New Report Reveals Performance Gaps Among Nairobi Day Schools

A fresh national assessment has exposed wide disparities in academic performance and resources among day schools across Nairobi, underscoring the uneven landscape of learning in the capital. The report, titled State of Education in Kenya, was compiled by the Zizi Afrique Foundation and Usawa Agenda, and launched on July 18, 2025. It highlights that only four out of ten Grade 4 pupils in public day schools are able to read and comprehend an English story at the expected Grade 3 level, raising urgent concerns about early-grade learning gaps.
The bulk of the findings draw a stark picture of how resource limitations contribute to performance gaps. The report singled out Nairobi’s day-school sector as facing particular pressure from overcrowded classrooms, insufficient STEM teachers, and inadequate ICT and laboratory facilities. Specifically, it found that only 21 % of junior-secondary teachers in public day schools had recent STEM training and that 35% of such institutions lacked a single STEM educator altogether. Furthermore, less than half of learners had access to functional science labs. The assessment points out that such structural deficits threaten to widen the divide between better-resourced schools and those in underserved urban areas.
The education community has responded with concern and a call to action. Day-school principals in Nairobi acknowledged the reality of dwindling performance, saying teachers struggle to support individual learners when class sizes swell and equipment is lacking. Parents voiced frustration, citing the promise of free primary and day-secondary education yet lamenting the absence of essential learning infrastructure. Analysts warn that while access to schooling has expanded, the quality of instruction in many day schools remains fragile — and without targeted interventions, students may continue to lag behind.
Looking ahead, the report recommends urgent steps to strengthen Nairobi’s day-school sector: increase teacher recruitment and training focused on STEM competence, upgrade ICT and laboratory infrastructure, and prioritise funding for day-schools in informal settlement zones. With the rollout of the junior-secondary phase of the curriculum on the horizon, stakeholders say now is the moment for Nairobi’s county and national authorities to close the quality gap and ensure that all day-school learners — regardless of background — receive an equitable and meaningful education.