Last verified: 13 October 2026. AISSEE 2027 exam date: 31 January 2027 (CONFIRMED, tentative — NTA calendar). The NTA information bulletin is not yet released; the application window is EXPECTED Oct–Nov 2026. School facts below are CONFIRMED from school and government sources; 2027-cycle seat numbers should be treated as EXPECTED until the bulletin releases.
If you live in Maharashtra and your child dreams of a Sainik School, your home state gives you a genuine head start. Maharashtra hosts the country’s flagship Sainik School, a younger second campus, and a new day-boarding option — and because of the home-state quota, two-thirds of the seats at the two established schools are earmarked for children who hold a Maharashtra domicile. Here is the complete 2027 picture.
| School | Location | Established | Type | Entry classes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sainik School Satara | Satara | 1961 | Residential, co-ed (girls in Class 6) | Class 6 (boys + girls), Class 9 (boys) |
| Sainik School Chandrapur | Chandrapur | 2019 | Residential, co-ed | Class 6 |
| Yogeshwari Sainik School, Ambajogai | Beed | New (added 2025) | Day boarding | Class 6 |
Satara is where the Maharashtra story begins. Established in 1961, it was among the very first Sainik Schools in the country, set up under the original 1961 scheme to prepare boys from financially weaker sections for the National Defence Academy. It is a fully residential CBSE school taking students from Class 6 to Class 12, and over the decades it has produced around 750 defence officers — a record few schools in India can match.
That said, look at the recent record with open eyes. In June 2025 the Maharashtra government publicly flagged concern over declining NDA conversion rates across the state’s military schools and appointed a committee to review them. The point is not that Satara has declined — it is that a 65-year-old reputation is not the same thing as this year’s NDA list. When you visit or call the school office, ask for the last three years’ NDA selection numbers. Good schools answer that question without flinching.
Fees (reported): compilations put Satara’s total annual fee at about ₹1,83,879 for 2025-26, while the school’s 2026 admission-time breakdown lists tuition of ₹96,631 plus pocket money, cadet messaging, clothing, caution money (₹3,000 general / ₹1,500 SC/ST) and incidental charges. Treat these as the best public figures available — confirm the current notice before budgeting, and remember the Sainik Schools Society’s standing rule: tuition rises about 10% a year.
Seats (EXPECTED): Class 6 intake at Satara is reported at around 100 seats a year. Exact 2027 vacancies will come in the NTA bulletin and the AISSAC seat matrix.
Launched in 2019, Chandrapur is Maharashtra’s second government-run Sainik School: a residential, co-educational CBSE campus admitting from Class 6 to Class 12. It was part of the second wave of Sainik Schools that expanded the network into districts that had none.
For a Maharashtra parent, Chandrapur matters for a strategic reason: it is the same admission route (AISSEE), the same 67% home-state quota, and typically a lower cut-off than Satara, because every aspirant in the state lists Satara first. If your child is a strong-but-not-topping candidate, putting Chandrapur as a serious preference — not a leftover one — is how the home-state quota actually works for you. Girls are admitted to Class 6 here as well, with the standard 10% or 10 seats (whichever is more) girls’ reservation.
In October 2025, the NTA added Yogeshwari Sainik School, Ambajogai (Beed district) to the AISSEE list. It is a New Sainik School operating as a day-boarding institution — meaning the child studies and trains at the school during the day but lives at home. For families who want the Sainik School pattern without full residential separation at age 11, this is the option Maharashtra did not have before. Admission is through the same AISSEE exam and e-counselling route.
A Maharashtra-specific wrinkle worth ten seconds of your time: the state also runs 38 government-aided but privately managed ‘sainiki’ schools across its districts, serving around 12,400 students. These are not AISSEE schools — they have their own state-level admission process and are not part of the NTA counselling. If a school calls itself “Sainik School” in Maharashtra, check whether it admits through AISSEE 2027 or through the state; the difference is everything.
Under the standing AISSEE policy (CONFIRMED in the 2026 bulletin, EXPECTED to repeat for 2027), 67% of seats at each established Sainik School go to home-state candidates. For a Maharashtra-domicile child applying to Satara or Chandrapur, that means competing mainly against other Maharashtra children — not against the whole country. Two consequences:
| Step | Timing |
|---|---|
| NTA information bulletin + application window | Expected Oct–Nov 2026 |
| Correction window | A few days after applications close |
| Admit card | Expected mid-January 2027 |
| AISSEE 2027 exam | 31 January 2027 (CONFIRMED, tentative) |
| Result + e-counselling (AISSAC) | Expected Feb–May 2027 |
| Medical exam | After provisional allotment |
| Session begins | June 2027 |
How many Sainik Schools are in Maharashtra? Three admit through AISSEE: Satara (1961), Chandrapur (2019), and Yogeshwari Sainik School at Ambajogai, Beed (day boarding, added 2025). All three take AISSEE 2027 candidates.
Is Sainik School Satara good for NDA preparation? Historically yes — about 750 defence officers over its lifetime. But a 2025 state review flagged declining NDA numbers across Maharashtra’s military schools, so ask for recent selection figures rather than relying on reputation alone.
What are the fees of Sainik School Satara? Reported at about ₹1,83,879 a year (2025-26 compilations), with a 2026 admission-time breakdown listing ₹96,631 tuition plus other charges. Confirm the current school notice; tuition rises about 10% a year.
Do Maharashtra students get a home-state quota? Under standing policy, 67% of seats at each established school are reserved for home-state candidates — EXPECTED to continue for 2027 pending the NTA bulletin. Maharashtra domicile is a real edge at Satara and Chandrapur.
Can girls apply to Sainik Schools in Maharashtra? Yes — girls can take AISSEE 2027 for Class 6 at all three Maharashtra schools, with 10% of Class 6 seats (or 10 seats) reserved for them.
How do I apply? Online via the NTA AISSEE portal when the 2027 window opens (expected Oct–Nov 2026). Then the exam on 31 January 2027, and school preferences during e-counselling.
How helpful was this article?
