How to verify school details before you rely on them

The short answer

Verify a school in layers. First match its identity, then check its current board or recognition status, and finally confirm changing details such as fees, admissions, transport and facilities directly with the school.

No single directory answers every question. A careful check records where each fact came from and when it was checked.

Step 1: confirm that you have the right school

• Match the full school name, including any branch or campus name.
• Compare the locality, district, state and PIN code.
• Match the UDISE code where available.
• Be cautious when two schools share a trust, brand or similar name.

Use the UDISE+ Know Your School portal to cross-check the annual identity record. Read our UDISE code guide if the identifiers do not match.

Step 2: check current board affiliation separately

If a school says it is CBSE affiliated, search the official CBSE SARAS directory. Match the school name, address, affiliation number, status and level. The directory also identifies closed or disaffiliated entries, so do not stop after finding a similar name.

For ICSE or ISC, check the official CISCE school locator. For a State Board, use that state board’s official current directory or contact channel. State systems differ, so there is no single national State Board lookup.

Step 3: separate annual facts from current facts

Enrolment, teacher totals and school characteristics in UDISE+ are reported for an academic year. They may be valuable for comparison, but they can lag behind today’s position.

Confirm these time-sensitive items directly:

• admission availability, eligibility and deadlines;
• the complete current fee schedule and refund terms;
• transport routes and charges;
• the actual campus used by the relevant grade;
• current subject options and examination-board level;
• facilities, safety certificates and support services.

Ask for documents or official written communication when the decision has a financial or admission consequence. A phone statement can be misunderstood.

Step 4: inspect the school’s own disclosures

CBSE’s affiliation framework requires affiliated schools to maintain a website with important information. Look for the school’s mandatory public disclosure, affiliation details, staff information, fee information and relevant certificates. Check whether documents identify the same campus and whether dates are current.

A polished website is not verification by itself. Prefer identifiable documents and confirm them against the board directory.

Step 5: keep a simple evidence sheet

What if the sources disagree?

1. Check whether the reporting years are different.
2. Confirm that the records refer to the same branch and campus.
3. Ask the school for the current identifier or official order.
4. Contact the relevant board or education authority for unresolved status questions.
5. If WikiSchools is wrong, send the evidence through our correction form.

Do not interpret an unresolved mismatch in either direction. Mark it as unverified until an authoritative source settles it.