This private school in South Africa has been ranked among the top 100 in the world

Spear’s Magazine, in partnership with Carfax Education, has published a list of the best private schools in 2022, featuring one from South Africa, while another is also listed in the ‘Top Recommended’ category.

There are new schools in the US and South America, the UK, Switzerland and around Europe, and from southeast Asia to Africa. “The Middle East has seen a huge expansion of quality schools so we have alloted them more space, with 15 recommendations from Jordan to Beirut including new names in Dubai, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi,” said the magazine.

Topping the list for price are a number of Swiss-based institutions, when including boarding facilities. Institut auf dem Rosenberg in St. Gallen, Switzerland, with a focus on ‘pioneering, entrepreneurial and individualised’ has an annual fee of $145,500 – a little more than R2.5 million.

“The art nouveau villas and landscaped gardens encourage prospective pupils to see this as a traditional school. But Rosenberg offers an innovative education across a range of curriculums and takes pupils well beyond academic learning. Each child has an individual development plan, and there is a strong focus on creativity and interpersonal skills alongside the academic elements,” notes Spear’s Magazine.

Aiglon College, located in the Swiss Alps, focuses on the ‘balanced development of mind, body and spirit’ and charges $39,500 – just shy of R700,000 for day scholars, and $135,250 (R2.35 million) for boarding.

Brighton College, in Brighton United Kingdom, is a co-ed school offering both day ($23,000) and boarding facilities ($66,500), with Eton College in in Eton, Berkshire a boarding-only school, charging $56,000 annually.

South Africa is represented by Michaelhouse, located in the Balgowan valley in the Midlands of KwaZulu-Natal.

“The school encourages each boy to find their niche in life, giving them the freedom to explore that niche and to become ‘the best one can be’. It’s a successful recipe, given the number of renowned sportsmen, politicians, academics, and authors including Wilbur Smith, that have been educated here,” notes Spear’s Magazine.

Fees for Micahelhouse are R328,000 annually for an all-boarding school.

Spear’s Magazine also includes Bishops Diocesan College, in Cape Town in its ‘Top Recommended’ category.

“A cornerstone of South African education with a distinguished history, this single-sex bishop Diocesan College offers ‘a unique space for boys to develop at their own pace, catering for their own individual needs’.

“Academics are strong and performance on the sports pitches is legendary. A commitment to an all-round education is embedded in the annual Eisteddfod, in which every boy takes part,” it said.

Fees for the school start at R170,520 for day scholars and R289,700 for boarding.

Read: These are the best-performing public schools in South Africa