Budhanilkantha School
Budhanilkantha School बूढानीलकण्ठ स्कूल | |
---|---|
![]() Budhanilkantha School | |
Location | |
Narayanthan - Baaghdwar Rd, Budhanilkantha 44622 Budhanilkantha , Bagmati Province 44622 Nepal , Nepal | |
Information | |
School type | Boarding, Government funded non-profit school |
Motto | Centre of Excellence |
Established | 1972 |
School district | Kathmandu |
Authorizer | Government of Nepal |
CEEB code | 689070 |
Principal | Keshar Khulal |
Staff | Approx. 200 |
Faculty | Approx. 80 |
Grades | 5-12, A-Level |
Gender | Coeducational |
Number of students | 1136 total |
Sixth form students | 180 |
Student to teacher ratio | 14:1 |
Area | 95 acres (38 ha) |
Campus type | Boarding |
Houses | Makalu, Dhaulagiri, Hiunchuli, Saipal, Nilgiri, Pumori, Tilicho, Jugal, Choyu, Ratnachuli, Kanchenjunga, Annapurna, Byasrishi, Gaurishankar |
Student Council | Council of School Prefects |
Nickname | BNKS |
Publication | Bhanjyang |
Endowment | Funded by Government of Nepal and alums |
Graduates | Approximately 5000 |
Affiliations |
|
Website | bnks |
Budhanilkantha School, often referred to as BNKS, is a competitive non-profit boarding school in Nepal. It is located in Narayanthan, 8 kilometres north of Kathmandu, at the foothills of Shivapuri mountain (2,732 m [8,963 ft]).[1] It is named after the Budhanilkantha Temple, which is located nearby.
One third of pupils admitted in grade five are granted scholarships based on need, after an entrance examination held in all the 77 districts of Nepal. This scholarship is granted every year to the students until grade 10.[2]
Academics
The school operates three courses of study:
- School Leaving Certificate level (a nationwide curriculum up to class 10 prescribed by the Department of Education of Nepal),
- Cambridge International A-Level
- 10+2 Level (National Examination Board of Nepal, an equivalent alternative to A-Level).

Students must pass an entrance exam to gain admission into the school. Normally, entrance examinations are taken for entry into class 5 and post SLC levels. This is intended to maintain the school's high academic standards.[3]
Out of 118 students who took the School Leaving Certificate Examination 2014, 103 secured Distinction and the remaining 15 students passed in the First Division.[4]
Budhanilkantha School was the first school to introduce GCE Advanced Level in Nepal.[5] It currently offers A-Levels in Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Economics, Business Studies, Computer Science, Accounting and English Language. It is compulsory for students to take exams in five subjects. Mathematics and English Language have to be studied by all students. Most students choose to study science-based subjects and some choose to combine sciences and social sciences. In A-Level exams of the year 2010, 12% of entries from the school secured grade A* and 30% entries secured grade A. 56% entries from the school secured more than or equal to grade B. 73% of the total entries, excluding General Paper, were in either math or science subjects.[6] Budhanilkantha students regularly feature in the Cambridge Outstanding Learner Awards as the best achieving A-Level candidates in Nepal and worldwide.[7][8]
Governance
The school is managed under the Public Educational Trust. The Ministry for Education, being the main trustee, the Board of Trustees (BOT) is chaired by the Education Secretary of Nepal. The School Management Committee (SMC) is responsible for the formulation, implementation, and monitoring of all policy-level matters. The Principal takes care of the day-to-day administration with the help of two Vice-Principals, the Chief Administrative Officer and a team of Senior Management Team (SMT). The school is also supported by Friends of Budhanilkantha School (FOBS), the parents' representative association and the Society of Ex-Budhanilkantha Students (SEBS). They also actively participate in school governance.[9]
The present principal of the school is Keshar Khulal. There are two vice principals in the school: one each for Secondary Level (SL) and Basic Level (BL). The vice-principal for SL is Mr. Atiram K.C and the vice-principal for BL is Mrs. Purnima Lama.[10]
The list of Headmasters/Principals of the school are as follows:
- John B Tyson, Headmaster Designate (1966)
- Peter J Wakeman, Headmaster (1972 to 1977)
- Ken Jones, Headmaster (1978 to 1982)
- Dr. Tej Ratna Kansakar, Acting Headmaster (1983)
- John Tyson, Headmaster (1983 to 1988)
- Brian Garton, Headmaster (1989 to 1992)
- Thomas , Headmaster (1992 to 1994)
- Satyanarayan Rajbhandari, Principal (1994 to 1995)
- Narayan Prasad Sharma, Principal (1996 to 2012)
- Keshar Khulal, Principal (2013 to 2019)
- Hom Nath Acharya, Principal (2019 to 2023)
- Keshar Khulal, Principal (2024-present)

Notable alumni
- Bal Krishna Joshi, creator of Thamel.com
- Bartika Eam Rai, singer
- Bhaba Thami, associated with Inspire Group Nepal
- Bhusan Dahal, media personality
- Birendra Bahadur Basnet, Managing Director of Buddha Air
- Dinesh RC, CEO of Andrew J Wild College, Nepal
- Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, late King of Nepal
- Diwas Gurung, guitarist, producer, singer
- Govinda Rai, manager at Cow Bank (Bhotechaur)
- Hemraj Bhandari, senior reporter at Nepal Television
- Jeevan Bahadur Shahi, politician (ex-Chief Minister of Karnali State)
- Karun Thapa, media and IT expert
- Keshar Khulal, former Principal of Budhanilkantha School
- Mukesh Shakya, Principal at Andrew J Wild College
- Nabin K Bhattarai, singer
- Nirajan Bir Bikram Shah Dev, late Prince of Nepal
- Paras Bir Bikram Shah Dev, ex-Crown Prince of Nepal
- Pukar Malla, Nepalese model
- Rajan Nepal, creator of sebsonline.org
- Rajiv Gurung, film director at Mickey & Tom Studios
- Ram Budhathoki, Tea Master
- Rochak Dahal, singer, songwriter, frontman Pahenlo Batti Muni[11]
- Shirish Dali, singer Albatross (Nepali band)
- Santosh Shah, media personality
- Srichchha Pradhan, Miss Nepal 2023
- Sushant KC, singer, songwriter, music producer
- Sumana Shrestha, Member of Parliament, HOR
- Surendra Shakya, of Eduvision Nepal
- Swarnim Wagle, former vice-chairman of National Planning Commission
- Ujwal Thapa, late president of Bibeksheel Nepali[12]
References
- ^ "Budhanilkantha Temple". Archived from the original on 29 October 2010. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
- ^ "About Us - Budhanilkantha School". Bnks.edu.np. Archived from the original on 3 September 2011. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
- ^ "A-level Entrance Examination". Archived from the original on 21 July 2010. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
- ^ "SLC Results – 2066". Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
- ^ "On a Level | Education | wavemag.com.np". Archived from the original on 2 April 2010. Retrieved 23 September 2010.
- ^ "News - Budhanilkantha School". Bnks.edu.np. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
- ^ "Latest news". Cambridgeinternational.org. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
- ^ [1]
- ^ "School Management - Budhanilkantha School". Bnks.edu.np. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
- ^ "Senior Management Team (SMT) - Budhanilkantha School". Bnks.edu.np. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
- ^ "Pahelo Batti Muni Official YouTube Channel". Retrieved 6 March 2025.
- ^ "About Ujwal Thapa". WhyNepal.com. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
External links

- Budhanilkantha School website
- Budhanilkantha School on WikiNepal