The top-performing public school in South Africa’s richest province

The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has announced Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool Pretoria (Affies) as the top-performing government school in the province based on its 2025 matric results. 

According to the school, 247 learners from Affies sat the 2025 National Senior Certificate (NSC) exams.

Collectively, the class of 2025 achieved 791 distinctions, excluding 10 distinctions in Advanced Mathematics, amounting to an average of 3.2 distinctions per learner. 

Of these distinctions, 165 were high distinctions of 90% and above. The school achieved an average grade of 75.82% and a bachelor’s pass rate of 98%.

Seven subjects at the school recorded an average above 80%, while 12 subjects achieved averages above 70%.

AHMP’s five top achievers each received eight distinctions. “The broad distribution of distinctions among the matriculants reflects the group’s overall academic strength,” the school said. 

“The results confirm the value of consistent academic focus and dedicated teaching, as well as the learners’ perseverance, resilience and humility with which they faced challenges and achieved success.”

While the school celebrated the exceptional success of its 2025 matric cohort, the school operates through the words of its first principal, F.J. le Roux. 

“A school’s value must not only be estimated by the quality of its academic work. The tone of a school, its cultural life, spiritual value and its capacity for building character cannot be measured by any examination.”

Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool Pretoria opened its doors in 1920 at 218 Visagie Street. At the time, it had only 44 pupils and three staff members.

The school grew quickly, and by the time it expanded and moved to its current location on Bond Street, it had 314 pupils. 

Today, there are about 1,300 girls enrolled in the school, which has seen its surroundings change from the dustry-tree lined avenues lined with stately houses in the 1930s, to today’s bustling urban neighbourhood in the heart of the Jacaranda City. 

Over 100 years of excellence

When it began, the school was a co-ed institution with both boys and girls, but due to exceptional growth in its first few years, the school was divided into two single-sex schools. 

In 1930, the school chose its motto: “Ek sien haar wen” or “I see her winning” taken from the poem by Jan F.E Celliers “By die Vrouebetoging” about the scene of the women’s rights demonstration in 1915. 

The school celebrates its 106th birthday this year on January 28.

Throughout its long history, it has garnered numerous accolades for its high academic standards, being named the country’s top Academic school in Quintile 5 by the Department of Education in 2024.

In 1922, the school had two candidates write the matriculation exam. Both students passed successfully. Since then, academic excellence has become a core value of the school. 

“For 37 years, AHMP has maintained a 100% matric pass rate – a testament to the school’s high teaching standards and commitment to academic success,” the school said. 

The school offers an array of extra-curricular activities in addition to its rigorous academic offerings, including athletics, hockey, netball, swimming, tennis, equestrian, mountain biking, golf, chess, softball, cross-country, table-tennis and water polo. 

The school has a full-time biokineticist on site to assist with conditioning programmes and rehabilitation after sports injuries. 

Cultural activities include choir, orchestra, public speaking, debate, drama, arts and the school’s newspaper.

Today, the school’s old, stately buildings are a testament to its long history, while its modern upgrades and state-of-the-art facilities make sure that each girl can reach her full potential in academics, sports, and culture. 

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