What is a points sheet

Since the 2007 Ganguly Committee recommendations, Delhi private schools allocate a fixed 100-point template across published criteria. There is no national mandate that a school must publish, but the Directorate of Education has made it the practical norm — schools that do not publish risk pushback during the cycle.

The five categories you will see

  • Neighbourhood (distance from school). Typically 25-50 points. Bands: 0-1km, 1-3km, 3-6km, 6+km. The closer band gets the higher value.
  • Sibling. 20-30 points if a sibling currently studies in the same school.
  • Alumni. 5-15 points if either parent studied there.
  • Single child / first child. 5-10 points; intent is to spread access.
  • Girl child. 5-10 points at some schools. Schools that are co-ed and have a stated policy of gender balance use this.

What you can change vs what you cannot

Distance is fixed by your address — but if you are weighing a flat closer to a school you really want, the 15-20 point swing between bands can be the entire difference. Sibling and alumni are zero-or-one. Single-child is once-in-a-lifetime, so use it on a high-priority school.

Three quiet patterns

  1. The published sheet is not the only filter. Many schools have an undisclosed cutoff number — applications below X points never get a callback. Do not waste a slot on a school where your math says you are below cutoff.
  2. Tie-breakers are real. Two applicants with 75 points in a school with 80 seats? The tie-break is at the school's discretion. Documented criteria help; "management discretion" usually means existing-parent preference.
  3. The points sheet is a signal of the school's culture. A school that publishes a 100-point breakdown with no discretion line is being run carefully. A school that publishes 70 points and reserves 30 for "evaluation" is leaving room to play favourites.

One concrete recommendation

Calculate your points for each shortlisted school before you submit the form. If you score 65 in school A (which has a likely cutoff of 70) and 78 in school B (cutoff 75), bias the application to B even if A is your dream pick. The form is your shot, not your wish.