Last verified: 12 October 2026 (Monday, night). All result figures below are from a single Tier-1 source, The Hindu (published 11 Oct 2026, 7:31 pm IST) — stated once below; per our verification system, treat the figures as ✅ from one Tier-1 source, with corroborating outlets yet to carry the story.
Sainik School Kalikiri in Annamayya district, Andhra Pradesh, has posted its best-ever performance in the UPSC National Defence Academy written examination: 50 cadets qualified for Course No. 158 ✅.
The headline inside that number: three of them are girls, from the school’s first-ever batch of female cadets ✅. Sainik Schools only began admitting girls in recent years — so this is not just a Kalikiri milestone. It is proof, from a school that got its first girl cadets not long ago, that the path from AISSEE to the NDA now runs fully open for girls.
Of the 79 students in the school’s current Class XII batch, 41 cleared — a success rate of nearly 52% ✅. Nine more cadets from the previous batch also qualified, taking the overall tally to 50.
Parents ask me all the time: “Does a Sainik School actually lead to the NDA, or is that just the brochure?” Kalikiri’s numbers are the answer. Since its first batch graduated in 2021, 34 former cadets have joined the NDA and other defence academies, and five were commissioned as officers earlier this year ✅.
And for parents of daughters considering AISSEE 2027: three girls clearing the NDA written in the school’s very first girls’ batch tells you the training machinery there doesn’t treat girl cadets as an experiment. It treats them as cadets.
The written exam is stage one. The 50 cadets now face the Services Selection Board (SSB) interview, which tests leadership, mental aptitude, personality and overall suitability for military service, followed by medicals ✅. Principal Group Captain C.S. Pardesi credited the school’s teaching and training staff for their systematic preparation ✅.
For the bigger picture on how AISSEE feeds these schools, see our Rajasthan Sainik Schools admission guide and the AISSEE counselling-day document checklist.
How many Kalikiri cadets cleared the NDA written exam? 50 cadets of Sainik School Kalikiri qualified in the UPSC NDA written examination for Course No. 158 — the school’s best-ever result, reported by The Hindu on 11 October 2026.
Did girls from Kalikiri clear the NDA exam? Yes. Three girls from Kalikiri’s first-ever batch of female cadets cleared the written exam — a milestone for the school and a clear signal that AISSEE-2027 girl aspirants are entering schools that can take them all the way to the NDA.
What is the next step after the NDA written exam? The Services Selection Board (SSB) interview, which assesses leadership, mental aptitude, personality and overall suitability for military service, followed by medicals.
Where is Sainik School Kalikiri? Sainik School Kalikiri is in Annamayya district, Andhra Pradesh. It was established in 2014 and admits Class 6 and Class 9 students through the AISSEE exam.
Photo: Pexels
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