Conflicting claims on board and status of Cathedral Vidya School near Lonavala

The Cathedral Vidya School has a campus at Shilatne, near Lonavala in Pune district. It is a residential, or boarding, school and is said to be linked to the Cathedral Educational Group. According to current school directories, it began in 2008. It is co-educational and the medium of instruction is English. The directories give its address as opposite the Mumbai-Pune highway, Shilatne village, National Highway 4, Pune 410405.

The problem is that much of the information online contradicts itself. Some listings call the school ICSE, some Cambridge and some IB. One directory describes Cambridge teaching from Class 2 to Class 12, while another calls it an IB school teaching up to senior secondary. The class range is similarly inconsistent: one listing says Class 2 to 12, another nursery to Class 10.

The school's own website, which the directories cite, could not be opened during this check. In addition, a current business listing shows the Shilatne location as permanently closed. Even so, several school-admission directories are advertising admissions for 2026-27. The admission status can therefore be confirmed only by asking the school directly.

The fee figures also vary. One directory lists annual tuition of about Rs 6.5 lakh for 2026-27, with admission fees and activity or development charges stated separately. Another source gives about Rs 7.5 lakh for a different class. A third listing puts the starting boarding fee at about Rs 8.5 lakh a year. The differences could be due to different classes, boarding or day-school arrangements, or outdated figures. None of them can be treated as the confirmed fee for 2026-27.

On facilities, the directories mention a library, computer lab, science lab, robotics lab, sports complex, playground, swimming pool, gym and medical room. Sports listed are swimming, horse riding, skating, karate, taekwondo and yoga. Arts and activities include art and craft, dance, debate, drama, music, gardening and picnics or excursions. For safety, CCTV, GPS bus tracking and student tracking are mentioned. All of this is information from third-party listings. The presence of a robotics lab does not prove that AI or coding is taught as a formal subject at the school.

Parents are advised to get information from the school in writing before admission. They should ask whether the school is currently operating, which board the child's class follows, which classes are running now and whether boarding is available. They should also get the total cost for the full year in writing, covering tuition, boarding, food, uniform, books, transport and medical charges. For a boarding school, they should also ask about night-time hostel supervision, counsellor and medical support, and arrangements for children's safety. Visiting the campus to see the facilities first-hand would be best, since the school's current status is unclear.