CBSE Appendix IX: The Public Disclosure Checklist for School Websites

Short answer: CBSE requires every affiliated school to publish a defined set of institutional information on its own website, in the prescribed Appendix IX format. A functional, current website is a condition of affiliation - for new applications and renewals alike. Incomplete disclosure is one of the easiest compliance failures for an inspector to spot, because it can be checked from a desk.

Confirm the current format before you publish. CBSE revises the Appendix IX format and its deadlines by circular. Check the live requirement in the Affiliation Bye-Laws and the latest circular on cbse.gov.in before finalising your page.

Why this one matters more than it looks

Most compliance work is invisible until an inspection. Public disclosure is the opposite: it is on the open internet, and anyone - a CBSE official, a competitor, a parent - can check it in two minutes.

It is also the cheapest failure to avoid. There is no system to procure and no process to redesign. It is a page on your website that has to be accurate and current.

What has to be disclosed

CBSE's prescribed format covers institutional information across these areas. Treat this as a working checklist and reconcile it against the current circular, since the exact fields are revised periodically.

General information

• School name, address, contact details and email
• Affiliation number and school code
• Principal's name, qualification and contact
• Year of establishment and of affiliation/upgradation

Documents and certificates (scanned copies, legible)

• Affiliation/upgradation letter with validity period
• Trust/Society/Company registration certificate
• NOC and recognition certificate, where applicable
• Building safety certificate
• Fire safety certificate
• DEO certificate for affiliation
• Water, health and sanitation certificates

Staff

• Principal and total teaching staff counts
• PGT, TGT and PRT numbers
• Teacher–student ratio
• Details of special educator, counsellor and wellness teacher

Infrastructure

• Campus area, number and size of classrooms
• Laboratories and library
• Internet and CCTV
• Toilets and drinking water facilities
• Playground and sports facilities

Academic results and fees

• Board result data for the prescribed years
• Fee structure
• Academic calendar, period of academic session
• Vacation and admission periods
• School Management Committee details
• Transport facility details

The mistakes inspectors actually find

1. Out-of-date documents. A fire safety certificate that expired last year is worse than a missing one - it shows the page is not maintained.

2. Unreadable scans. A phone photograph of a certificate at an angle, uploaded as a 4MB JPEG. If it cannot be read, it has not been disclosed.

3. Numbers that contradict other filings. Staff counts on the website that do not match UDISE+, or enrolment figures that disagree with the certified return. Inspectors cross-check.

4. A page that exists but is not reachable. Disclosure buried three levels deep with no navigation link. Link it from your homepage footer.

5. No review cycle. Published once at affiliation, never touched again.

A process that keeps it current

Public disclosure fails because it is nobody's recurring job. Fix that structurally:

• Assign one owner - usually the office administrator, not the web developer
• Set a quarterly review in the school calendar
• Track certificate expiry dates with a reminder 60 days ahead. Fire safety, building safety and water/sanitation certificates all expire; renewals take time.
• Reconcile against UDISE+ each year after certification, so the two agree
• Keep source documents in one place, so a renewal is a replacement rather than a search

If your institution tracks document expiry dates in a system, this becomes routine. VegaEdu's certificates and compliance module maintains institutional documents and exports the strength, staff and category reports that disclosure and inspections ask for, from the same data your office enters daily.

Related CBSE compliance

Public disclosure is one item in a larger cycle. Affiliation itself runs through the SARAS portal, and CBSE's notification dated 21 November 2025 removed the requirement for a state NOC from the 2026-27 session - schools can apply directly on SARAS. Verify current applicability for your state before relying on that.

During inspection, officials typically review admission registers, attendance records, financial records, fee receipts, staff appointment letters and salary disbursement proof. Every one of those is a record your office produces during the year. Whether the inspection is a two-hour exercise or a two-week scramble is decided long before the inspector arrives.

The checklist, condensed

• Disclosure page live, linked from the homepage
• Current CBSE format followed field by field
• All certificates scanned, legible, within validity
• Staff counts agree with UDISE+
• Fee structure current for this session
• Board results for the prescribed years
• Academic calendar published
• SMC details listed
• Named owner and quarterly review scheduled
• Certificate expiry reminders set 60 days ahead

Keep the records that feed it accurate through the year, and disclosure stops being an annual scramble. Start free for 14 days.

FAQs

Is a school website mandatory for CBSE affiliation? Maintaining a functional, informative website with the prescribed disclosures is a condition of affiliation for both new and existing schools under the Affiliation Bye-Laws.

What is Appendix IX? The prescribed format in which affiliated schools must publish institutional information - documents, staff, infrastructure, results and fees - on their own website.

How often should disclosure be updated? At minimum annually, and immediately whenever a certificate is renewed, fees change or staff numbers shift materially. A quarterly review is a practical cadence.

Does CBSE still require a state NOC? Per CBSE's notification dated 21 November 2025, the NOC requirement was removed from the 2026-27 session, with applications made directly on SARAS. Verify current applicability before relying on this.

Sources: CBSE Affiliation Bye-Laws, CBSE SARAS portal. Requirements are revised by circular - verify against the current official circular before acting.