Cities / Chennai / The Schram Academy
The Schram Academy
A long-running CBSE school in Maduravoyal, part of the locally run Schram group, offering Pre-KG to Class XII on a single co-educational campus.
In brief
A long-running CBSE school in Maduravoyal, part of the locally run Schram group, offering Pre-KG to Class XII on a single co-educational campus.
The Schram Academy was founded by the late Dr. Elizabeth Schram, whose first campus opened in Anna Nagar around 2000; the Maduravoyal campus followed soon after and is affiliated to the CBSE. It is one of several Schram campuses across Chennai, and the group's Cambridge and IGCSE provision sits at the separate Ayanambakkam campus rather than here. This site is CBSE only, running from early years through to Class XII, with around 1,100 students rather than the larger figures some listings carry. The current principal is Stella Pauline Punitha.
Families tend to come for a settled, value-driven CBSE education with the usual labs, sports, and activities, and fees that sit in the accessible-to-mid range for Chennai. Independent commentary is light, so prospective parents lean on campus visits and the academy's own admissions team for current fees, class sizes, and senior-school results.
Reviews
Families who write about the Maduravoyal campus tend to describe a warm, hands-on day-to-day: teachers and front-line staff who come across as caring and approachable, tidy classrooms, and a full calendar of sports, competitions and stage activities where children get their talents noticed. The friction shows up higher up. The recurring complaints are about management rather than the classroom: a newer principal parents and students describe as dismissive of their concerns, a handful of accounts of harsh staff conduct, and a strict, conservative discipline culture, including children reporting that girls are kept from mixing with boys. Academically the worry that comes up is pacing, with the syllabus not always finished on time and revision felt to be thin before exams. The campus itself is light on open play space, and the surrounding stretch is busy and polluted.
Positives
- Teachers and staff. Parents repeatedly describe the teachers and support staff as kind, approachable and genuinely invested in the children, and say they are happy with the people their kids deal with day to day.
- Activities and sports. Families single out the breadth of extracurriculars, sports and stage events, with children's talents shown off and encouraged rather than sidelined behind academics.
- Affordable, no hidden fees. Fees sit toward the accessible end for Chennai, and parents note the absence of constant extra charges on top of the headline fee.
Considerations
- Management and the principal. The sharpest theme is friction with management. Parents and students describe the newer principal as not respecting student opinions or concerns, and several accounts point to rigid, top-down handling rather than the classroom teaching.
- Staff conduct. A run of accounts allege harsh handling by some staff, including claims of bullying and body-shaming of students and the abrupt dismissal of physical-education teachers.
- Strict, gendered discipline. The culture reads as conservative and tightly policed, with students reporting that girls are strictly kept from talking to boys.
- Syllabus pacing and revision. On academics the recurring gripe is pacing: portions of the syllabus are not always completed on time and revision before exams is felt to be insufficient.
- Outdoor space and surroundings. The site is short on real playground space, and the immediate area is described as busy and polluted, which families weigh against the otherwise clean classrooms.
Leadership
Stella Pauline Punitha
Dr. Elizabeth Schram was a scholar, visionary, and educator whose life reflected a deep commitment to excellence and compassion. A gold medalist from Madras University and an alumna of Women’s Christian College, she began her career at Wilson College, Mumbai. Her love for learning and her belief in the power of education inspired generations of students and educators. In 2000, she founded The Schram Academy—an institution built on the principles of integrity, curiosity, and lifelong learning. Under her leadership, TSA grew into one of Chennai’s most respected schools, known for its holistic approach and global standards. Though she passed away in 2019, her legacy continues to shape the Academy’s mission empowering every student to discover their potential and make a meaningful impact on the world.