The public school in South Africa charging R4,300 a month that outperforms most private schools
Hoërskool Waterkloof in Pretoria achieved the highest number of distinctions among all government schools in South Africa and outperformed most private schools in the country.
Earlier this year, the Department of Basic Education announced that South Africa’s final National Senior Certificate (NSC) results for the matric cohort reached a record high pass rate of 88.0%.
Over the past 15 years, the NSC pass rate has increased from 60% in 2009 to nearly 90% in 2024, demonstrating significant improvement despite a high dropout rate.
It is still significantly lower than the pass rate of private schools.
The Independent Examinations Board (IEB) reported an overall pass rate of 98.47% for its NSC examinations in 2024, which declined slightly to 98.3% in 2025.
However, Hoërskool Waterkloof not only outperformed its government school counterparts but also outperformed most top private schools in the country.
The school charges R4,360 a month in school fees (R47,960 a year) in 2026, delivering its excellent performance at a fraction of the cost of top-end private schools, where fees can exceed R400,000 a year.
Solidarity’s Skoleondersteuningsentrum SOS Matric Report for 2025 provides a detailed analysis of the standard of education in South Africa, with a focus on government schools.
Using the department’s data, the SOS report noted that Hoërskool Waterkloof recorded the most distinctions of any government school in South Africa, with 960 for 2025, up from 811 in 2024.
This was well above the nearby Hoërskool Menlopark in Pretoria, which recorded 939 distinctions in 2025, up from 755 distinctions in 2024.
Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool in Pretoria achieved the third-highest number of distinctions for 2025, with a total of 791. Hoërskool Zwartkop in Pretoria came in fourth, earning 759 distinctions.
However, the school with the highest academic efficiency (distinctions per candidate) is Anton Lembede Academy in KwaZulu-Natal with 4.34 distinctions per candidate.
This is followed by Rhenish Girls’ High School in the Western Cape with 4.03 distinctions per candidate.
Notably, at an average of 2.18 distinctions per candidate, Hoërskool Waterkloof outperforms many private and public schools in matric results.
Hoërskool Waterkloof also achieves these results at far lower school fees than the nation’s top private schools.
In 2025, Hoërskool Waterkloof charged R48,860.00 per student. This is far less than the R173,220 charged by St Andrew’s College for day students, for example.
The top ten performing schools with the highest number of distinctions for 2025
| National Rank | School Name | Province | Matric Candidates | Total Distinctions | Distinctions per Candidate (Efficiency) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hoërskool Waterkloof | Gauteng | 393 | 960 | 2.44 |
| 2 | Die Hoërskool Menlopark | Gauteng | 330 | 939 | 2.85 |
| 3 | Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool | Gauteng | 247 | 791 | 3.20 |
| 4 | Hoërskool Zwartkop | Gauteng | 342 | 759 | 2.22 |
| 5 | Hoërskool Outeniqua | Western Cape | 353 | 727 | 2.06 |
| 6 | Hoërskool Garsfontein | Gauteng | 354 | 721 | 2.04 |
| 7 | Hoërskool Durbanville | Western Cape | 300 | 708 | 2.36 |
| 8 | Paul Roos Gimnasium | Western Cape | 268 | 637 | 2.38 |
| 9 | Hoërskool Stellenberg | Western Cape | 309 | 605 | 1.96 |
| 10 | Hoërskool Parel Vallei | Western Cape | 257 | 600 | 2.33 |
The top-performing government school in Gauteng
The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has recognised Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool Pretoria as the top-performing government school in the province based on its 2025 matric results.
According to the school, 247 learners from Affies took the 2025 National Senior Certificate (NSC) exams.
Collectively, the class of 2025 achieved a total of 791 distinctions, excluding 10 distinctions in Advanced Mathematics, resulting in an average of 3.2 distinctions per learner.
Among these distinctions, 165 were classified as high, with scores of 90% or higher. The school attained an average grade of 75.82% and a bachelor’s pass rate of 98%.
Seven subjects at the school recorded average scores above 80%, while 12 subjects achieved averages over 70%.
Each of the top five achievers from AHMP received eight distinctions. The school stated, “The broad distribution of distinctions among the matriculants reflects the group’s overall academic strength.”
“The results confirm the value of consistent academic focus and dedicated teaching, as well as the learners’ perseverance, resilience and humility with which they faced challenges and achieved success.”
While the school celebrated the exceptional success of its 2025 matric cohort, it operates under the words of its first principal, F.J. le Roux.
“A school’s value must not only be estimated by the quality of its academic work. The tone of a school, its cultural life, spiritual value and its capacity for building character cannot be measured by any examination.”
Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool Pretoria was founded in 1920 at 218 Visagie Street. Initially, the school had only 44 students and three staff members.
It grew rapidly, and by the time it relocated to its current location on Bond Street, the enrollment had increased to 314 pupils.
Today, about 1,300 girls are enrolled in the school, which has witnessed significant changes in its surroundings.
Photos of Hoërskool Waterkloof
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