The school is a full boarding school for students from 5th grade to A-Level, aged 10 to 19. Although the school is governed as a Public Educational Trust, it charges tuition fees for most students and also receives funding from the Ministry of Education. This makes the school a blend of private and public school. Approximately one-third of the students receive scholarships based on merit and need.
Students must pass an entrance exam to gain admission into the school. Normally, entrance examinations are taken for entry into class 5 and post SLC levels. This is intended to continue the high academic status of the school. Out of 118 students who took the School Leaving Certificate Examination 2014, 103 secured Distinction and the rest 15 students passed in the First Division.. Budhanilkantha School was the first school to introduce GCE Advanced Level in Nepal. It currently offers A-Levels in Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Economics, Business Studies, Computer Science, Accounting and English Language. It is compulsory for students to sit exams in five subjects. Mathematics and English Language have to be studied by all students. Most students choose to study science-based subjects and some choose to combine sciences and social sciences. In A-Level exams of the year 2010, 12% of entries from the school secured grade A* and 30% entries secured grade A. 56% entries from the school secured more than or equal to grade B. 73% of the total entries, excluding General Paper, was on either math or science subjects. Budhanilkantha students regularly feature in the Cambridge outstanding achiever list as the best achieving A-Level candidates in Nepal and worldwide.samriddha
Governance
The school is managed under the Public Educational Trust. The Ministry for Education being the main trustee, the Board of Trustees is chaired by the Education Secretary of Nepal. The School Management Committee is responsible for the formulation, implementation, and monitoring of all policy-level matters. The Principal takes care of the day-to-day administration with the help of two Vice-Principals, Chief Administrative Officer and a team of Senior Management Team. The school is also supported by Friends of Budhanilkantha School, the parents' representative association and the Society of Ex-Budhanilkantha Students. They also actively participate in the school governance. The present principal of the school is Hom Nath Acharya. There are currently two vice principals in the school; Mr. Atiram K C and Mrs. Timila Shakya Acharya. The list of Headmasters/Principals of the school are as follows:
