Kaduna’s Schools Are Improving, but Few Are Reaching the Highest Standards

At TEP Centre, our work on the Partnership for Learning for All in Nigeria, PLANE, is rooted in strengthening how education systems function, from classrooms to state-level decision-making. PLANE is a multi-year programme supported by the UK Government that works with federal and state actors to improve foundational learning, strengthen governance, and embed the use of data and evidence across the education system . In Kaduna State, this work increasingly centres on helping schools understand their own performance and take ownership of improvement.

One of the ways we are doing this is through school self-evaluation.

The exercise is designed to support schools to assess their own practices across key areas such as leadership, teaching, learning environments, and overall school management. Rather than relying solely on external inspections, schools are guided to reflect on their strengths, identify gaps, and situate themselves along a clear improvement pathway, from emerging to excelling.

The latest data from Kaduna offers a grounded view of how schools are progressing along that pathway.

Across 198 schools assessed, most are currently within the “enhancing” stage, with 114 schools showing signs of developing systems and improving practices. A further 47 schools remain at the “emerging” stage, where foundational structures are still being built. At the higher end, 32 schools have reached the “establishing” stage, reflecting greater consistency, while only 5 schools are categorised as “excelling”.

From where we sit, this distribution matters.

It shows that progress is happening and that many schools are moving beyond the earliest stages of development. At the same time, it highlights how difficult it is to sustain improvement to the point where it becomes embedded and consistently delivered. The steep drop in numbers at the “excelling” level is a reminder that system change takes time, and that early gains do not automatically translate into long-term quality.

Looking more closely, conventional schools account for the vast majority of those assessed, with 187 schools in total. Their spread across the stages mirrors the overall trend, with strong representation in the enhancing category and very few at the highest level. This reinforces what we are seeing through PLANE implementation. Foundational improvements are achievable when schools are supported with the right tools and guidance, but deeper transformation requires sustained effort, leadership, and continuity.

Islamic integrated schools, though smaller in number, present a different trajectory. With 10 schools assessed, most remain in the earlier stages of development. Their contexts vary, and so does the pace at which improvement can happen. The data points to the need for more tailored support that reflects these differences, particularly if progress is to be accelerated.

There is also a single Islamic non-integrated school captured in the data, positioned at the establishing stage. While limited, it reflects the diversity within Kaduna’s education landscape and the importance of ensuring that improvement efforts are inclusive of all school types.

For us, the value of this exercise goes beyond classification.

School self-evaluation is helping to shift how schools engage with improvement. It creates space for reflection that is grounded in day-to-day realities and encourages school leaders to make more deliberate decisions. It also strengthens how data is used within the system, which is a central focus of PLANE’s approach to improving education delivery.

What this dataset shows is a system in motion. Many schools are moving forward, but progress is concentrated in the middle. The next phase of the work will require pushing beyond incremental gains, supporting more schools to reach establishing and excelling levels, and ensuring that improvements are sustained over time.

That is where our focus remains.

Table 1: Kaduna School Self Evaluation Report