Netarhat is made of two words: "Netar" & "Hat". In Sanskrit, Netar means bamboo and Hat means market or collection. Netarhat got its name because of the large number of bamboo trees on and around the plateau it is located upon.

Established in 1954 with the initiatives of then chief minister of Bihar, Dr. Shri Krishna Singh, Netarhat soon became the number one school in Bihar and it still continues to hold its supremacy in Bihar and Jharkhand.

Getting admission in Netarhat school is not a piece of cake. Competitors from all over the state have to go through three rounds of exams, held one after the other. The first exam is the prelims, followed by main and interview. Students are admitted into class six.

The schooling system in Netarhat is completely based upon the ancient "gurukul" system. Hostels are called "ashrams", teachers "shriman ji", and wives of teachers "mata ji". Seniors' name are always suffixed by "ji" All the staffs are also called by putting "ji" after their names.

Netarhat Vidyalay (or school) consists of twenty one ashrams and seven sets. Each set has three ashrams. Sets are named from one through seven whereas ashrams have been given their names based on Indian culture, history and civilization. Following list presents the names of seven sets and the corresponding ashrams:                   

Here are a few pictures of the school: