From Suchitra to Sagebrook: Founder Praveen Raju’s Vision for India’s Next-Gen Education
Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], July 1: Praveen Raju is opening Sagebrook International School in July 2026, his fourth and most ambitious school after nearly two decades of building some of India’s top-ranked academic institutions. The new IB PYP candidate school in Hyderabad’s Financial District, founded in partnership with Whitgift School in the United Kingdom, brings together everything he has learned across that journey.
Praveen’s path into education began in 2007 at Indus International School Hyderabad, where he served as Executive Director. He went on to become the Founding Chairman of Indus Early Years, the group’s early childhood arm. In 2011, he founded Suchitra Academy, the school that would put him on the national map. Today, all three institutions sit among India’s top ten in their respective categories.
“Every school I have built has started with the same question,” Praveen says. “What does this generation of Indian children actually need to thrive in the world they will inherit?”
At Suchitra Academy, the answer became one of India’s most distinctive school models. The K-12 institution serves over 2,200 students and has been ranked the number one multi-sport school in India by Education World. It is featured in Fortune Magazine’s Future 50 Schools, sits among Forbes’ Great Indian Schools and is certified as a Great Place to Work. Praveen also founded the Suchitra Badminton Academy in 2016, where he personally mentored Badminton World Champion PV Sindhu through her early competitive years and trained world-class athletes including Boxing World Champion Nikhat Zareen.
His contributions extend well beyond the schools he has built. The Economic Times honoured him as a Technology Trailblazer. Education World featured him among the 25 Leaders Reinventing K-12 Education. He served as Co-Chairman of FICCI ARISE through 2023 and is now President of ARISE, the country’s largest network of school leaders working to transform Indian school education. He was also a key contributor to India’s National Education Policy.
Sagebrook is the natural next chapter. The school brings together the IB Primary Years Programme framework, the academic legacy of Whitgift School in the United Kingdom and a research-led approach to early childhood development. Designed by internationally recognised school architect Prakash Nair, the campus is built around biophilic and neuro-inclusive principles. Praveen sees it as the most complete expression yet of his core conviction.
“Sagebrook is where knowledge meets kindness,” he says. “Where education becomes a lifelong journey of meaning.”
Sagebrook International School welcomes its first cohort from Beginnings through Grade 2 in July 2026. Admissions are open. Visit www.sagebrook.in.
