwa Olajire Last Updated: June 9, 2024

In every sector, there are the “first to come” i.e. the pacesetter. And these pacesetters are what the majority term as the oldest.

In this article, I will be looking at the education sector – oldest secondary schools in Nigeria. The schools with be grouped according to the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria (North East, North West, North Central, South East, South West, South South).

North West (Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kaduna, Kebbi, Zamfara and Sokoto states)

North East (Gombe, Bauchi, Yobe, Borno, Adamawa and Taraba states)

North Central (Niger, Benue, Nassarawa, Plateau, Kogi and Kwara states)

South South (Akwa-Ibom, Cross-River, Bayelsa, Rivers, Delta and Edo states)

South East (Abia, Imo, Ebonyi, Enugu and Anambara states)

South West (Ekiti, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Ogun and Lagos)

Before I give the list of oldest secondary schools, I would like to let you know – what is a secondary school? It is a school that you proceed to after you have completed your primary education i.e. post primary education.

The list below includes the year the schools were founded.

South East

St. Paul’s College, Iyenu, Awka (1900)
Methodist College, Uzuakoli, Abia (1923)-
Methodist
Ibo Boys’ High School, Uzuakoli, Abia (1923) –
CMS
Dennis Memorial Grammar School, Onitsha, Anambra
(1925)
Government College, Umuahia, Abia (1927)
St. Charles College, Onitsha (1929)
Aggrey Memorial College, Arochukwu (1931)
Holy Rosary College, Enugu (1935) – Catholic
Government Secondary School, Owerri (1935)
Queen of the Rosary College, Onitsha (1942)

South West

CMS Grammar School, Bariga, Lagos (1859)
Methodist Boys High School, Victoria Island, Lagos (1878)
Methodist Girls High School, Yaba, Lagos (1879)
Baptist Academy, Obanikoro, Lagos (1885)
St. Anne’s School, (Old Kudeti Girls’ School) Ibadan (1896)
Wesley College of Science (old Wesley College), Elekuro, Ibadan (1905)
Abeokuta Grammar School, Idi-Aba, Abeokuta (1908)
King’s College, Catholic Mission street, Lagos (1909)
Ijebu-Ode Grammar School, Ijebu-Ode (12 Jan. 1913)
Eko Boys High School, Mushin, Lagos (13 Jan. 1913)
Ibadan Grammar School, Molete, Ibadan (Mar. 1913)
Government Secondary School, Ilorin, Kwara (1914)
Ondo Boys High School, Ondo (1919)
Baptist Boys High School, Oke-Saje, Abeokuta (1923)
Queens College, Yaba, lagos (1927)
Government College, Apata, Ibadan (1927)
United Memorial Grammar School, Ibadan (1928)
St. Gregory College, Ikoyi, Lagos (1928)
Igbobi College, Yaba, Lagos (1932)
St’ Theresa College, Oke-Ado, Ibadan (1932)
Oduduwa Grammar School, Ile-Ife (1932)
Christ’s School, Fajuyi Park, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti (1933)
Ilesha Grammar School, Ilesha, Osun (1934)
Ibadan Boys High School, Ibadan (1938) – Individual
Baptist High School, Bodija, Ibadan (1940)
African Church School, Kajola, Ifo (1943)
Lisabi Grammar School, Abeokuta (1943)
Olivet Heights, Oyo (1945)
Adeola Odutola College (old Olu-Iwa College), Ijebu-Ode (1945)
Anglican Girls’ Grammar School, Lagos (1945)
Remo Secondary School, Sagamu (1946)
Ansar –Ud – Deen Comprehensive College, Otta (1946)
Imade College, Owoh (1946)
Victory College, Ikare, Ondo (1947)
Ahmaddiya (Anwar-ul-Islam) College, Agege, Lagos (1948)
Molusi College, Ijebu-Igbo (1949)
riwu College, Ikorodu (1949)
Ago-Iwoye Secondary School, Ago-Iwoye (1950)
Ijebu Muslim College (1950)
Our Ladies of Apostle Secondary School, Yaba, Lagos (1950)
Egbado (Yewa) College, Ilaro (1950)
St. Thomas’s Aquinas College, Akure (1951)
Queen’s School, Ibadan (1952)
Oyemekun Grammar School, Akure (1953)
Loyola College, Ibadan (1954)
St. Bernadine’s, Oyo (1954)
Our Ladies of Apostle Secondary School, Ijebu-Ode (1954)
St. Anthony’s Grammar School, Ijebu-Imushin (1954)
Manuwa Memorial Grammar School, Iju-Odo ( 1954)
Fiditi Grammar School, Fiditi, Oyo (1954)
St. Louis Secondary School, Ondo (1954)
Gboluji Grammar School, Ile-Oluji, Ondo (1954)
Badagry Grammar School, Badagry (1955)
African Church Grammar School, Abeokuta (1955)
Ibara Anglican High School, Abeokuta (1955)
Doherty Memorial Grammar School, Ijero- Ekiti (1955)
St. Monica Girls’ School, Ondo (1955)
St. Catherine’s Anglican Girls School, Owo (1956)
St Joseph’s College, Ondo (1956)
Methodist High School, Okiti Pupa (1956)
Mayflower School, Ikenne (1956)
Isonyin Grammar School, Isonyin (1956)
Ebenezer Grammar School, Abeokuta (1956)
St. Joseph College, Ondo (1956)
Odogbolu Grammar School, Odogbolu (1957)

Read: Problems and solutions to secondary education in Nigeria

South South

Hope Waddell Training Institute, Calabar (1895)
Oron Boy’s High School, Oron (1897)
Methodist Boy’s High School, Oron (1905)
Etinan Institute, Etinan, Akwa-Ibom (1915)
St. Thomas College, Ibusa (1928)
St. Patrick’s College, Calabar (1934)
Edo College, Benin City (1937)
Archdeacon Crowther Memorial Girls School, Elelenwo (ACMGS) (1943)
Government College, Ughelli (1945)
Urhobo College, Effurun (1946)
Hussey College, Warri (1947)

North Central

St. John’s School, Bida (1909)
Government Secondary School, Ilorin, Kwara (1914)
Government College, Katsina-Ala, Benue (1915)
Offa Grammar School, Offa (1943)
Government College, Makurdi (1957)
Holy Rosary College, Idah (1957)

North East

General Murtala College, Yola, Founded 1920

North West

Alhuda-Huda College (OldGovernment Secondary School), Zaria (1910)
Government College, Kaduna (1920)
Government College, Keffi (1949)

Overall, CMS Grammar School, Bariga, Lagos (1859) is the oldest secondary school in Nigeria i.e. it is the first secondary school that was founded on the soil.