Last verified: 27 October 2026. The school facts below — Kapurthala’s 8 July 1961 inauguration, its Jagatjit Palace campus, its motto, and its CBSE affiliation — are ✅ CONFIRMED from the school’s own website, sskapurthala.com. 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 Kapurthala in this guide, because no verified 2027 figure is available.
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Parents searching for “Sainik Schools in Punjab” usually expect a list. The honest answer is shorter: Punjab has one school under the Sainik Schools Society in the AISSEE system — Sainik School Kapurthala. Every Punjab 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 Kerala guide, Gujarat guide and Odisha guide. The exam is national; the quota maths is local.
Kapurthala is one of the original Sainik Schools, and it shows in the campus. The school sits in Jagatjit Palace, built in 1908 on the pattern of Versailles and formerly the palace of Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Kapurthala. It was inaugurated on 8 July 1961 by the then Defence Minister V. K. Krishna Menon, with the objective of preparing boys academically, physically and mentally for entry into the National Defence Academy at Khadakwasla. Its motto is “Knowledge, Humility and Discipline”.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| School | Sainik School Kapurthala, The Mall, Kapurthala, Punjab — 144 601 |
| Founded | 8 July 1961, inaugurated by V. K. Krishna Menon |
| Campus | Jagatjit Palace (built 1908); the school’s site records its area as 1,961 kanals and 18 marlas |
| Classes | VI to XII, fully residential |
| Affiliation | CBSE (affiliation number 1680001, per the school’s website) |
| School code | 20024 |
| Admission | AISSEE (Class 6 and Class 9), then AISSAC counselling and medical examination |
| Principal | Gp Capt I Manoj Menon, the school’s 21st principal, per its website |
One number needs honest handling: the school is widely reported to have produced more than 1,150 officers for the armed forces through the NDA. That figure appears in current school profiles; an older Tribune profile put the count above 700 at the time it was written. Treat 1,150-plus as the reported tally, not a figure this guide independently audited — and either way, the point for a parent is the same: this is a school whose entire design points at the NDA, and a child who does not want that direction should hear that plainly before applying.
A common misunderstanding, and it costs families every year: you do not apply “to Kapurthala.” 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 |
| 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 Kapurthala are not one open pool. They are divided first by state, then by category.
| Slice | Share | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Punjab (home state) | 67% | A Punjab-domiciled child competes here first — this is your main pool |
| Other states | 33% | Everyone else, including Punjab 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 |
The practical consequence: a Punjab-domiciled child with a middling all-India rank can still win a Kapurthala seat through the home-state pool, while an out-of-state child needs a much stronger rank for the 33% pool. Domicile is not paperwork here — it is the single biggest lever in the whole process. Get the domicile certificate right, and get it early: certificate delays in November are the classic avoidable disaster.
Here is where this guide refuses to give you a clean answer, because the sources do not agree. Older profiles of Kapurthala describe it as a boys-only school, with an exception for daughters of school staff. Newer material describes Kapurthala as co-educational, and our own girls’ quota explainer records Kapurthala’s principal discussing the 10% girls’ intake pattern that mirrors the NDA’s reservation for women.
What does a Punjab parent do with a contradiction like that? One thing only: check the AISSEE 2027 bulletin and the school’s own 2027 notice when they appear, and look for Kapurthala by name. If the bulletin lists girls’ seats at Kapurthala, apply with confidence. If it does not, do not spend a preference on an assumption. A wrong guess here wastes not just a preference but a whole admission year.
You will find fee and seat figures for Kapurthala on coaching and portal sites — one current portal figure puts annual fees near ₹1.82 lakh. This guide does not repeat it, because it is a single unverified portal number, and other portals give different ones. The same applies to seat counts: the school’s own 2027 notice and the AISSEE bulletin are the only sources worth budgeting from. If a coaching centre quotes you a Kapurthala fee or seat number today, ask which official notice it came from. If it cannot answer, neither can you — and you should not pay on the strength of it.
How many Sainik Schools are there in Punjab?
One school under the Sainik Schools Society in the AISSEE system: Sainik School Kapurthala. That is the Punjab school a family applies to through AISSEE.
When was Sainik School Kapurthala founded?
It was inaugurated on 8 July 1961 by the then Defence Minister V. K. Krishna Menon, according to the school’s own website. Its motto is Knowledge, Humility and Discipline.
What is the home-state quota for Sainik School Kapurthala?
67% of seats are reserved for candidates from the home state, Punjab, and 33% for candidates from other states, under the standard Sainik School reservation pattern. Confirm the exact 2027 seat matrix in the AISSEE bulletin.
Can girls apply to Sainik School Kapurthala?
This is the one point Punjab parents must verify in the AISSEE 2027 bulletin. Older profiles describe Kapurthala as boys-only, while newer reporting discusses girls’ intake at Sainik Schools generally. Do not assume either way until the bulletin names Kapurthala’s position for 2027.
What are the fees and seat numbers for Kapurthala in 2027?
This guide deliberately does not quote a fee or seat figure. Portal and coaching-site numbers for Kapurthala conflict and are unverified, and the authoritative 2027 figures come with the AISSEE bulletin and the school’s own notice.
Is Kapurthala really inside a palace?
Yes. The school sits in Jagatjit Palace, built in 1908 on the pattern of Versailles, according to the school’s own website. The palace was the former residence of Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Kapurthala.
Related on this site: Sainik Schools in Kerala: The Complete 2027 Guide · Sainik Schools in Gujarat: Fees, Seats, Admission Guide · Girls’ Quota in Sainik Schools Explained
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