St Mary's School Waverley

In Brief

The oldest school in Joburg (1888). Anglican, all-girls, day and boarding from Grade 8. Sits alongside Roedean and Kingsmead as the three established girls' schools in town.

What you'll actually hear:

Academically it delivers. 100% matric pass rate every year, around 4.2 distinctions per girl in 2024, and the workload is real. Parents talk about it as "serious" rather than "pressured" - bright girls thrive, middle-of-the-pack girls work hard.

Strong sport and culture programme. The campus, pool and diving complex are top-end. Boarding is small and family-feeling - five houses, weekly or full options.

The thing locals will mention quietly: the school went through a public bruise in 2021-2023 over its racial literacy and transformation programme. An external report (Orleyn-Masoek) found genuine issues for Black girls and staff around belonging, while a separate camp of parents and alumnae felt the response itself became divisive. According to one parent quoted in the report, focus groups left girls "emotionally charged" and "divided." Teacher contracts not being renewed off the back of it caused friction. Things have settled since the new senior school headmistress, Seipati Shiakallis, took over in January 2024 - the tone now is steadier.

Demographically the school has shifted significantly over the last decade, particularly in boarding. Worth knowing if your friend cares about peer mix.

Bottom line for your friend:

A genuinely excellent academic school with strong values and a clear sense of itself. Recently navigated some difficult identity conversations - which most Joburg private schools have, just less publicly. New leadership is a fresh chapter. Visit, sit in on a class, and talk to current parents (not just admissions) about how the boarding houses feel right now.