The top-performing private school for girls in South Africa with 4.27 distinctions per matric
Roedean in Johannesburg has been the best-performing private school for girls in South Africa for several years, with the average matric earning 4.27 distinctions over the last four academic years.
Roedean is one of the most prestigious schools in South Africa, and is situated in the Parktown area of the nation’s richest city.
The school’s history dates back to 1903, following the South African War, when Theresa Lawrence and Katherine Margaret Earle sailed to South Africa.
They wanted to create a world-class sister school to the esteemed Roedean School near Brighton, England.
Roedean Brighton was founded in 1885 to provide women with an academic education that would help them to meet the challenges they faced amid the struggle for gender equality.
The pair created a school with just 22 students in a small house in Johannesburg.
Earle and Lawrence were young women in their early thirties, educated at the University of Cambridge, and served as joint heads of school from 1903 to 1930.
Sir Herbert Baker, a renowned architect for many of Johannesburg’s most historic houses and monuments, designed the original school buildings.
123 years later, Roedean is now one of the most academically dominant schools in the country. The school now has over 750 pupils from grade 0 to matric.
Roedean said that it aims to achieve the highest academic standards and hopes to develop and sustain a strong work ethic amongst its students.
The school boasts a progressive curriculum that hopes to foster individual independence of thought amongst its students.
Amid strong academic performance, Roedean’s students often secure placements at the local universities of their choice.
Many students’ academic results are also so strong that many are accepted into international tertiary institutions.
In addition to academic success, the school offers a host of sports, such as swimming, diving, tennis, hockey, soccer, rock climbing, and cross-country.
The school also has luxury grounds complete with science laboratories, a chapel, heritage gardens, a library, and a maths centre.
Roedean is a member of Round Square, a worldwide association of more than 200 schools in 50 countries that focuses on character development.
The school’s “cross-curricular approach” also aims to build socially conscious and responsible young women.
Social responsibility projects underpinned by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are thus integrated into the school’s ethos.
Roedean’s alumni include Transport Minister Barbara Creecy and education entrepreneur Rapelang Rabana, who is co-CEO of the United States-based Imagine Worldwide.
Best performing girls’ school
Roedean has consistently ranked among the best schools in South Africa and has remained the best girls’ school for many years.
Analysis from BusinessTech shows that Roedean has maintained the highest average number of distinctions per student among girls’ private schools over the last four years.
The school achieved average distinctions of 4.64 in 2022, 3.8 in 2023, 4.42 in 2024, and 4.21 in 2025, resulting in an average of 4.27 distinctions per candidate across the four years.
The school was the top-ranked girls’ school across all four years, tying with Kingsmead College in 2023.
It was also the second-best-performing private school in South Africa in 2024 and 2025, beaten by Saheti and Redhill, respectively.
However, this top performance comes at a hefty price. When it comes to boarding, Roedean charges R413,095 per year.
This is the third most expensive in the country, beaten only by Hilton (R450,893) and Michaelhouse (R417,000), making it the most expensive girls’ boarding school.
When it comes to day schools, Roedean is the second most expensive in the country at R233,974 per year. This is only surpassed by Kearsney College’s R275,000 per year.
| Metric | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 4-Year Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average Distinctions per Candidate | 4.64 | 3.80 | 4.42 | 4.21 | 4.27 |
| Girls’ School Rank | 1st | Tied 1st | 1st | 1st | – |
| National Overall Rank (All IEB) | — | 4th | 2nd | 2nd | – |
Photos of Roedean
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