What it costs to live in South Africa’s most prestigious school districts
· The South African
Every parent wants their child to get a superb education.
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In provinces like Gauteng, that means living or working within a prestigious school district.
But in the Western Cape, home to many of the country’s best-performing school districts, pupils don’t have to live near a public school to be accepted.
Living close by doesn’t hurt.
School governing bodies determine the criteria for acceptance, and sometimes that means residing in a catchment area.
South Africa’s Most Prestigious School Districts
Within a 40-kilometre radius, from Boston in Bellville to Krigeville in Stellenbosch, you’ll find many of the country’s top-performing schools.
In Paarl, you’ll find prestigious schools like Paarl Gimnasium and Paarl Boys High School, both within the top 10 feeder schools for Stellenbosch University.
According to data from School Performance, which analyses matric pass rates, La Rochelle Girls School in Paarl is in the top 1% of schools.
Over the past 10 years, the school has maintained a 100% pass rate.
In Stellenbosch, Paul Roos Gimnasium is in the top 1%, as are Bloemhof Girls High School and Rhenish Girls High School.
Within Cape Town, you have DF Akademie and Fairmont, located in Bellville and Durbanville respectively.
All these schools feature in the top 10 feeder schools for Stellenbosch University.
Fees at Prestigious Schools
Although public, these are all fee-paying schools. This is what parents can expect to pay.
SchoolAnnual Fees (2026)Monthly Fees (2026)DF AkademieR43 120R3 920Fairmont High SchoolR45 900R4 590Stellenberg High SchoolR46 050 – R47 000R4 605 – R4 700La Rochelle Girls SchoolR49 900R4 990Paarl Girls High School R51 030R5 103Paarl Boys High SchoolR54 800R5 480Paarl GimnasiumR55 000R5 500Rhenish Girls High SchoolR56 100R5 610Paul Roos GimnasiumR69 300R6 930Parents who don’t want to move to these areas can benefit from the region’s extensive list of hostels.
The annual fees for these range from R54 600 at La Rochelle Girls School to R76 200 at Paul Roos Gimnasium.
SchoolAnnual Hostel FeesMonthly Hostel FeesLa Rochelle Girls SchoolR54 600R5 460Rhenish Girls High SchoolR62 110R6 210Paarl Girls High SchoolR64 560R6 456Paarl Boys High SchoolR69 900R6 990Paarl GimnasiumR73 000R7 300Paarl Roos GimnasiumR76 200R7 620Property in Prestigious School Districts
To reside in a catchment area, parents should expect to spend well over R1 million on a home.
The average sale price in Paarl is R2.2 million.
In Stellenbosch, the average sale price is R2.64 million.
Boston, it’s R2.42 million, and in Durbanville it’s R3 million.
In the sought-after Hoog en Droog suburb of Paarl, home to many top-performing schools, buyers can get a home starting at R4.95 million.
Buyers eyeing Stellenbosch may have to spend a bit more.
In Krigeville, home to Paul Roos Gimnasium, a 1-bedroom costs R5.98 million.
SuburbAreaAverage Sale Price (2026)BostonBellvilleR2.42 millionStellenbosch CentralStellenboschR3.15 millionKenridgeDurbanvilleR4.46 millionVrykykPaarlR4.49 millionKrigevilleStellenboschR4.97 millionHoog en DroogPaarlR7.25 million