Somerville School
Pocket H, Block H, Sector Alpha II, Greater Noida, Brahmpur Rajraula Urf Nawada, Uttar Pradesh 201310, India
http://www.somervillegreaternoida.in/
Somerville School is a prominent co-educational day school located in the heart of Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India. Established in 1984 by the Lott Carey Baptist Mission, the institution is named after Mary Somerville—an eminent Scottish scientist whose life symbolised courage, inquiry and the empowerment of women through education. From its inception the school has been shaped by a vision to provide holistic, value-centric learning that blends Indian cultural roots with a global outlook. It is affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Delhi, and today enrols over 3,000 students from Nursery through Class XII, drawn primarily from Delhi–NCR but also from diplomatic and expatriate communities in the area.
The 6.5-acre urban campus is designed for both purpose and inspiration. Heritage-red academic blocks surround leafy courtyards, while mango and neem trees provide natural shade for outdoor corridors. The most recent additions—an art studio with north-light glazing and a robotics wing—were designed by architect Ashok Lall, winner of the 2023-24 Sustainable Architecture Award; the entire facility is now net-zero for electricity, drawing its power from a 500 kW rooftop solar array and a biogas plant fuelled by kitchen waste. Older structures have been retro-fitted with rain-water harvesting, recycled-paver pathways and motion-activated LED lighting, giving Somerville a rare “green” signature in a city otherwise dominated by glass-and-steel boxes.
Academically, the school follows a vigorously innovated CBSE curriculum paired with Cambridge English modules, promoting bilingual fluency by Class VIII. Every learner pursues a “Core-plus-Choice” programme in senior school, selecting from electives such as Legal Studies, Biotechnology, Mass Media and Artificial Intelligence—choices uncommon in traditional CBSE institutions. Competitive examinations (NTSE, Olympiads, SAT, JEE and NEET) are woven into regular timetables by expert faculty, while students aiming for liberal-arts destinations opt for the university counselling cell that guides over 160 applications annually to Ashoka, Yale-NUS, KCL and UC Berkeley.
Beyond academics, Somerville is defined by its “Five Pillars” co-curricular philosophy: visual & performing arts, competitive sport, community service, leadership and innovation. The school fields 28 inter-school teams in basketball, football and badminton, and its chess squad has been state champion for six consecutive years. Music commands equal pride: the Senior Choir has toured Edinburgh and Shanghai schools under UNESCO’s Voices of the World banner, and the annual Founders Concert in March sells out a 1,200-seat auditorium weeks in advance. Student leadership is formalised through a prefect system, six houses named after Indian rivers, and an elected Student Senate that manages event budgets up to INR 4 lakhs per quarter under faculty mentorship.
Outreach remains central to the Somerville ethos. Two “Pahal” night schools on campus offer free secondary education to 350 neighbourhood children and are staffed entirely by senior students earning CAS hours. The school also operates a mobile science lab that rolls weekly through Noida’s rural villages, an initiative that secured the 2022 CSR Impact Award from Malaysia’s Sunway Foundation.
Admission is selective; entrance tests for Classes VI-IX are held each December, while the more competitive Kindergarten window opens only once every two years. Fees are moderate by NCR standards, and a Brian McHendry Scholarship covers full tuition for 10 per cent of entrants from economically weaker sections. From tiny tots lining up for school phoolon-ki-holi to Class XII graduates assembling raspberry-pi weather sensors on the rooftop, Somerville School cultivates minds that are rooted, responsible and ready for the world.
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- Published: July 31, 2025
