Last verified: 12 October 2026 (Monday, evening). The school list below is cross-verified across multiple school directories and the AISSEE state-wise school tables; admission-route facts are labelled ✅ CONFIRMED or 🔶 EXPECTED as per our verification system. Final seat matrices and dates come only from the official bulletins — always double-check before applying.
Uttar Pradesh has five Sainik Schools — and this is where most parents go wrong. Three of them take admission through the national AISSEE exam. Two of them do not — they are run by the UP government and hold their own entrance test, which happens much earlier (20 December 2026) than AISSEE (expected 31 January 2027).
Apply to the wrong one, or miss the earlier deadline, and a full year is lost. So let’s lay it out clearly.
| School | Admission route | Location | Official website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sainik School Amethi | AISSEE 2027 (NTA) | Kauhar, Shahgarh, Amethi — 227411 | sainikschoolamethi.com |
| Sainik School Jhansi | AISSEE 2027 (NTA) | Vill. Shankargarh, PO Bhagwantpura, Jhansi — 284127 | ssjhansi.co.in (also listed as sainikschooljhansi.com in some directories) |
| Sainik School Mainpuri | AISSEE 2027 (NTA) | Vill. Nauner Kharra, PO Tinddoli, Agra–Mainpuri Road, Mainpuri — 205119 | sainikschoolmainpuri.com |
| Captain Manoj Kumar Pandey UP Sainik School, Lucknow | Own exam: 20 Dec 2026 | Lucknow | upsainikschool.org |
| UP Sainik School, Gorakhpur | Own exam: 20 Dec 2026 | Gorakhpur | upsainikschool.org |
These three are newer schools under the Sainik Schools Society and the Ministry of Defence. Admission to Class 6 and Class 9 is only through the All India Sainik Schools Entrance Examination (AISSEE 2027), conducted by the NTA — applications expected in October 2026, exam expected 31 January 2027.
Why this matters for UP parents specifically: under the AISSEE reservation policy (AISSEE 2026 bulletin), 67% of seats at each school are reserved for the home state — meaning UP-domicile candidates compete mainly against other UP candidates at these three schools. 🔶 EXPECTED to continue for 2027; the NTA bulletin will confirm.
Read our school-wise pages for Sainik School Amethi, Sainik School Jhansi and Sainik School Mainpuri before you shortlist.
These are older, prestigious institutions run by the UP Sainik Schools Society (the chairman is the Chief Minister of UP). They are not part of the AISSEE system and do not accept AISSEE scores:
Our earlier report on the 25 October deadline has the full timeline and document checklist — read it before you apply, because this window closes much earlier than AISSEE’s.
1. “I’ll apply to Lucknow through the AISSEE form.” You can’t. Two different applications, two different portals, two different exams. If you want both, fill both forms.
2. “Ghorakhal is a UP school.” No — Sainik School Ghorakhal is in Uttarakhand. It will not help your UP home-state quota. Don’t put it in the UP list mentally.
3. “The AISSEE application is the only deadline that matters.” The UP-government exam’s normal-fee deadline is 25 October 2026 — applications for AISSEE itself are expected to run into November. The UP school deadline comes first.
Photo: Pexels
How many Sainik Schools are there in Uttar Pradesh?
Five in total for 2027-28: three take admission through AISSEE (Amethi, Jhansi, Mainpuri) and two UP-government schools (Lucknow and Gorakhpur) hold their own separate entrance exam.
Which Sainik Schools in UP come under AISSEE 2027?
Sainik School Amethi, Sainik School Jhansi and Sainik School Mainpuri admit Class 6 and Class 9 through the AISSEE 2027 exam conducted by the NTA (exam expected 31 January 2027).
Do Lucknow and Gorakhpur UP Sainik Schools accept AISSEE scores?
No. The Captain Manoj Kumar Pandey UP Sainik School, Lucknow and the UP Sainik School, Gorakhpur are run by the UP government and hold their own entrance exam on 20 December 2026; applications close 25 October 2026 (31 October with late fee).
Is there a home-state quota for UP students at these schools?
For the AISSEE-route schools, 67% of seats at each school are reserved for home-state candidates under the AISSEE 2026 reservation policy; treat this as EXPECTED for 2027 until the NTA bulletin confirms it.
Can girls apply to Sainik Schools in UP?
Both boys and girls are eligible for AISSEE 2027. Girls’ seats follow the school-wise seat matrix in the NTA bulletin; for Lucknow, note that Class 6 at UP Sainik School Lucknow is boys-only while Gorakhpur admits girls in both classes.
Is Sainik School Ghorakhal in Uttar Pradesh?
No. Ghorakhal is in Uttarakhand. It was established when the region was part of UP, but today it does not count for the UP home-state quota.
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