Last verified: 27 October 2026. The school facts below — Kazhakootam’s 1962 founding, its move to the Kazhakootam campus in 1964, and its roughly 225-acre site — are CONFIRMED from school profiles cited. The AISSEE pattern facts (marks, ages, quotas) follow the established AISSEE framework used across our guides; the AISSEE 2027 bulletin itself is still awaited, so 2027 specifics are EXPECTED until it appears. No seat or fee figure is quoted for Kazhakootam in this guide, because no verified 2027 figure is available.
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Parents searching for “Sainik Schools in Kerala” usually expect a list. The honest answer is shorter: Kerala has one school under the Sainik Schools Society — Sainik School Kazhakootam, near Thiruvananthapuram. Every Kerala family aiming for a Society school through AISSEE is aiming at the same campus — concentrated competition, but simpler planning: one school, one campus, one preference to get right.
This is the latest in our state series — see also our Gujarat guide and Odisha guide. The exam is national; the quota maths is local.
The school started functioning on 20 January 1962 in army barracks at Pangode, Thiruvananthapuram, with 120 students. The foundation stone of its own campus at Kazhakootam was laid by V. K. Krishna Menon, India’s first Defence Minister, on 5 February 1962, and the school shifted there in 1964. The first principal was Lt Col B. K. Somaiah.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| School | Sainik School Kazhakootam, near Thiruvananthapuram |
| Founded | 20 January 1962 (Pangode barracks); moved to Kazhakootam in 1964 |
| Campus | About 225 acres, roughly 18 km from Thiruvananthapuram, between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea |
| Classes | VI to XII, fully residential |
| Houses | Named after national leaders and heroes — including Nehru, Prasad, Ashoka, Shivaji, Cariappa, Tagore, Krishna Menon and Patel |
| Admission | AISSEE (Class 6 and Class 9), then AISSAC counselling and medical examination |
| Affiliation | School profiles describe it as CBSE-affiliated |
A common misunderstanding, and it costs families every year: you do not apply “to Kazhakootam.” You apply to AISSEE, the national entrance exam conducted by NTA. Only after the result does counselling — AISSAC, run by the Sainik Schools Society — turn your rank into a school. For 2027, the pattern to plan around (all EXPECTED until the bulletin lands) is:
| Stage | What happens | Status for 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| AISSEE written exam | Class 6: 150 minutes, 125 questions, 300 marks. Class 9: 180 minutes, 150 questions, 400 marks. No negative marking. | Exam date 31 January 2027, tentative per NTA calendar |
| Qualifying marks | 25% in each section and 40% aggregate (not applicable to SC/ST candidates) | 2026 bulletin rule, expected to repeat |
| AISSAC counselling | Online preference filling, seat allotment in rounds, then document verification and medical examination | After the result; no counselling fee in the 2026 pattern |
| Age, Class 6 | 10–12 years on 31 March 2027; studying in Class 5 | Projected window: born 1 April 2015 – 31 March 2017 |
| Age, Class 9 | 13–15 years on 31 March 2027; studying in Class 8 | Projected window: born 1 April 2012 – 31 March 2014 |
Class 5 now means Class 6 entry; Class 8 means Class 9 entry — but Class 9 has far fewer seats nationally, so competition there is sharper.
Seats at Kazhakootam are not one open pool. They are divided first by state, then by category.
| Slice | Share | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Kerala (home state) | 67% | A Kerala-domiciled child competes here first — this is your main pool |
| Other states | 33% | Everyone else, including Kerala children who miss the home-state cut, in later rounds |
| SC | 15% | Within the reservation structure |
| ST | 7.5% | Within the reservation structure |
| OBC-NCL | 27% | Within the reservation structure |
| Defence wards | 25% of the remainder | After the category slices, for children of serving and ex-service personnel |
| Girls (Class 6) | 10% of vacancies or 10 seats, whichever is more | Kazhakootam has had girl boarders since 2021 |
Two practical consequences. First, your domicile certificate is your entry ticket to the 67% pool — get it right and early. Second, preference order matters enormously: if Kazhakootam is genuinely your first choice, rank it first. Our AISSAC preference guide covers the home-state-versus-dream-school trade-off in detail.
You will find portal pages quoting Kazhakootam seat counts and annual fees to the rupee. This guide does not repeat them, and here is why: the figures conflict across portals, none of them is the school’s own 2027 notice, and a family that budgets on a wrong fee or chases a wrong seat count makes worse decisions than a family that waits for the real numbers.
What you can rely on: the AISSEE 2027 bulletin (exam fee, pattern, eligibility), the counselling seat matrix (actual vacancies by class and category), and the school’s own fee notice (boarding and tuition). Until those appear, treat every portal figure as a rumour with a decimal point.
Boarding at Kazhakootam is not “school with a hostel.” Cadets live in houses named after leaders and heroes, follow a structured day mixing academics with physical training, sports, NCC activities and co-curricular life, and stay on campus through the term. Since 1962 the school’s purpose has been to prepare boys — and now girls too — for the National Defence Academy and the officer cadre.
Weigh that honestly. Kazhakootam is a superb launchpad for a defence career, but it is also a disciplined residential life for an 11-year-old, far from home, with limited phone access and a routine that does not bend for one child. Visit the campus if you can, talk to parents of current cadets — not just coaching centres — and ask your child plainly whether they want this life, not just whether they can pass the exam.
How many Sainik Schools are there in Kerala?
One under the Sainik Schools Society: Sainik School Kazhakootam, near Thiruvananthapuram, founded in 1962.
What is the home-state quota for Kazhakootam?
67% for Kerala candidates, 33% for other states, under the standard Sainik School reservation pattern.
What are the age limits for Kazhakootam?
Class 6: 10–12 years on 31 March 2027. Class 9: 13–15 years. Confirm the exact birth-date window in the AISSEE 2027 bulletin.
Can girls apply to Kazhakootam?
Yes, to Class 6 under the 10% girls’ quota pattern; girls have been among its boarders since 2021.
What are the fees and seat numbers for 2027?
Not quoted here: the authoritative figures come with the AISSEE bulletin, seat matrix and the school’s own fee notice. Do not budget from portal figures.
How does a Kerala parent choose Kazhakootam in counselling?
Through AISSAC after the result, by ranking Kazhakootam among your preferences. Home-state candidates compete first for the 67% Kerala seats, so order matters as much as rank.
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