Tier 3 · mid-marketprivateChristianboarding available
Per term: ₦600K–₦750K
Founded 1997500students
Dowen College is a coeducational day-and-boarding school in Lekki Phase 1, founded in 1997. It follows the Nigerian secondary curriculum with IGCSE add-ons from SS1. Roll is approximately 800 students with about a third boarding. Fees range from ₦1.8M to ₦2.2M annually.
Fee breakdown
Tuition range
₦1.8M–2.2M
/yr · 2025/2026
Estimated first-year total
₦2.2M
tuition + extras
Fees by year group
2025/2026 session — quoted per pupil per year.
Year group
Tuition
Weekly boarding
Full boarding
JSS
₦1,900,000
—
+₦2,100,000
SSS
₦2,000,000
—
+₦2,200,000
L
Lagos.Cool Editorial
2 May 2026 · 2 min read
About this school — Dowen College
Dowen College sits in the heart of Lekki Phase 1, making it one of the most conveniently located schools for Island families. At around ₦2M per year, it's among the most affordable options in the Lekki corridor. The school offers day and boarding options with a hybrid curriculum.
Dowen College was founded 1997 on Lekki Phase 1 as one of the earlier Lekki secondary schools. Nigerian curriculum with IGCSE add-on. The school's day + boarding mix (~70% day, 30% boarding) has been the pattern since inception. Dowen faces a specific reputational context — the 2021 pastoral incident affected the school's standing in the Lekki professional-family market and led to significant reforms in pastoral supervision, boarding protocols, and parent communication. The reforms include mandatory weekly housemaster check-ins with parents, an independent boarding ombudsman with direct parent-reporting authority, and mandatory parent notification for any disciplinary action. The school has rebuilt trust incrementally through 2022-2025.
Strengths & trade-offs
✓ Strengths
✓Day + boarding mix (~70% day, 30% boarding)
✓Lekki Phase 1 established location
✓Nigerian curriculum with IGCSE option
✓Serves Ajah and wider Lekki catchment
✓Sports strong (multiple Lagos Inter-School football champion)
Dowen admits via entrance examination held three times per year. JSS1 is the main entry; SS1 entry is available. Application fee is ₦25,000 non-refundable.
JS1 entrance examination held three times yearly (April, June, October) covering English, Mathematics, and Verbal Reasoning at end-of-primary level. Application fee ₦25,000. Sibling priority applies. Post-2021 admissions reforms include a mandatory parent orientation session on boarding protocols and the ombudsman channel. SS1 transfer entry available for pupils with satisfactory JS3 results. Interview with the Principal for all shortlisted candidates plus a parent interview.
Tuition is only part of the bill. Here's what families actually pay:
School bus (day)₦180,000–₦400,000/yr
Uniform₦60,000–₦120,000
Books + WAEC₦80,000–₦200,000/yr
Lunch (day) / meals included (boarding)₦150,000–₦250,000/yr (day)
Boarding additional₦400,000–₦600,000 on top of tuition
Campus & facilities
The 5-acre Lekki Phase 1 campus combines a main academic block with three boarding houses and a multi-purpose sports facility. Five science labs, a 250-seat hall, a 25m swimming pool, an outdoor football pitch, and a 6,000-volume library. The campus relies on a generator and inverter system; solar pending.
The 5-acre Lekki Phase 1 campus combines the main academic block with three boarding houses and multi-purpose sports facilities. Facilities include five science laboratories (physics, chemistry, biology, integrated science, food and nutrition), a 250-seat assembly hall, a 25m swimming pool, an outdoor football pitch, a 6,000-volume library, a computer laboratory, and boarding-related infrastructure. Boarding houses house approximately 200 pupils across senior secondary. Post-2021 pastoral reforms include upgraded CCTV coverage, dedicated boarding matrons per house, and standardised weekend visiting protocols. Power runs on grid + generator + inverter; solar is planned but not yet installed.
Yes — Dowen is approximately 70% day, 30% boarding. Day pupils are bussed from Lekki, Ajah, and parts of Victoria Island. Boarding is single-sex and available from JSS1 upwards.
Solid — typically 88%+ A1–C6 across cohort, with stronger results in the sciences than humanities. The school does not publish league-table rankings.
Dowen significantly tightened pastoral and boarding supervision after the 2021 case. There is now mandatory parent reporting on any disciplinary action, weekly housemaster check-ins, and an independent boarding ombudsman. The school has rebuilt trust slowly but transparently.
Yes — IGCSE is offered as an optional add-on at SS1–SS3. Pupils can sit Cambridge IGCSE in 5–8 subjects alongside their WAEC papers.
Football, basketball, swimming, athletics, table tennis, badminton, and volleyball. The school has been Lagos Inter-School football champion three times in the past decade.