Schools in Port Harcourt
If you’re moving back home, or just showing up in Port Harcourt for the first time, picking a school isn’t just about grades or what’s cheaper. It’s about finding a space where your kid can be safe, actually listened to, and pushed to do cool stuff. The best schools here are not just about textbooks—they’re about giving your kid memories, values, maybe even a second family.
Whether you’re hustling for your career or just starting over in Rivers State, the endgame’s the same: give your kid a place that’s going to make them curious, smart, and, honestly, a decent human. From finger-painting in nursery to sweating bullets over final exams, these schools are shaping kids into actual people.
7 Best Schools In Port Harcourt
1. Crestforth International School
2. Greenoak International School
3. Ave Maria International Academy
4. Celia’s International School
5. Ash Merlyn International School
6. Frontline International School
7. Teko School
Best Schools In Port Harcourt
Let’s get up close and personal with seven of Port Harcourt’s top schools, each distinctive in its own way, anything from international academic integration to values-based character building. These are not mere brick-and-mortar schools—they’re platforms for life.
1. Crestforth International School
Crestforth is new, having been established in 2020, but already the standard that other schools are rushing to catch up to. As Sub-Saharan Africa’s inaugural Cambridge Early Years Centre, the school has moved quickly to become a progressive institution. They use the British, Nigerian, and Canadian education systems to inform a wholesome child-directed experience.
You notice everything right away on your first visit. The classrooms aren’t just nice, they’ve got a pulse. Science labs are always bubbling with some experiment; art studios burst with colors and chaos; the sports areas are always filled with a non-stop buzz of kids running, yelling, and figuring out how to win together. From learning to code at primary school to taking part in entrepreneurial ventures and tech expos, kids here are learning to think independently and internationally.
The connection with Southampton FC also adds a unique but welcoming element, combining academics and top-level sports participation. Parents seeking a school that welcomes technology without losing empathy and character discover that Crestforth feels like the future.
Location: 10, Ambrose Ogbonna Avenue, Off Stadium Rd (beside Atrium Event), Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
2. Greenoak International School
Greenoak has gained a reputation for steadiness and global applicability over the years. Being a hybrid curriculum with British, American, Nigerian, and IPC sources, it teaches over 600 students, out of whom about a quarter are expatriates.
Greenoak is not showy and is well-balanced between rigor and emotional intelligence, diversity and form, ambition and empathy. From science and ICT labs, music rooms, an external farm, and even zoology ponds, there is space for experiential learning far beyond the classroom.
The teachers are not just teachers. One minute they’re explaining algebra, next they’re life-coaching a kid through a meltdown. They’ve got leadership classes, mindfulness stuff, projects that force you to actually work with other humans. Every kid’s getting pushed, but no one’s left in the dust.
And being ‘different’ here isn’t tolerated, it’s actually cool. There’s a community of support and room for all children to grow, whether they are mathematically gifted or creative.
Locations: 17, St. Michael’s Cres, off Tombia Rd extension, 3rd Street, GRA Phase, Port Harcourt, Rivers State (Secondary/Sixth Form Campus).
99, Tombia rd extension, 3rd Strt, GRA Phase, Port Harcourt, Rivers State(Primary Campus).
3. Ave Maria International Academy
Ave Maria provides what is so absent in our fast-paced world today–balance. Balance between achievement and values. On Christian principles, the school ranges from kindergarten through secondary school and emphasizes the education of the whole child, mind, body, and spirit.
The curriculum is modern and practical. Science experiments, drama classes, and robotics kits complement formal education so that the days never seem the same. But throughout all of this is a whispered spiritual thread—one stitched through morning devotions, ethics classes, and service-learning projects.
The educators aren’t info-delivery machines, but character mentors, role models, and occasionally second parents. It is disciplined, certainly—yet richly nurturing. Small classes mean nobody’s invisible. Your child gets mentorship, a community that cares about students’ interests.
This is the kind of place where the quiet kid ends up starring in a play, or the tech-head builds a robot before they even hit puberty. And it all happens under the watchful eye of teachers who are invested in something other than report cards.
Location: East West Road, opp Deeper Life Bible Church HQ, Rumuodara, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
4. Celia’s International School
Celia’s has built a reputation for itself as bespoke and innovative. It uses both the Nigerian and British curricula since its inception. The buildings are shiny, bright, and totally multi-functional, kinda like the students, honestly. Think labs that look like something out of a sci-fi movie, art studios, and spaces built just for collaboration. The best part is how seriously they take things like character and mental health. That’s not just some poster in the hallway; it’s baked into everything.
The parents’ approach to school is in proportion to the manner in which they approach social-emotional learning, leadership development, and career preparation, even at early levels. Whatever field your child may be pursuing, science, business, or the arts—Celia’s takes them to discover and believe in their potential.
Location: Local Government, 7 Rumuadaolu Market Rd, Rurowolukwo, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
5. Ash Merlyn International School
Ash Merlyn, located in the Elelenwo district, combines high expectations with a robust mission ethos. It runs a British-Nigerian curriculum and houses both day and boarding facilities, for which it appeals to parents who want seriousness of purpose at school and strong moral guidance.
The school is complete with smartboards, an ICT centre, science laboratories, and a library. The kids do it all, from chess club and dance company to math competitions such as the American Mathematics Competition (AMC 8), showing that structure and achievement go hand in hand. Parents looking for an environment that builds grit, respect, and achievement without sucking the fun out of it will be at ease with Ash Merlyn.
Location: New Road, Road 1, Victory Estate Elelenwo, Port Harcourt
6. Frontline International School
Frontline has been on a mission of quality education since its grass-roots inception in 2002. Small in its start, it has continued to grow into a quality institution with cradle-through-secondary courses.
The school buildings themselves? Nothing flashy, but they work—labs, computers, a library, halls for whatever event is next. But honestly, the real backbone is the culture: humility, grinding hard, teamwork. That’s what sticks. Students are given leadership roles, from house captains to team captains, where they learn to lead effectively and humanely.
Communication is also strong at the school. Parents are not kept in the dark – they’re included along the way. Teachers check in regularly, not just with mark feedback, but with behavior, interests, and emotional well-being. It’s this concern for children that has built Frontline into something greater than a school–it’s a community.
Location: 26 Jerry Lane, Ogbatai Rd, off Elitor Street, Woji, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
7. Teko School
Few schools in Port Harcourt are as storied as Teko. Its history dates back to before 1975, and the school is not merely an institution; it is a legacy. Second-generation students are studying now, and the alumni association is alive, active, and strong.
Teko doesn’t follow fashion, and that is the point of its allure. Here’s the deal: give kids a solid, values-heavy education, keep them safe, and make them feel like they’re part of something. They take kids from nursery up to junior secondary, and it’s all about respect, discipline, and giving back to the community.
The facilities might be simple, but the teaching is packed with real value. Think self-sufficiency and a solid moral compass, plus scholarships and mentoring. Teko’s not just opening doors—it’s practically shoving kids through them, in a good way.
Location: 41a Omasi Street, Rumuomasi, Port Harcourt, Rivers State
Conclusion
In a city as international and fast-moving as Port Harcourt, the best school is defined differently for different families. For a few, it’s global exposure and technology, for others, it’s depth of spirituality, discipline, or family tradition.
What all these outstanding schools share is their commitment to developing leaders, innovators, and citizens. They are schools where children are seen, challenged, celebrated, and heard.
So go on the school tours and choose the place that doesn’t just check your box, but resonates with your child’s heartbeat.
