St. Augustine's College: AUGUSCO Makes History as First School To Lose 3 Consecutive NSMQ Finale
- St. Augustine's College reached the NSMQ Grand Finale for the third consecutive year in 2026, continuing a remarkable but painful run
- AUGUSCO fell to different champions across all three finals, facing Mfantsipim twice and PRESEC-Legon in the most recent edition
- The Cape Coast school, a two-time NSMQ champion, is yet to convert any of its three straight final appearances into a title
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St. Augustine's College has become the first school in the history of the National Science and Maths Quiz to lose three consecutive Grand Finals, after suffering another defeat at the 2026 edition of the competition held at the UG Premier Domes on 10 September 2026.
Source: Facebook
PRESEC-Legon claimed the 2026 championship with 40 points, while Accra Academy finished second with 33 points in the school's historic first Grand Finale appearance.
AUGUSCO, as the Cape Coast school is widely known, placed third with 27 points, ending what had been another strong campaign without silverware.
AUGUSCO's three-year run of final heartbreak
The school's sequence of Grand Finale appearances began in 2024, when AUGUSCO returned to the decisive stage after a four-year absence.
That contest produced a narrow defeat to Mfantsipim School, who won with 47 points to AUGUSCO's 46, with Keta Senior High Technical School finishing third on 33 points.
A year later, AUGUSCO returned to face Mfantsipim again in the 2025 NSMQ Grand Finale.
The defending champions retained their title comfortably, finishing on 56 points, while AUGUSCO accumulated 42 points in second place. Opoku Ware School came third with 29 points.
2026 campaign ends in third place
The 2026 edition appeared to offer AUGUSCO a genuine opportunity to break the cycle.
The school advanced to the Grand Finale by defeating five-time champions Prempeh College and Pope John Senior High School and Minor Seminary in the semi-final, finishing that contest with 52 points.
It was a performance that pointed to a school capable of going all the way.
However, PRESEC-Legon proved too strong in the final, and AUGUSCO could not maintain the level that had carried them through the earlier rounds.
The three consecutive runner-up and third-place finishes represent an unusual combination of sustained excellence and persistent disappointment for a school that has already won the NSMQ title twice.
Full list of NSMQ winners from 1914 to 2026
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported on the full list of NSMQ winners from 1994 to 2026, following PRESEC-Legon’s ninth championship.
The school defeated Accra Academy and St Augustine’s College in the 2026 grand finale to strengthen its position as the competition’s most successful institution.
The latest victory extends a rivalry that has involved Ghana’s leading senior high schools for more than three decades. With PRESEC-Legon now ahead of Prempeh College and other multiple-time champions, the NSMQ record continues to reflect the country’s strongest academic traditions.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
