Cavina School

A small Christian British prep school in Kilimani, founded in 1950 by H Massie-Blomfield, taking children from age 2 to 13 with around 200 pupils and a long track record of feeding senior schools in Kenya and abroad.

Cavina is unusual in the Nairobi market: a true prep school in the English tradition that ends at 13 and prepares children for senior school entrance rather than running its own secondary. The Christian assembly each weekday and the emphasis on character, service and outdoor adventure are central to how families talk about the school.

Demand outstrips supply. Waiting lists run around ten children per class, and Cavina pupils regularly win scholarships to leading senior schools in Kenya and to UK independents. Parents describe a lively, structured environment with strong pastoral care and a clear ethos. Families need to be comfortable with the explicitly Christian framing, and they need a clear plan for senior school transfer at 13. For families who want a small, traditional prep that takes character formation seriously, Cavina is the obvious choice in Nairobi.

• Online signal is small but consistent on the school's identity: a British-curriculum Christian prep school in Kilimani, hymn-and-prayer assembly each morning, ages two to thirteen.
• Demand outstrips places. Reporting and the school's own admissions notes describe a long waiting list, and registration fees are non-refundable and don't guarantee a spot.
• Directory ratings sit high (low review count, clustered around 4.6 to 4.7). Parents describe a small, traditional, disciplined environment with strong pastoral feel.
• Christian framing is explicit. Families of other faiths are welcomed but the school does not soften the religious identity, which suits some parents and rules others out.