Do Expensive Schools Really Get Better WAEC Results?

When fees go up, many parents feel guilty. "If I can't afford the expensive school, is my child missing out?" Let's look at what the numbers actually say.

How expensive can it get?

Very. In February 2026, Nairametrics listed Nigeria's most expensive secondary schools. British International School, Victoria Island, cost about ₦6.1 million a year. Rugby School Nigeria cost about ₦21.3 million a term.

Let's put that in plain terms. By our sum, one term at Rugby School Nigeria equals about 304 months of minimum wage. That's over 25 years of a minimum-wage worker's pay, for a single term.

Most families will never pay anything close to that, and that's fine. The real question is whether paying more buys better results.

Price and results don't always go together

Here's an older finding that surprised a lot of people. Government data on WAEC results from 2016 to 2018, reported in 2019, showed that in Osun State in 2016, 45.5% of public school candidates got five credits, compared with 18.5% from private schools.

Be careful with that one. It's old, and in some states only a small number of private school candidates sat the exam, which can twist the numbers. It doesn't prove public schools are better. What it does show is that a private school isn't automatically a good school.

Some of Nigeria's most famous schools aren't expensive international schools at all. Schools like Government College Ibadan and Rumfa College in Kano are long-established public schools, and Igbobi College in Lagos is a mission school.

Use the national result as your yardstick

In the 2026 WASSCE, 61.54% of candidates got five credits including English and Maths. By our sum, in a class of 30, that's about 18 students.

So when a school tells you its results are "good", ask for its own number and compare it with that 61.54%. Is the school doing better or worse than the country as a whole?

Fees keep climbing

This September, Vanguard found many private schools had raised fees by 30 to 40%. One school in Ipaja, Lagos, went from ₦86,000 to ₦124,000 a term. By our sum, that's a 44% rise in one go.

The National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN) asked schools to keep increases under 20%. That Ipaja rise was more than double that. NAPTAN's chairman also had some honest advice for parents.

"Private schools have levels; you don't have to put your children in the very expensive ones" Chief Deolu Ogunbanjo, NAPTAN, September 2026

How to judge any school, at any price

1. Ask for the real WAEC number. "What percentage of your students got five credits including English and Maths last year?" Compare it with 61.54%.
2. Look at the teaching, not the buildings. Visit on a normal school day if you can. Are teachers in class? Are students working?
3. Ask how many students are in a class. Smaller classes can mean more attention, but only if the teaching is good.
4. Talk to other parents. Ask parents whose children are already there what they really think.
5. Consider public and mission schools too. Some have strong records and lower fees.

The most expensive school isn't always the best one for your child. The best school is one where your child is taught well and you can afford to keep them there.

And whichever school your child attends, you can add extra support. On Scholarleveling, children join live classes with teachers on any phone, and parents get a code to see how they're doing every week.

Read next: how to cut school costs without hurting learning, or how to tell if a school is overcharging for WAEC and NECO.