CBSE board toolLast checked 12 October 20265 official sources
CBSE school affiliation and Mandatory Public Disclosure check
Before paying an admission fee, I want to check that a school really is CBSE affiliated, up to the class my child needs, and that it publishes what CBSE requires.
Quick answer
Do two checks. First, search the school on SARAS, CBSE's list of affiliated schools. Its record shows the affiliation number, the level (Secondary or Senior Secondary) and the affiliation period, with a from and a to date. Second, open the school's own website. CBSE requires a "Mandatory Public Disclosure" link on the home page. That page follows a fixed format, Appendix IX, with 36 items in five parts: general information, documents, results and academics, teaching staff, and infrastructure. The revised format from Circular 1/2026 also asks for each teacher's name, designation and qualification. The checker below follows that format line by line and runs in your browser.
CurrentApplies to 2027-28 admissions (format in force since Circular 1/2026)Last checked 12 October 2026
This page may be out of date. It was due for a re-check on 12 January 2027. Confirm every rule with the official source before acting on it.
From CBSE's affiliation circulars on SARAS. We check the SARAS circulars list for any new disclosure circular and update the checklist the same day if Appendix IX changes.
Is this school's CBSE record good enough to move on to a visit?[1]
✓
Do it now
Move on to the visit
SARAS shows the level your child needs and a current period, and the disclosure page covers most of the 36 items.
?
Check first
Ask the school in writing first
The period on SARAS has ended, the level stops at Class 10 when you need Class 11, or whole parts of the disclosure are missing.
!
Get help
Not on SARAS at all
Try every search mode and the closed-schools list, then ask the school for its affiliation number. If the school can't settle it, contact the CBSE regional office.
Key dates and rules
📌Where to search
SARAS, CBSE's affiliation portal: List of Affiliated Schools[1]
📌Levels on SARAS
Secondary Level (up to Class 10) or Senior Secondary Level (up to Class 12)[1]
📌Initial affiliation
5 years since Circular 03/2021 (it was 3 years)[2]
📌Disclosure link
On the school's home page, under an icon named "Mandatory Public Disclosure"[3]
15 February 2026, set by Circular 1/2026 of 12 January 2026[4]
The steps, in order
1
Find the school on SARAS
Open CBSE's List of Affiliated Schools and search by name or town, or by affiliation number if you have it. Match the address and PIN code if the school has branches.[1]
Have ready
The school's name and town, or its affiliation number
2
Read the View page
Note the affiliation number, the status (Secondary or Senior Secondary Level) and the affiliation period's to date.[1]
Have ready
Somewhere to note three values
3
Run step 1 of the checker
Enter the status, the to date and the class your child is joining. The checker compares the date with today's date in India.[1]
Have ready
The three values from SARAS
4
Open the disclosure page
Find the "Mandatory Public Disclosure" icon on the school's home page and go through the 36 items in the checker, opening each document.[4]
Have ready
The school's website address (SARAS lists it)
5
Print and take it to the visit
Print the check with the missing items listed. Ask about them at the visit and note the school's answers.[4]
Have ready
A printer, or a phone to save the page as PDF
6
Save the fee structure
Item C1 is the fee structure. Save a copy, as a screenshot or PDF, on the day you apply.[4]
Have ready
The disclosure page, item C1
This checker runs in your browser and sends nothing anywhere. The school name you type for the printout stays on this page. It reports what SARAS shows and what the disclosure page contains, and leaves the judgement to you. The items are from the revised Appendix IX attached to CBSE Circular No. 1/2026, checked 12 October 2026. The period lines compare your date with today's date in India, worked out when you open the page.
Items in each part of the revised Appendix IX
From the revised Appendix IX attached to CBSE Circular No. 1/2026. Source[4]
How the disclosure rule grew
From CBSE affiliation circulars 03/2021, 09/2021 and 1/2026. Source[4]
The SARAS fields that matter to a parent
Field on SARAS
What it tells you
Affiliation Number
Quote it whenever you ask CBSE about the school. It should match item A2 on the school's disclosure page.
Status of The School
Secondary Level: affiliated up to Class 10. Senior Secondary Level: up to Class 12.
Affiliation Period
A from date and a to date. The school applies on SARAS to extend it.
School Type
The kind of school, as CBSE records it.
Name of Trust/Society/Managing Committee
Who runs the school.
Field names as printed on a school's View page on SARAS. The list page also shows the school code, state and district, head's name, address and website.[1]
The revised Appendix IX: 36 items in 5 parts
Part
Items
What it covers
A. General information
7 items
Name, affiliation number, school code, address with PIN code, principal's name and qualification, email, phone
B. Documents
8 items
Affiliation letter and extension, trust or society registration, NOC, RTE recognition, building safety, fire safety, DEO certificate or self-certification, drinking water and sanitation certificates with the water testing report
C. Results and academics
5 items
Fee structure, academic calendar, SMC list, PTA list, last three years' Class X and XII board results
D. Teaching staff
7 items
Principal, vice principal, headmistress or headmaster, teacher counts (PGT, TGT, PRT), teacher-section ratio, special educator, counsellor and wellness teacher; name, designation and qualification by link
E. Infrastructure
9 items
Campus area, classrooms, labs, library, internet, girls', boys' and CWSN toilets, YouTube link to the inspection video
From the "Appendix IX Revised Format" attached to CBSE Circular No. 1/2026 (pp. 4-6). The full item list is in the checker above.[4]
What the 2026 format added to the 2021 one
Part
2021 format
Revised format (2026)
B8
Water, health and sanitation certificates
Drinking water, health and sanitation certificates, plus the water testing report
D. Teaching staff
5 items, details only
7 items: vice principal and headmistress or headmaster added; name, designation and qualification by link
E. Infrastructure
7 items
9 items: library size and CWSN toilets added
We compared the two formats item by item: Appendix IX in Circular 03/2021 (32 items) and the revised Appendix IX in Circular 1/2026 (36 items).[4]
What goes wrong
Picking the wrong branch
What happens: A name search for a common school name returns a long list, and you read another campus's record.[1]
Fix: Search by affiliation number, or match the address and PIN code.
Missing the level
What happens: A Secondary Level school is affiliated only up to Class 10, which matters for a child joining Class 11.[1]
Fix: Read the status line on the View page before anything else.
Counting links instead of opening them
What happens: A page lists every item, but the certificates have lapsed or the links are dead.[4]
Fix: Open each document. Mark lapsed certificates as out of date and dead links as not found.
Accepting staff totals only
What happens: The page gives teacher counts but no names or qualifications, which the revised format asks for.[4]
Fix: Mark items D1 to D7 as not found until names, designations and qualifications are there.
Variants: when the steps change
If this is you
What changes
Child joining Nursery to Class 8
Check that SARAS lists the school at all, then look at the documents in part B.[1]
Child joining Class 11 or 12
SARAS must show Senior Secondary Level. If it shows Secondary, ask the school how its Class 11 and 12 students are registered for the board exam.[1]
New school, opened recently
Initial affiliation is for five years. Look at the from and to dates on SARAS and the affiliation letter (item B1).[2]
What SARAS tells you
SARAS is CBSE's own affiliation portal, and its list of affiliated schools is open to anyone. You can search by name or address, affiliation number, state, region or school level. Each result shows the affiliation number and school code, the state and district, the level, the head's name, the address and the school's website. Click View to see the full record.
For a parent, the level and the affiliation period matter most. Secondary Level means the school is affiliated up to Class 10, and Senior Secondary Level means up to Class 12. If your child is joining Class 11, look at the level first. Since Circular 03/2021, a school that meets all the bye-law requirements gets an initial affiliation of five years (it used to be three), and it applies to extend that before the period ends.[1]
The Mandatory Public Disclosure page
Clause 2.4.9 of CBSE's Affiliation Bye-Laws says every affiliated school must run a website with its affiliation status, infrastructure, teachers and their qualifications, number of students, postal and email address, phone numbers, copies of transfer certificates issued, and fees. Circular 03/2021 added a fixed format for this, Appendix IX, to be uploaded at a prominent place on the website.
Circular 09/2021 then told schools to put it on the home page, under an icon called "Mandatory Public Disclosure" that is easy to see. It also made the disclosure a precondition for granting or extending affiliation.[3]
Circular 1/2026: teachers' details and a deadline
In January 2026 CBSE wrote to schools again. Circular 1/2026 says details of teachers and their qualifications were "invariably not found" on school websites. It asked schools to publish the revised Appendix IX by 15 February 2026. The revised format adds a vice principal and a headmistress or headmaster, named staff lists, library size, CWSN toilets and a water testing report. The circular says non-compliance will be treated as a violation of clause 12.2.3, which can lead to a penalty under Chapter 12 of the bye-laws.
Schools must also post an annual report on the website before 15 September every year (clause 14.5, as quoted in the same circular). It covers the affiliation status and period, teachers' qualifications and training, results, PTA activities and important SMC decisions.[4]
Reading the disclosure carefully
A disclosure page can exist and still say very little. Open the document behind each link. Fire and building safety certificates carry validity dates, so check those. The board results table should have three years and real numbers. The teacher list should give names and qualifications as well as totals. Blank cells and dead links count as not found.[4]
Tips and tricks
Search SARAS by affiliation number when you have it. A name search for a common name returns a long list.
If the school has branches, match the address and PIN code so you're looking at the right campus.
If a school isn't in the main list, try the "Disaffiliated/Closed schools" search too.
The fee structure is item C1 of the disclosure. Save a copy on the day you apply.
Look at the date on the fire safety certificate. The format asks for a valid one.
The YouTube inspection video (item E9) shows labs and the library before you visit.
Free printable
Print the working copy
School affiliation check: our sheet: one A4 page, black and white, with the decision, every step with a date box, and blanks to fill in.
School affiliation check: our sheet
Parents choosing a CBSE school for 2027-28
Decide
Is this school's CBSE record good enough to move on to a visit?
Do it now: Move on to the visit
Check first: Ask the school in writing first
Get help: Not on SARAS at all
Checklist
Done
Step
Date
Found on SARAS (right branch)
Level fits the class my child is joining
Period current, or extension letter seen
Disclosure link on the home page
Teacher names and qualifications listed
Safety certificates valid
Fee structure saved
School name and branch
Affiliation number (SARAS)
Status on SARAS
Affiliation period: from and to
Disclosure items found (of 36)
Items missing or out of date
Date checked
Source: CBSE Circular No. 1/2026. Check the official circular before you act. correctpath.in/cbse/school-affiliation-check/
Every step above cites a numbered source; the full list is at the end of the page. If the board issues a newer circular, it overrides this page.
Questions people ask
How do I check if a school is CBSE affiliated?
Search it on SARAS, CBSE's affiliation portal, under "List of Affiliated Schools". You can search by name or address, affiliation number, state, region or school level. The View page shows the affiliation number, the level and the affiliation period.[1]
What is a CBSE affiliation number and where do I find it?
It is the number CBSE gives an affiliated school. It appears in the school's SARAS record, and schools must also list it on their Mandatory Public Disclosure page as item A2.[4]
What does "Secondary Level" mean on SARAS?
The school is affiliated up to Class 10. "Senior Secondary Level" means up to Class 12.[1]
How long is CBSE affiliation valid?
SARAS shows an affiliation period with a from and a to date for each school. Since Circular 03/2021, the initial affiliation for a school that meets all the requirements is five years. Schools apply on SARAS to extend it.[2]
What must a CBSE school show on its website?
A "Mandatory Public Disclosure" page linked from the home page, in the Appendix IX format. The revised format has 36 items in five parts: general information, documents, results and academics, teaching staff, and infrastructure. It also asks for each teacher's name, designation and qualification.[4]
What was the 15 February 2026 deadline?
Circular 1/2026, dated 12 January 2026, asked every CBSE school to publish teachers' details in the revised Appendix IX format by 15 February 2026.[4]
The school isn't on SARAS. What now?
Try the other search modes, including the "Disaffiliated/Closed schools" search on the same page. If it still doesn't appear, ask the school for its affiliation number in writing and search that number.[1]