The private school in South Africa offering top education for R780 a month
The low-cost private education group Apex Education is a Non-Profit Company (NPC) that offers learners a blended-learning experience combining digital and in-class facilitation.
The education group currently serves 2,000 learners across various grades and schools, charging an annual fee of R7,800 per learner for the 2026 school year, which is R780 per month, on a ten-month payment plan.
The group’s network comprises five schools across the Western Cape: one high school in Eersterivier and two primary and high schools in Stellenbosch and Pinelands.
The Stellenbosch and Pinelands campuses are designed to reach full capacity of 1,720 learners from Grade R to Grade 12. In addition, Apex has two partner schools: one in Johannesburg and one in KwaZulu-Natal.
“Each Apex school will employ approximately 73 staff members, including qualified teachers, facilitators, and operational teams,” said Apex Education.
Apex began its journey in 2018, opening a High School in Eersterivier through a partnership with a no-fee public school and the Western Cape Education Department (WCED). The school reached capacity in 2021 with its first cohort of matriculants.
As an NPC, Apex Education collaborates as a partner in the Collaboration Schools Pilot Programme in the Western Cape. It has a Service Level Agreement with the Western Cape Education Department, which signifies that the school was launched in partnership with the government.
“The partnership between philanthropy, government and parents is what makes the model work,” said Apex Education Head of Blended Learning Sanrie van der Westhuizen.
In 2024, the Apex Education NPC opened Apex Stellenbosch, costing a total of R80 million to build. The school welcomed its first group of Grade 8s, growing by one grade each year, and is expecting its first group of Grade 12s by 2028.
This month, Apex Education opened a school in Pinelands, Cape Town, with an estimated cost of R135 million – all of which was raised through funding.
The Pinelands school is currently operating from a temporary site, with the construction of the permanent campus scheduled to begin in February 2026.
The Education Group employs a hybrid teaching approach that integrates technology, as it recognises that a solely traditional method is not feasible for everyone in South Africa.
“Our high school offering operates on a fully blended learning model, while our primary school follows strong traditional teaching foundations supported by innovative classroom practices,” said Apex Education.
Blended learning approach
This blended learning model, which integrates online and in-person education, was developed through experimentation.
When the COVID-19 pandemic emerged in 2019, the first Apex school shifted to online learning, while ensuring students had access to essential data.
During that time, Apex created its own Learner Management System, which became the cornerstone of its online education platform. In July 2020, as schools began to reopen, Apex adopted a schedule of alternating days of in-person and online learning.
By 2022, Apex launched its first blended learning model. Their internal assessments indicated that the performance outcomes were comparable to those of traditional schools.
Josh Zoia, the Regional Director for Africa and the Middle East at One World Network of Schools, remarked on the impressive results of the blended learning model.
“If you told me a school was educating 100 students with one teacher and two facilitators for the cost of public schooling in South Africa, I’d call you a dreamer,” he said.
“If you said that these learners were outperforming their peers in traditional classes, I’d be even more doubtful.”
Yet, this is exactly what Apex has achieved, and the data supports its success.
“They are proving it’s possible,” he concluded.
Apex Eersteriver
Apex Pinelands
Apex Stellenbosch
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