Massive new private school launching in the Western Cape
A new private school will soon open in the Western Cape as Apex Education prepares to launch Apex Pinelands in Conradie Park, Pinelands.
The school is being developed through a partnership with Concor, the company responsible for transforming the precinct.
Conradie Park was once an underused piece of land but has now been rebuilt as a mixed-use community with affordable housing, schools, healthcare services, shops, and green spaces.
The goal is to create a neighbourhood where people can live, work, learn, and relax in one connected environment.
Apex Pinelands will open in January 2026 with its first Grade 1 and Grade 8 learners. The high school will start with 100 learners, who will attend classes in a heritage hall while the new campus is being built.
Construction is expected to finish by December 2026. When complete, the campus will offer Grade R to 12 and accommodate up to 1,720 learners.
The development will also create more than 70 jobs in the area, supporting community growth and providing new opportunities for residents.
The Western Cape’s Provincial Minister of Education, David Maynier, welcomed the project. He said the partnership is an important step in expanding access to good schools in the province.
According to Maynier, Apex Pinelands will offer thousands of children better learning opportunities and shows how government and private organisations can work together to meet the province’s growing education needs.
APEX Education is a non-profit organisation that builds affordable private schools using a blended learning model.
This model combines online lessons with in-person support and makes it possible to deliver quality education at lower fees.
The organisation already runs schools in Eersterivier and Kayamandi in Stellenbosch, and Apex Pinelands will be the latest addition to its network.
Jana du Plooy, CEO of Apex Education, said the new school shows what can be achieved when government supports organisations trying to bring change to communities.
She said Apex Pinelands will allow children to access quality education close to home instead of having to travel far to find better opportunities.
Low fees approach
Wesgro CEO Wrenelle Stander also welcomed the project, and said that improving access to education is essential for economic growth.
She said Edu Invest, which supports new school developments, is committed to bringing more schools to the province and believes Apex Pinelands will have a lasting, positive impact on the community.
The new school follows the success of several other Apex schools, including Apex Stellenbosch, which opened in January 2024 and operates as the organisation’s flagship campus.
Apex schools keep fees low by standardising learning materials and using digital resources.
Learners work in large classes of about 100, moving through online lessons that include notes, videos, quizzes, and regular tasks.
The annual fee for 2025 is R7,440, or R620 per month. In 2026, fees will be R7,800, or R650 per month.
These fees are significantly cheaper than most private and many high-end public schools, which fits Apex’s goal of making quality education more accessible.
Apex Education’s blended learning model was shaped over several years. The organisation started in 2018 as a no-fee public school.
When Covid-19 hit, Apex shifted online and provided learners with data to continue their studies.
It also built its own online learning system. When schools reopened in 2020, Apex used a mix of in-person and online classes.
By 2022, it was testing a full blended learning model, and its results were similar to traditional schools.
This encouraged the team to expand the model further and open the low-fee private Stellenbosch Apex campus in 2023.
Images of Apex Stellenbosch
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