Once on the brink of closure, the Jalindarnagar Zilla Parishad School at Khed, Pune, is one of the 10 finalists, across different categories, for T4 Education’s prestigious World’s Best School Prizes 2025, underscoring the transformative power of community participation. Three other Indian schools among the top 10 are: Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Faridabad, Ekya School in Bengaluru and Delhi Public School, Varanasi.

Established in 2006, the Marathi-medium public school was facing closure only two years ago, as it had only three students. As per state norms, schools with fewer than 10 students are typically shut down. However, through collective and visionary efforts by the local community, the school revived itself and now proudly serves 120 students from Std I to VII — all while wearing an international crown of excellence.

Dattatray Ware, the principal of the school