A new report has revealed significant disparities between senior boys’, girls’ and mixed schools in Kenya, showing that boys’ schools are generally more established and better equipped with learning resources compared to girls’ institutions.
According to findings by Usawa Agenda, boys’ schools have benefited from decades of institutional growth and legacy, while girls’ schools continue to catch up.
The report indicates that seven in 10 senior boys’ schools have existed for more than 30 years, compared to only three in 10 girls’ schools. Less than two in 10 senior mixed schools have operated for more than three decades.
“Boy schools have benefited from decades of established legacy, while girl schools are still catching up,” the report states.
The study further found that girls’ senior schools are more likely to be sponsored by religious institutions than boys’ schools, highlighting the role faith-based organisations continue to play in supporting education development.
In terms of learning opportunities, boys’ schools were found to have an advantage in access to technology and science facilities.
The report shows senior boys’ schools are 13 percent more likely to offer computer lessons than girls’ schools and nearly three times more likely than mixed schools to provide such lessons. The national average for schools offering computer studies stands at 33.8 percent.
“Nearly two-thirds of the boy senior schools (62.1 percent) offer at least 12 examinable subjects compared to 58.5 percent of girl senior schools and 19 percent of mixed senior schools,” the report states.
Additionally, a senior boys’ school is approximately 13 percent more likely than a girls’ school and nearly three times more likely than a mixed school to own a chemistry or biology laboratory.
The findings suggest that boys’ schools generally enjoy better access to learning infrastructure and facilities compared to girls’ and mixed institutions.
The study also highlighted gender disparities in school leadership and teaching staff, noting that although women teach across all levels of education, men continue to dominate leadership positions.
According to the report, the teaching profession becomes increasingly male-dominated at higher education levels, with women accounting for 58 percent of teachers in primary schools, 51 percent in junior schools and only 43 percent in senior schools.
“Women are under-represented in the leadership of senior schools, except for girl schools where women are 84 percent of the school heads,” the report states.
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects were also found to be largely dominated by male teachers, a trend the report says gives boys comparatively stronger support in STEM pathways.
The report further raised concerns over limited access to hygiene facilities in schools, warning that inadequate amenities may negatively affect girls’ comfort, dignity, attendance and participation in learning as they progress through school.
Children in female-headed households at higher risk of missing school
The report also revealed that children living in female-headed households are more likely to be out of school, raising concerns over growing education inequalities among vulnerable families.
According to the findings, girls who are out of school remain among the most vulnerable groups, with an out-of-school teenage girl being 12 times more likely to experience early pregnancy than one still in school.
“No child is more disadvantaged than a girl out of school — an out-of-school teenage girl is 12 times as likely as her in-school counterpart to suffer early pregnancy,” the report states.
However, the study found a different pattern in refugee communities, where children living in male-headed households are more likely to be out of school.
The report also established a strong relationship between parental education levels and school attendance.
“A child in a household headed by an adult without formal education is almost 10 times as likely to be out of school as his or her counterpart in a household headed by at least a degree holder,” the report says.
Further, boys living with disabilities were found to be marginally more likely to miss school than girls with disabilities.
The study estimates that about 15 percent of women aged between 15 and 49 in Kenya are single mothers, while nearly 30 percent of households in urban areas such as Nairobi and Mombasa are headed by women.
According to the report, many single mothers face economic challenges, with more than 65 percent working in the informal sector and earning about 40 percent less than married women, factors that increase the likelihood of educational disruption for children.
The research, conducted between June and July 2025, concludes that persistent inequalities in school resources, leadership, access to STEM opportunities and family socio-economic conditions continue to shape educational outcomes across the country.
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