The total number of South African schools includes normal schools and special needs schools. These cover primary, intermediate, and secondary schools, and they can either be private or public. Now, the majority of schools in South Africa are public schools. Among these public schools, a large portion are classified as no-fee paying schools, meaning the learners don’t have to pay school fees because government fully funds the school. These schools are mostly in rural and poor areas where parents genuinely can’t afford to pay.
On this page, we went all out to give you the actual number of schools in South Africa, both per province and nationally. These are the official 2025 records that government is using.
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The total number of schools in South Africa as of 2025
South Africa has 25,492 schools across all nine provinces. This number includes every type of school, public and private, plus special education schools.
Now let us talk about the provinces with the most schools.
- KwaZulu-Natal tops the list with 6,030 schools
- Eastern Cape follows with 5,302 schools
- Then comes Limpopo with 3,823 schools
On the other hand, the provinces with the fewest schools are:
- Northern Cape with only 589 schools
- Free State with 998 schools
- And North West with 1,556 schools
These differences make sense when you look at population sizes and how people are spread across urban and rural areas. Provinces with big rural zones usually have more schools, but each school serves fewer learners. Cities have fewer schools, but they’re packed.
Let us break it down by province so you can see for yourself:
The Number of Schools in Eastern Cape
The Eastern Cape has a total of 5,302 schools. Only 312 of these are private schools. The rest of the 4,990 schools are public schools. When we break it further:
- Primary schools: 3,694
- Secondary schools: 917
- Combined schools: 675
This province is big on rural areas, which explains the high number of smaller schools spread across villages and towns.
The Number of Schools in Free State
Free State has 998 schools in total. Out of those, 83 are private. That means 915 are public.
Breakdown looks like this:
- Primary schools: 544
- Secondary schools: 275
- Combined schools: 103
- Intermediate schools: 76
Free State is one of the provinces with fewer schools overall, but the public school system is still the main provider here.
The Number of Schools in Gauteng
Gauteng has 3,111 schools in total. 1,052 are private schools, which is quite high. The rest, 2,059, are public schools.
Here are the numbers:
- Primary schools: 1,746
- Secondary schools: 742
- Combined schools: 580
- Intermediate schools: 44
Because this is the most urbanised province, many private schools are concentrated here, and schools generally serve a larger number of learners.
The Number of Schools in KwaZulu-Natal
KZN leads the pack with a total of 6,030 schools.
277 are private, and a massive 5,753 are public schools.
Breakdown:
- Primary schools: 3,911
- Secondary schools: 1,647
- Combined schools: 472
A large part of the province is rural, which explains why it is sitting with the highest school count in the country.
The Number of Schools in Limpopo
Limpopo has 3,823 schools in total. 233 are private. The remaining 3,590 are public schools.
The split is:
- Primary schools: 2,400
- Secondary schools: 1,262
- Combined schools: 150
- Intermediate schools: 11
Like the Eastern Cape, Limpopo also has widespread rural settlements, which explains the many public schools.
The Number of Schools in Mpumalanga
Mpumalanga comes in with 1,754 schools total.
137 are private, leaving 1,617 as public schools.
Structure is as follows:
- Primary schools: 999
- Secondary schools: 472
- Combined schools: 239
- Intermediate schools: 44
Not the smallest province, but the school numbers show a mix of rural and semi-urban distribution.
The Number of Schools in North West
The North West province has 1,556 schools in total. 119 of those are private schools. So 1,437 are public schools.
Here are the numbers:
- Primary schools: 1,023
- Secondary schools: 450
- Combined schools: 57
- Intermediate schools: 6
It’s one of the provinces with fewer schools overall, but the public system is strong.
The Number of Schools in Northern Cape
Northern Cape has the lowest number of schools in the country — 589 schools in total.
46 are private, and 543 are public.
Breakdown is:
- Primary schools: 336
- Secondary schools: 121
- Combined schools: 34
- Intermediate schools: 98
Although this is the largest province in land size, the population is small and widely spread, which is why school numbers are so low.
The Number of Schools in Western Cape
Western Cape has 1,775 schools in total.
Out of those, 350 are private and 1,425 are public.
The breakdown:
- Primary schools: 1,139
- Secondary schools: 405
- Combined schools: 196
- Intermediate schools: 85
Most schools here are in the metro areas like Cape Town, with a balance of private and public options.
Special Needs Schools (Across SA)
South Africa has 554 special education schools.
71 of them are private, and 483 are public. These schools cater to learners with disabilities and learning support needs, and they are found in almost every province.
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