The leading public school in East London built on a historic racecourse that hosted South Africa’s first powered flight

Stirling High School, one of East London’s most prominent schools, was built on what was once a hugely popular racecourse.

The school’s origins trace back to 1927, when the East London Technical College was established.

In 1968, this technical college expanded to include its own high school, known as East London Technical and Commercial High School.

Six years later, this high school split into two separate institutions: Port Rex Technical High School and Commercial High School.

Commercial High School was renamed Stirling High School in 1985 as part of its rebranding and transition from a specialist school to a general one.

The name Stirling High School was chosen for two reasons: there was already a Stirling Primary School, and the school is located in the Stirling suburb of East London.

More specifically, it is located on part of the land formerly comprising the Nahoon Racecourse.

When fully developed, the racecourse comprised a circular track of nearly 2km, which a large grandstand could view in its entirety.

The track existed for approximately 60 years of active horse racing, and also hosted stables and other facilities, making it a key fashion and sporting centre of the city.

Nahoon Racecourse even hosted South Africa’s first-ever powered flight – just six years after the Wright brothers first flew in 1903.

The East London town council had published a notice inviting anyone to demonstrate an airplane or “flying machine” at the city’s 1909 end-of-year gala event.

Howard Farrar & Co, a leading mining and general machinery company, proceeded to import a French plane for the event.

The plane was piloted by Albert Kimmerling of France, and flew on 28 December 1909 to the delight of the East Londoners of the time.

However, by the 1960s, interest in horseracing had waned, and the land would eventually be levelled – and part of it then became the Stirling High School premises.

The first headmaster of the newly-named Stirling High School was Peter Moore, who led the school for almost two decades before retiring in 2005.

Moore was succeeded by Charles Foster, who held the position until 2016, when the current headmaster, Doug Prior, was appointed.

A thriving school

Today, Stirling High School is a thriving co-ed public school that has a strong reputation for excellence in East London – and the Eastern Cape as a whole.

According to its website, it has an enrollment of approximately 1,100 learners,

It is particularly well-known for its holistic approach to education, performing well across academics, sports, and cultural activities.

The matric class of 2025 had a 99% pass rate, with an 80% bachelor pass rate, with 17 learners achieving an average of above 80%.

In sports, the team regularly competes against other top Eastern Cape schools in a range of popular sports, including rugby, cricket, hockey, netball, tennis, and water polo.

Its most notable sporting alumnus is Sinalo Jafta, a regular wicket-keeper batsman for the Proteas Women’s cricket team.

Jafta has represented the country in several international finals and won the Makhaya Ntini Power of Cricket Award from Cricket South Africa this year.

Stirling also has a strong reputation across both the musical and dramatic arts.

Its musicians compete regularly both locally and nationally in competitions, ranging from its highly successful jazz band to a steady stream of highly successful individual musicians.

Furthermore, its popular plays, held at the iconic Grand Theatre in East London, are regularly sold out.

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Stirling High School Photos

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