45 Kunjpura Cadets Clear NDA Written Exam — 32 From the Current Class XII Batch

Last verified: 24 October 2026. The Kunjpura result below is ✅ CONFIRMED from The Tribune’s report dated 22 October 2026. The SSB process description follows the ✅ CONFIRMED standard UPSC selection pattern; Kunjpura’s earlier-season figures are from The Tribune’s October 2024 report.

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If you are a parent weighing a Sainik School application for a Class 5 or Class 8 child, results like this one are the clearest answer to the question “does the system actually work?” On 22 October 2026, The Tribune reported that 45 cadets of Sainik School Kunjpura have qualified in the National Defence Academy (NDA) written examination — 32 from the current Class XII batch, and 13 from the previous batch who stayed on to crack it.

Principal Captain (IN) Gurbir Singh congratulated the cadets, crediting their hard work, discipline and perseverance, and acknowledged the teachers and mentors behind them. Vice-Principal Lt Col Sheilza Dogra and Administrative Officer Lt Col Sandeep Rathi joined in the congratulations. The Principal also expressed confidence in the cadets’ upcoming Services Selection Board (SSB) interviews — the five-day assessment round that is the real gatekeeper between a written qualifier and an NDA joining letter.

Why 45 is a number worth pausing on

This is not a one-off spike. The Tribune’s October 2024 report on the same school recorded 44 NDA written qualifiers — 27 of 61 cadets from the then-current batch clearing in their first attempt, plus 17 from the previous batch. Two consecutive seasons, 44 and 45 written qualifiers, from a school that itself celebrated its 65th Founder’s Day last year. That kind of consistency does not come from coaching in the final year; it comes from the six years a boy spends in the system between Class 6 and Class 12 — parade-ground routine, study hours, and an environment where clearing NDA is the norm rather than the exception.

This season is not Kunjpura’s alone. The Times of India reported 23 Sainik School Nalanda cadets clearing the NDA/NA (II), 2026 written stage on 11 October, and the Garhwal Post reported 44 from Sainik School Ghorakhal on 12 October. (For the full season scoreboard, see our earlier round-up of this season’s school results.) The pattern across schools is the same: written first, SSB next.

What happens now for the 45

Clearing the written stage puts these cadets in the funnel for the 158th NDA Course and the 120th Indian Naval Academy Course, commencing 1 July 2027. The path ahead:

1. SSB interview — called up to a Services Selection Board for a five-day process covering screening, psychology tests, group tasks and a personal interview. The Tribune notes the school typically organises special SSB orientation classes for qualifiers.
2. Medical examination — to the military’s standards, immediately after SSB recommendation.
3. Final merit — written marks plus SSB marks decide the joining list.

Only a fraction of written qualifiers make it through SSB — which is precisely why the Principal’s “confidence in the forthcoming SSB interviews” remark matters. Schools track their written-to-final conversion, and Kunjpura’s mentoring machinery is built around it.

The parent’s takeaway

NDA written qualifiers do not materialise in Class 12. They are the product of a residential routine that starts — for most of these cadets — in Class 6, through AISSEE. The AISSEE 2027 notification is still awaited; when it opens, the form is the first concrete step on this same road. Every one of these 45 cadets once sat where your child sits now: filling an application form in October.

FAQs

How many Sainik School Kunjpura cadets cleared the NDA written exam in 2026?

45 cadets — 32 from the current Class XII batch and 13 from the previous batch, as reported by The Tribune on 22 October 2026.

What happens after clearing the NDA written exam?

Qualifiers are called for the SSB interview — a five-day assessment of personality, leadership potential and fitness. Final merit combines written and SSB marks, followed by a medical examination.

Which NDA course are the 2026 qualifiers competing for?

The NDA/NA Examination (II), 2026 leads to the Army, Navy and Air Force wings of the 158th NDA Course and the 120th INA Course, commencing 1 July 2027, per The Times of India’s report on the Nalanda qualifiers.

How strong is Kunjpura’s NDA track record?

Consistent: 44 written qualifiers in the 2024 cycle and 45 this season, per The Tribune’s reporting in both years.

Sources

• The Tribune, “Sainik School, Kunjpura, cadets clear NDA exam” (updated 22 Oct 2026): https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/schools/sainik-school-kunjpura-cadets-clear-nda-exam/
• The Times of India, “23 cadets of Sainik School Nalanda clear NDA written exam” (11 Oct 2026): https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/23-cadets-of-sainik-school-nalanda-clear-nda-written-exam/articleshow/134875281.cms
• Garhwal Post, “Sainik School Ghorakhal achieves outstanding success in NDA Written Examination” (12 Oct 2026): https://garhwalpost.in/sainik-school-ghorakhal-achieves-outstanding-success-in-nda-written-examination/
• The Tribune, “Sainik School, Kunjpura” (Oct 2024, 44-qualifier season): https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/schools/sainik-school-kunjpura/