School Admissions in Peshawar: When to Apply, Documents, Tests and Open Days

Admissions in Peshawar run on several calendars at once. Government schools follow a provincial semester calendar, private schools set their own year, and cadet colleges recruit for the following year from autumn onwards. On 4 November 2026 SchoolNama held 141 Peshawar campus records, and none of them is marked as having admissions open; their notes ask parents to contact the school or campus office for current admissions. SchoolNama's events file holds no Peshawar open day, and its notices file holds no Peshawar school admission notice; its three Peshawar notices are BISE Peshawar exam notices. Every date below comes from a school page, an official page or a report we opened on 4 November 2026.

When do government schools take children in? KP's Elementary and Secondary Education Department has moved primary-to-middle classes onto semesters. Its semester system policy page sets the summer zone's fall semester from 1 September to 31 December and its spring semester from 16 January to 31 May, with summer vacations from 1 June to 31 August; in the winter zone the spring semester runs from 1 March to 30 June and the fall semester from 1 August. Dawn reported on 27 April 2026 that in summer-zone government schools 'the academic year will commence on Sept 1', and quoted a headmaster as saying parents would have to wait till September to enrol children in government schools. The page we read does not list which districts fall in each zone, so ask the school or district education office which calendar applies to you. For 2026-27, Dawn reported on 6 March 2026 that the province had set a target of enrolling 1,328,620 children; Dunya News reported the same figure on 7 March. We found no 2027-28 enrolment schedule on the department's home page.

Private schools work to a different year. In the same 27 April report, Dawn said 'the academic year starts in April and ends in March in private schools', and described a pupil who could not move from a private school into a government school mid-session because the two calendars do not line up. Dawn reported on 11 May 2026 that the KP Private Schools Regulatory Authority had decided to extend the semester system to private schools, with a committee to decide when; we found no notice confirming that it has taken effect. So, for now, expect most private schools to admit for an April start, and check with each school.

What did Peshawar schools publish for 2026-27? These sessions have passed, but they show the timing. The Agricultural University Public School and College, Peshawar, posted a notice on 17 February 2026 for Nursery to Class 9: forms cost Rs 600 from 20 February, the last date was 12 March, the test was on 16 March and results were due on 26 March 2026. Peshawar Public School and College's noticeboard carried an 'Admissions Open' item for 4 April to 31 May 2026 saying limited seats were available in all grades, and its news section listed walk-in interviews and a first provisional merit list for 2026-27. The Peshawar Model Educational Network's admissions page still described admissions for the academic session 2026 when we opened it, listed five Peshawar campuses including Boys-I, Boys-IV, Hayatabad, Nasir Bagh and the Dalazak girls' campus, and asked families to apply for registration online or contact the campus. None of these schools had a 2027-28 date on the pages we read.

Which windows are open now? The clearest is a cadet college outside the province that tests in Peshawar. ProPakistani reported on 27 October 2026 that Cadet College Larkana is taking applications for Classes VII and VIII until 26 December 2026, with an entry test on 10 January 2027, and that Peshawar is among its examination centres, although the administration may cancel or shift a centre if too few candidates apply. Forms and prospectuses cost Rs 3,000. Closer to home, Cadet College Swat's page for its Class VIII intake for 2027-28 asked candidates to register before 1 November 2026, so that window has closed; its written test is on 21 November 2026, with Peshawar listed as a centre, and interviews follow in December 2026. Cadet College Kohat's portal for its 63rd entry to Class 8 shows a registration deadline of 20 October 2026 and a test on 25 October 2026, with Peshawar among the centres, so that cycle has passed. Cadet College Razmak's site shows an admission notice for Class 8th 2027 with a downloadable form, but the page text gave no dates, so check the form or call the college.

Are tests and interviews common? Yes. Every school whose page described a process used a test, an interview or both. The City School, which lists Peshawar among the cities where it offers A Level, says registration is open throughout the year but does not guarantee a place; from Class I it sets a 30-minute test in English, Urdu and Mathematics with a 50 percent pass mark, and it schedules interviews with both parents. The Agricultural University school held a single test day in its 2026 cycle. Cadet College Swat's written test has three 100-mark papers: English, Maths and General Science, and Urdu and Islamiat, with interviews and medical tests for those who qualify. Cadet College Larkana's test covers English, Mathematics, Urdu or Sindhi, Islamiat, Social Studies, Science and General Knowledge, ProPakistani reported. For preparation, see /news/school-admission-test-preparation, and for tutoring, /tutors.

Ages decide eligibility for cadet colleges, and the cut-off dates differ. Cadet College Swat wants Class VIII candidates aged 12 to 14 on 31 March 2027, who have passed Class 7 by March 2027, with a six-month upper waiver for a Hafiz-e-Quran. Cadet College Kohat's portal also uses 12 to 14 years on 31 March 2027. Cadet College Larkana counts age on 30 June 2027: 11 to 13 for Class VII and 12 to 14 for Class VIII, according to ProPakistani. For early years, none of the Peshawar school pages we read published an age table, so ask each school. Our guide /news/class-1-admission-age-pakistan explains how cut-offs work, and /news/best-time-to-apply-school-admission-pakistan covers timing more broadly.

What documents will you need? The City School asks for two recent passport-size photographs and an attested photocopy of the birth certificate, with extra records for transfer students. Cadet College Swat says its required documents are listed on the application form, which goes by post or courier along with a Rs 3,000 registration fee; Cadet College Kohat charges a non-refundable Rs 5,000 registration fee paid at Askari Bank. Keep the child's B-Form and the last school's report card ready too, and ask each school for its own list. Our wider checklist is at /news/school-admission-documents-pakistan.

Check that a private school is registered. The KP Private Schools Regulatory Authority's site links to a register of registered private schools in KP and offers a school verification tool, and it tells parents to check whether their child is enrolled in a registered school. It points complaints to the Pakistan Citizen Portal.

Where can parents find open days? We found no dated open day for the 2027-28 intake on any Peshawar school page we read on 4 November 2026, and SchoolNama's events file holds none for the city. The City School's admissions page links to a tour-booking page. For other schools, ask for a visit directly, ideally before the school's registration closes.

Because seats are limited, apply to more than one school and keep every deadline and test date in one calendar. Build a shortlist on the Peshawar city page (/peshawar), compare options with /compare, and see /news/best-schools-in-peshawar, /news/best-o-level-schools-in-peshawar, /news/best-matric-schools-in-peshawar, /news/low-fee-schools-in-peshawar or /news/school-fees-in-peshawar for a wider view. Then confirm dates with each school directly, since none of the Peshawar day schools we looked at had published a 2027-28 deadline.