The historic 138-year-old private school that almost went bankrupt and then became one of the best in South Africa
St Mary’s Waverly had to overcome several near-catastrophes in its more than 130-year history in South Africa, but ultimately became one of the top-performing schools in the country.
The private girls’ school is deeply rooted in South Africa’s history, having been established in 1888 in Jeppestown in central Johannesburg.
The school was established by Reverend John Darragh, an Anglican clergyman who also founded St John’s College a decade later, in 1898.
The school started with just seven pupils, but grew to 58 in 1890.
However, despite its initial success, the school faced many hardships during South Africa’s early war days, beginning with the Anglo-Boer War at the turn of the century, followed by World War I in the early 20th century.
It also faced three points where it nearly collapsed, first due to fire, then to bankruptcy and then to the Rand Rebellions of 1922.
By the time the school moved to its new location in Waverly—where it is situated today—it had as few as 13 pupils, marking an uphill climb to success.
In March 1933, the school decided to move, selling off its old building and moving to a part of the Syferfontein farm in Waverly.
Construction of the school started in the last three months of that year, with parts only completed years later.
However, it marked a new period of growth for the school, reaching 295 pupils in 1944 before World War II, hitting 550 by 1963, and pushing towards its current capacity of around 1,000 at the turn of the millennium.
Throughout its remarkable history, the school has stood out as the oldest educational institution in Johannesburg and for showing early resistance to the apartheid government.
It was one of the first schools to openly admit a black learner in 1979, decades before the fall of apartheid and the dawn of democracy in South Africa.
Academic excellence
St Mary’s Waverly has cemented itself as a prestigious institution for girls, pioneering in sports, arts and culture, and carrying a strong academic legacy, often ranking among the top-performing schools in the country.
Its legacy of excellence is evident in many of its alumni, including Johannesburg mayoral candidate for the Democratic Alliance, Helen Zille, who matriculated there in 1968.
Another notable alumnus is Dame Prue Leith, a renowned chef, restaurateur, author, and television presenter who best known as a judge on The Great British Bake Off, and founder of her own educational culinary institute.
Academically, St Mary’s is not only ranked as one of the best-performing girls’ schools in the country—ranking second—but also as one of the top-performing private schools overall.
The top 10 matric performances for private schools in 2025 were:
- Redhill School – co-educational
- Roedean School for Girls – all-girls
- Midstream College – co-educational
- St Mary’s Waverly – all-girls
- Somerset College – co-educational
- Durban Girls’ College – all-girls
- Herschel Girls’ School – all-girls
- King David Linksfield – co-educational
- Kingsmead College – all-girls
- St John’s College – all-boys
For St Mary’s, the school achieved a 100% matric pass rate, with 83 candidates (96%) scoring an average of 60% or higher. 99% of the girls qualified for a Bachelor’s Degree.
The girls recorded 456 distinctions, averaging 4.15 per learner.
The table below outlines the top-performing girls’ schools among the elite, or highest-cost institutions assessed.
The top girls’ schools
| # | School | Location | Average distinctions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roedean School for Girls | Johannesburg, Gauteng | 4.21 |
| 2 | St Mary’s Waverly | Johannesburg, Gauteng | 4.15 |
| 3 | Durban Girls’ College | Durban, KwaZulu-Natal | 4.03 |
| 4 | Herschel Girls’ School | Cape Town, Western Cape | 3.90 |
| 5 | Kingsmead College | Johannesburg, Gauteng | 3.80 |
| 6 | St Stithians Girls College | Johannesburg, Gauteng | 3.55 |
| 7= | St Andrew’s School for Girls | Johannesburg, Gauteng | 3.40 |
| 7= | Wykeham Collegiate | Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal | 3.40 |
| 8 | St Cyprian’s School | Cape Town, Western Cape | 3.30 |
| 9 | Holy Rosary School | Johannesburg, Gauteng | 3.21 |
Photos of St Mary’s Waverly
Loading ...