About Berekum Senior High
Berekum Senior High was established in 1970 after local leaders and the Berekum Youth Association decided the town needed a stronger secondary-school option of its own. Before then, many students who passed the common entrance examination had to leave Berekum for places such as Kumasi, Cape Coast or Accra.
The school that emerged from that community effort is now widely known as BESS and serves a mixed day-and-boarding population.
Students at BESS can choose Agricultural Science, Business, General Arts, General Science, Home Economics and Visual Arts, with the programme pages showing what each choice covers.
School information
- School code
- 0060301
- Category
- B
- Classification
- Senior High School
- Gender
- Mixed
- Residential
- Day & Boarding
Programmes Offered
6 listedExplore the programmes currently verified for this school.
History
Berekum Senior High was established in 1970 through the joint efforts of the Berekum Traditional Council and the Berekum Youth Association.
A local history of the school explains that the community renovated its centre for use as the first school facility and actively travelled to surrounding villages to encourage enrolment.
F. O. Asante became the first headmaster when the school began operating in 1970.
BESS grew from a local decision that young people in Berekum should not have to leave town simply to find a viable secondary education.
Academics
The current school register lists Agricultural Science, Business, Home Economics, Visual Arts, General Arts and General Science at BESS.
That gives you several academic directions within one school, but each programme leads to a different combination of electives and later admission options.
The Agricultural Science guide shows what students study in that option at BESS.
Admissions & Entry Guidance
If Berekum Senior High is on your list after BECE, your application will go through the national placement system. Read through the subjects in Agricultural Science, Business, General Arts, General Science, Home Economics and Visual Arts before making BESS one of your choices.
Use the CSSPS website to see your BESS result and whether the place is for a day student or a boarder.
Facilities
Public profiles of BESS list classrooms, an ICT laboratory, a science laboratory and a library among the school's academic facilities.
Those spaces support a large mixed school, while boarding also depends on dormitory, dining, sanitation and security arrangements.
Student Life
BESS students take part in sport, clubs, leadership and community activities alongside their academic work.
In 2026, students from Berekum Senior High participated in a blood-donation exercise supporting the Sunyani Teaching Hospital blood bank.
That kind of activity gives students a practical example of community service rather than leaving the idea as something discussed only in speeches.
Accommodation
Both day students and boarders attend Berekum Senior High. At BESS, boarders remain on campus after lessons while day students travel home.
If you get a place at BESS, check whether your placement says boarding or day.