South Africa’s Education Statistics

South Africa’s educational system is diverse. There are a lot of factors that influence the education system. Statistics can help us understand the system.

Education in South Africa has seen a lot of changes since 1994. Here are some of South Africa’s education statistics that can interest you:

  • What Are The Top Matric Schools In South Africa?
  • What Are The Matric Pass Rates In South Africa?
  • Which Province Had The Highest Pass Rate In South Africa?
  • Which School Was The Top Achiever In Each Province In 2021?
  • What Was The Pass Rate For Maths In South Africa In 2021?
  • Which South African Province Has The Most Schools?
  • What Percentage Of South Africa Is Educated?
  • What Is The Drop-Out Rate In South Africa?
  • Why Do South African Students Drop Out Of School?
  • Which Are The Top Ten Universities In South Africa
  • Which Is The Oldest School In South Africa?
  • What Are The Best Distance Learning Colleges In South Africa?
  • Which African Countries Have The Best Education?

What Are The Top Matric Schools In South Africa?

Here are the top Matric Schools in 2021 in South Africa:

POSITION

SCHOOL

1.

SAHETI School

2.

Redhill School

3.

Southdowns College High school

4.

Crawford International School – Pretoria

5.

Crawford International School – Lonehill 

6.

Crawford International School – North Coast

7.

Trinity House High School

8.

Glenwood house College 

9.

Elkanah House

10.

Tyger Valley College High School

11.

Brainline 

12.

St Andrews College

What Are The Matric Pass Rates In South Africa?

Here are the Matric pass rates in South Africa since 1995:

YEARPASS RATE (%)
199553.4
199654.4
199747.4
199849.3
199948.9
200057.9
200161.7
200268.9
200373.3
200470.7
200568.3
200666.5
200765.2
200862.5
200960.6
201067.8
201170.3
201273.9
201378.3
201475.8
201570.7
201672.5
201775.1
201878.2
201981.3
202076.2
202176.4
202276.4

Which Province Had The Highest Matric Pass Rate In South Africa In 2022?

The Free State had the highest Matric results pass in 2022. Here are the Matric pass rates per each province:

 PROVINCEPASS RATE (%)
1.Free State85.7
2.Gauteng 82.8
3.Western Cape81.2
4.North West78.2
5.Kwazulu-Natal 76.8
6.Mpumalanga73.6
7.Eastern Cape73.0
8.Northern Cape71.4
9.Limpopo66.7

Which School Was The Top Achiever In Each Province In 2021?

For the Matric written in 2021, here are the best achieving schools in each province:

PROVINCE

SCHOOL

NO. OF PASSES

KwaZulu-Natal

Phumanyowa High

350

Gauteng Province

Hoërskool Waterkloof

316

Western Cape

Bellville High School

201

Free State

Eunice Secondary School

163

Eastern Cape

Ulwazi High School

161

North West

Wesvalia High School

136

Northern Cape

Hoërskool Hopetown

14

Mpumalanga

Highveld Muslim Combine

7

What Was The Pass Rate For Maths In South Africa In 2021?

In 2021, 750,478 learners enrolled for Matric, but only thirty-five percent (35%) of them wrote the final Maths exam. Twenty percent (20%) of the Grade 12 students passed. However, only five percent (5%) passed with sixty percent  (60%) or more. 

This means that five (5) out of every 100 Matric students got a mark that is good enough to study for a Bachelor of Science Degree at University.

Which South African Province Has The Most Schools?

The Province of KwaZulu-Natal has the most schools in South Africa. The table below shows the number of schools in each South African province according to Statista:

 

PROVINCE

NUMBER OF SCHOOLS

1.

KwaZulu-Natal

6 022

2.

Eastern Cape

5 341

3.

Limpopo 

3 855

4.

Gauteng 

2 941

5.

Mpumalanga 

1 785

6.

Western Cape

1 755

7.

North West

1 539

8.

Free State

1 071

9.

Northern Cape

585

What Percentage Of South Africa Is Educated?

Here are the statistics as provided by cornerstone.ac.za to the numbers of South African holding higher qualifications:

QUALIFICATIONS

%

  • University Degrees (Bachelor’s Degrees, Postgraduate Diplomas, Honours Degrees, Master’s Degrees and PhDs

6

6

3.4

Total 

15.4 

Why Do South African Students Drop Out Of School?

Here are some of the reasons why South African students drop out of school:

  • Disability 
  • Poor performance
  • Lack of interest in school
  • Not accepted for enrolment
  • Illness
  • Lack of financial resources
  • Satisfied with the level attained
  • Failed exams
  • Too young/old
  • Already Working
  • Family commitment, for example, child minding
  • Pregnancy
  • Do not have time for school
  • Education institution too far
  • Violence at school

What Is The Drop-Out Rate In South Africa?

The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has put the drop-out rate at between 42- 56%. Here are the drop-out rates (2018) of the different age groups as provided by Statistics South Africa:

REASON FOR DROP-OUT

%

7 -15-YEAR-OLDS

%

16 – 18-YEAR-OLDS

  • Disability 

24.5

4.0

  • Poor performance

10.5

7.3

  • Lack of interest in school

9.3

7.1

  • Not accepted for enrolment

8.8

4.5

  • Illness

7.7

1.2

  • Lack of financial resources

6.8

28.7

  • Satisfied with the level attained

4.7

11.1

  • Failed exams

3.9

5.6

  • Too young/old

3.6

5.6

  • Already Working

1.4

4.1

  • Family commitment

1.3

7.1

  • Pregnancy

0.9

2.3

  • Do not have time for school

0.0

0.8

  • Education institution too far

0.0

0.1

  • Violence at school

0.0

0.1

  • Other

16.8

11.5

Total

100

100

Which Is The Oldest School In South Africa?

Here are some of the oldest schools in South Africa:

SCHOOLLOCATION YEAR ESTABLISHED
LR Schmidt Morawiese Primêre SkoolGenadendal, Western Cape1738
Bontebok Primêre Skool Swellendam, Western Cape1751
Wagenmakersvallei Primêre SkoolWellington, Western Cape1796
Mamre Morawiese Primêre SkoolMamre, Western Cape1808
Outeniqua Hoër – en LaerskoolGeorge, Western Cape1812
Pacaltsdorp Primêre SkoolPacaltsdorp, Western Cape1813
Swellendam Hoër – en LaerskoolSwellendam, Western Cape1814
Simon’s Town SchoolCape Town, Western Cape1815
Bathurst Primary SchoolBathurst, Eastern Cape1820
Sentraal HoërskoolBeaufort West, Western Cape1821
Muir CollegeUitenhage, Eastern Cape1822
Paul Roos GimnasiumStellenbosch, Western Cape1822
Overberg Hoër – en LaerskoolCaledon, Western Cape1822
Wynberg Boys’ High & JuniorWynberg, Western Cape1822
Elim Moraviese Primêre SkoolElim, Western Cape1824

What Are The Best Distance Learning Colleges In South Africa?

Which African Countries Have The Best Education?

Here are the 10 African countries with the best education:

  1. Seychelles
  2. South Africa
  3. Mauritius
  4. Tunisia
  5. Kenya
  6. Algeria
  7. Ghana
  8. Egypt
  9. Namibia
  10. Libya 

Author: Collin Wilbesi
Editor: Sive Ncanywa
Date:August 15, 2022