South Africa's education landscape is dominated by public schools, which account for over 90 percent of the country's nearly 25,000 educational institutions. As of 2024, there are 22,381 public schools compared to 2,469 independent schools. This stark contrast highlights the government's significant role in providing education to the nation's youth and underscores the challenges faced in ensuring quality education across such a vast network of schools. Regional disparities in school distribution and staffing KwaZulu-Natal leads the nation with 6,030 schools, followed by the Eastern Cape and Limpopo. However, when it comes to teaching staff, Gauteng takes the top spot with 98,140 educators, despite having fewer schools than KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape. This disparity suggests varying student-to-teacher ratios across provinces, potentially impacting educational quality and outcomes. The concentration of independent school teachers in Gauteng also indicates a more diverse educational landscape in the province. Education's impact on employment prospects The distribution of schools and teachers across South Africa has far-reaching implications for the country's workforce. As of the fourth quarter of 2023, the unemployment rate stood at 32.1 percent, with individuals having less than a matric education constituting the largest portion of the unemployed. In contrast, university graduates had the lowest unemployment rate at approximately 10 percent. This stark difference underscores the critical importance of accessible, quality education in improving employment prospects and addressing South Africa's persistent unemployment challenges.

As of 2022, the total number of schools in South Africa amounted to roughly ******. Of those, the majority of these schools were public entities at ****** schools. KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape had the largest number of public schools with ***** and *****, respectively. By contrast, the number of independent schools was only *****. Gauteng and Western Cape had the majority of the independent educational institutes amounting to *** and *** schools, respectively.

South Africa ZA: School Enrollment: Primary: Private: % of Total Primary data was reported at 4.063 % in 2014. This records an increase from the previous number of 3.834 % for 2013. South Africa ZA: School Enrollment: Primary: Private: % of Total Primary data is updated yearly, averaging 2.019 % from Dec 1986 (Median) to 2014, with 24 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 4.063 % in 2014 and a record low of 0.628 % in 1986. South Africa ZA: School Enrollment: Primary: Private: % of Total Primary data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Africa – Table ZA.World Bank: Education Statistics. Private enrollment refers to pupils or students enrolled in institutions that are not operated by a public authority but controlled and managed, whether for profit or not, by a private body such as a nongovernmental organization, religious body, special interest group, foundation or business enterprise.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; Weighted average; Each economy is classified based on the classification of World Bank Group's fiscal year 2018 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018).

Abstract

The Master List of Schools is a record of all schools in South Africa. The data forms part of the national Education Management Information Systems (EMIS) database used to inform education policymakers and managers in the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and the Provincial education departments, as well as to provide valuable information to external stakeholders. The list is maintained by provincial departments and regularly sent to DBE for updating. A key function of the master list is to uniquely identify each school in the country through a school identifier called the EMIS number. Additionally, the list contains data on school quintiles - categories (quintiles) based on the socioeconomic status of the community in which the school is situated. Analyses comparing schools' performance often use school quintiles as control measures for socioeconomic status, to take into account the effect of, for example, poor infrastructure, shortage of materials and deprived home backgrounds on school performance. There are also other basic data fields in the school master list that could provide the means to answer some of the most frequently asked questions about learner enrolment, teachers and learner-teacher ratio of schools. It is a useful dataset for education planners and researchers and is even widely used in the private sector by those who regularly deal with schools.

Geographic coverage

The data has national coverage

Analysis unit

Individuals and institutions

Universe

The survey covers all schools (ordinary and special needs) in South Africa, both public and independent.

Kind of data

Administrative records and survey data

Mode of data collection

Other

Research instrument

Data from the SNAP survey and ANA that are used to compile the Master List of Schools is collected with a survey questionnaire and educator forms. The principle completes the survey questionnaire and each educator (both state paid and other) in each school completes an educator form. Schools record their EMIS number provided by the DBE on the questionnaire and form for identification.

Data appraisal

The 2023 series only includes data for quarter 2 and quarter 3. The GIS coordinates for schools in the Eastern Cape are incorrectly entered in the original data from the DBE. The data entered in the GIS_long variable is incorrectly entered into the GIS_lat variable. This issue only occurs for schools in the Eastern Cape (EC), all other GIS coordinates for all the other provinces is correct. Therefore, for geospatial analysis, users can swap the GIS coordiate data only for the Eastern Cape.

Abstract

The Master List of Schools is a record of all schools in South Africa. The data forms part of the national Education Management Information Systems (EMIS) database used to inform education policymakers and managers in the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and the Provincial education departments, as well as to provide valuable information to external stakeholders. The list is maintained by provincial departments and regularly sent to DBE for updating. A key function of the master list is to uniquely identify each school in the country through a school identifier called the EMIS number. Additionally, the list contains data on school quintiles - categories (quintiles) based on the socioeconomic status of the community in which the school is situated. Analyses comparing schools' performance often use school quintiles as control measures for socioeconomic status, to take into account the effect of, for example, poor infrastructure, shortage of materials and deprived home backgrounds on school performance. There are also other basic data fields in the school master list that could provide the means to answer some of the most frequently asked questions about learner enrolment, teachers and learner-teacher ratio of schools. It is a useful dataset for education planners and researchers and is even widely used in the private sector by those who regularly deal with schools.

Geographic coverage

The data has national coverage

Analysis unit

Individuals and institutions

Universe

The survey covers all schools (ordinary and special needs) in South Africa, both public and independent.

Kind of data

Administrative records and survey data

Mode of data collection

Other

Research instrument

Data from the SNAP survey and ANA that are used to compile the Master List of Schools is collected with a survey questionnaire and educator forms. The principle completes the survey questionnaire and each educator (both state paid and other) in each school completes an educator form. Schools record their EMIS number provided by the DBE on the questionnaire and form for identification.

Data appraisal

The 2021 series only includes data for quarter 1 and quarter 2.

Abstract

The data collected from the SNAP Survey of Ordinary Schools is collected from all schools each year. The data forms part of the national Education Management Information Systems (EMIS) database used to inform education policymakers and managers in the Department of Basic Education and the Provincial education departments, as well as to provide valuable information to external stakeholders. For example, general school data from the survey is used to compile and maintain the Master List of Schools in the country for education planning purposes.

Geographic coverage

The survey has national coverage

Analysis unit

The units of analysis in the survey are schools in South Africa and their staff and learners

Universe

The survey covers all Ordinary Schools in South Africa, both Public and Independent. This survey does not cover Special Schools as the DBE conducts a separate survey of Special Schools annually.

Kind of data

Administrative records data [adm]

Mode of data collection

Other [oth]

Research instrument

Data is collected with a survey questionnaire and educator forms. The principle completes the survey questionnaire and each educator (both state paid and other) in each school completes an educator form. Schools record the EMIS number provided by the DBE on the questionnaires and forms for identification.

Data appraisal

The data files do not cover the same period. Dates covered for each file are:

Applicable school grades data file (2010-2013) General school data file (2007-2013) Learner enrolment data files (1997-2013) Master list data file (1997-2013) Remuneration of practitioners data file (2010-2013) Staff remuneration data file (1997-2013)

The 1997 and 1998 data in this dataset cannot be matched with other years as the learner count is too low. The 1997 data also does not include data on schools in the Eastern Cape Province and the Limpopo Province The 1998 data does not include data on schools in the Limpopo Province

The Applicable grades data file does not include unique identifiers.

In 2018, majority of the children between the ages of six and 13 years (93.4 percent) were enrolled in public schools, contrary to the 6.6 percent registered in private schools. Moreover, in the preceding year, the percentage of children within the age group who were in private schools reached its highest, at 6.8 percent. Overall, the share of children attending both public and private schools was relatively stable throughout the period under study.

Abstract

The Master List of Schools is a record of all schools in South Africa. The data forms part of the national Education Management Information Systems (EMIS) database used to inform education policymakers and managers in the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and the Provincial education departments, as well as to provide valuable information to external stakeholders. The list is maintained by provincial departments and regularly sent to DBE for updating. A key function of the master list is to uniquely identify each school in the country through a school identifier called the EMIS number. Additionally, the list contains data on school quintiles - categories (quintiles) based on the socioeconomic status of the community in which the school is situated. Analyses comparing schools' performance often use school quintiles as control measures for socioeconomic status, to take into account the effect of, for example, poor infrastructure, shortage of materials and deprived home backgrounds on school performance. There are also other basic data fields in the school master list that could provide the means to answer some of the most frequently asked questions about learner enrolment, teachers and learner-teacher ratio of schools. It is a useful dataset for education planners and researchers and is even widely used in the private sector by those who regularly deal with schools.

Geographic coverage

The data has national coverage

Analysis unit

Individuals and institutions

Universe

The survey covers all schools (ordinary and special needs) in South Africa, both public and independent.

Kind of data

Administrative records and survey data

Mode of data collection

Other

Research instrument

Data from the SNAP survey and ANA that are used to compile the Master List of Schools is collected with a survey questionnaire and educator forms. The principle completes the survey questionnaire and each educator (both state paid and other) in each school completes an educator form. Schools record their EMIS number provided by the DBE on the questionnaire and form for identification.

Data appraisal

The 2019 series only includes data for quarter 3 and quarter 4.

South Africa ZA: Children Out of School: Female: % of Female Primary School Age data was reported at 14.608 % in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 8.116 % for 2005. South Africa ZA: Children Out of School: Female: % of Female Primary School Age data is updated yearly, averaging 6.806 % from Dec 1970 (Median) to 2015, with 13 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 34.732 % in 1970 and a record low of 4.570 % in 1999. South Africa ZA: Children Out of School: Female: % of Female Primary School Age data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Africa – Table ZA.World Bank: Education Statistics. Children out of school are the percentage of primary-school-age children who are not enrolled in primary or secondary school. Children in the official primary age group that are in preprimary education should be considered out of school.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; Weighted average; Each economy is classified based on the classification of World Bank Group's fiscal year 2018 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018).

South Africa ZA: School Enrollment: Primary: % Net data was reported at 80.030 % in 2015. This records a decrease from the previous number of 85.878 % for 2005. South Africa ZA: School Enrollment: Primary: % Net data is updated yearly, averaging 88.013 % from Dec 1970 (Median) to 2015, with 13 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 92.585 % in 1995 and a record low of 64.903 % in 1970. South Africa ZA: School Enrollment: Primary: % Net data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Africa – Table ZA.World Bank: Education Statistics. Net enrollment rate is the ratio of children of official school age who are enrolled in school to the population of the corresponding official school age. Primary education provides children with basic reading, writing, and mathematics skills along with an elementary understanding of such subjects as history, geography, natural science, social science, art, and music.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; Weighted average; Each economy is classified based on the classification of World Bank Group's fiscal year 2018 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018).

Abstract

The Master List of Schools is a record of all schools in South Africa. The data forms part of the national Education Management Information Systems (EMIS) database used to inform education policymakers and managers in the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and the Provincial education departments, as well as to provide valuable information to external stakeholders. The list is maintained by provincial departments and regularly sent to DBE for updating. A key function of the master list is to uniquely identify each school in the country through a school identifier called the EMIS number. Additionally, the list contains data on school quintiles - categories (quintiles) based on the socioeconomic status of the community in which the school is situated. Analyses comparing schools' performance often use school quintiles as control measures for socioeconomic status, to take into account the effect of, for example, poor infrastructure, shortage of materials and deprived home backgrounds on school performance. There are also other basic data fields in the school master list that could provide the means to answer some of the most frequently asked questions about learner enrolment, teachers and learner-teacher ratio of schools. It is a useful dataset for education planners and researchers and is even widely used in the private sector by those who regularly deal with schools.

Geographic coverage

The data has national coverage

Analysis unit

Individuals and institutions

Universe

The survey covers all schools (ordinary and special needs) in South Africa, both public and independent.

Kind of data

Administrative records and survey data

Mode of data collection

Other

Research instrument

Data from the SNAP survey and ANA that are used to compile the Master List of Schools is collected with a survey questionnaire and educator forms. The principle completes the survey questionnaire and each educator (both state paid and other) in each school completes an educator form. Schools record their EMIS number provided by the DBE on the questionnaire and form for identification.

Data appraisal

The 2022 series only includes data for quarter 2 and quarter 3.

Comprehensive dataset of 8 Agricultural high schools in South Africa as of July, 2025. Includes verified contact information (email, phone), geocoded addresses, customer ratings, reviews, business categories, and operational details. Perfect for market research, lead generation, competitive analysis, and business intelligence. Download a complimentary sample to evaluate data quality and completeness.

Abstract

The Master List of Schools is a record of all schools in South Africa. The data forms part of the national Education Management Information Systems (EMIS) database used to inform education policymakers and managers in the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and the Provincial education departments, as well as to provide valuable information to external stakeholders. The list is maintained by provincial departments and regularly sent to DBE for updating. A key function of the master list is to uniquely identify each school in the country through a school identifier called the EMIS number. Additionally, the list contains data on school quintiles - categories (quintiles) based on the socioeconomic status of the community in which the school is situated. Analyses comparing schools' performance often use school quintiles as control measures for socioeconomic status, to take into account the effect of, for example, poor infrastructure, shortage of materials and deprived home backgrounds on school performance. There are also other basic data fields in the school master list that could provide the means to answer some of the most frequently asked questions about learner enrolment, teachers and learner-teacher ratio of schools. It is a useful dataset for education planners and researchers and is even widely used in the private sector by those who regularly deal with schools.

Geographic coverage

The data has national coverage

Analysis unit

Individuals and institutions

Universe

The survey covers all schools (ordinary and special needs) in South Africa, both public and independent.

Kind of data

Administrative records and survey data

Mode of data collection

Other

Research instrument

Data from the SNAP survey and ANA that are used to compile the Master List of Schools is collected with a survey questionnaire and educator forms. The principle completes the survey questionnaire and each educator (both state paid and other) in each school completes an educator form. Schools record their EMIS number provided by the DBE on the questionnaire and form for identification.

Data appraisal

The 2020 series includes data for quarter 1, quarter 2, quarter 3 and quarter 4.

As of 2024, the total number of teaching staff in South Africa amounted to 459,993. Of those, the majority were educators in public education entities, with 412,638. By contrast, independent education teachers represented around 11 percent of the cumulative number of teachers.

Graph and download economic data for Ratio of Female to Male Secondary School Enrollment for South Africa (SEENRSECOFMZSZAF) from 1989 to 2020 about enrolled, South Africa, secondary schooling, secondary, females, males, ratio, and education.

Qualitative study data to explore the various dimensions of high school learners’ multicultural education experiences guided by the interpretive paradigm.Phenomenological design was used to analyse data, interpret findings, and describe the participants’ experiences of multicultural education. Seven learners were purposively and conveniently selected using non-probability sampling methods. Data were generated using the modified Zimmerman and Weider’s Diary-Interview method. Thematic analysis were used to analyse data. The data was coded and themes were finally developed, aligned with the research questions underpinning the study. Also in dataset are analysed transcriptions of the interviews conducted with 7 participants to explore their experiences of multicultural education.

South Africa ZA: Gender Parity Index (GPI): Secondary School Enrollment: Gross data was reported at 0.985 Ratio in 2015. This records a decrease from the previous number of 1.095 Ratio for 2014. South Africa ZA: Gender Parity Index (GPI): Secondary School Enrollment: Gross data is updated yearly, averaging 1.074 Ratio from Dec 1989 (Median) to 2015, with 21 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.175 Ratio in 1991 and a record low of 0.985 Ratio in 2015. South Africa ZA: Gender Parity Index (GPI): Secondary School Enrollment: Gross data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Africa – Table ZA.World Bank: Education Statistics. Gender parity index for gross enrollment ratio in secondary education is the ratio of girls to boys enrolled at secondary level in public and private schools.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; Weighted average; Each economy is classified based on the classification of World Bank Group's fiscal year 2018 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018).

Graph and download economic data for Ratio of Female to Male Primary School Enrollment for South Africa (SEENRPRIMFMZSZAF) from 1970 to 2020 about primary schooling, enrolled, South Africa, females, males, ratio, and primary.

The average for 2022 based on 13 countries was 61.78 percent. The highest value was in South Africa: 108.3 percent and the lowest value was in Burkina Faso: 33.72 percent. The indicator is available from 1970 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Most of the students in South Africa attended public schools. KwaZulu-Natal was the province with the largest number of learners in public schooling. As of 2022, *** million attended public educational facilities in the province, while around ****** engaged in independent schooling. Gauteng had the second largest amount of students in public schools (*** million) and ranked first in the number of students in private schools, nearly *******.