Secondary and sixth form fees in Johannesburg (2026/27)

Secondary and sixth form is where the Johannesburg fee picture is clearest, because the city hub publishes the 2026 to 2027 senior tuition directly. The figures below are those published senior rates in South African rand, from ZAR 200,000 at the more affordable schools to ZAR 320,000 at the American International School of Johannesburg, before the one off capital fee and the 5 to 10 per cent top up most schools add for transport, meals, books and trips.

The bands below reproduce that published senior tuition and the profile of the named schools, and secondary sits above primary and well above nursery and preschool. Choose by curriculum, from the International Baccalaureate and American continuum at AISJ to the IEB matriculation at the strong South African independents. Start from the Johannesburg schools hub to shortlist by curriculum and suburb.

Secondary and sixth form fee bands

School names illustrate each band and are indicative rather than exact quotes for your child year. Confirm current fees directly with each school before you budget.

Registration, deposit and other costs

Tuition is only part of the bill. The line items below are indicative bands drawn from the published Johannesburg school schedules and should be confirmed with each school, as capital fees and top ups vary widely.

Bands above are indicative ranges, not a single school quote. Always confirm current figures in a school fee schedule before budgeting.

What drives the cost

Curriculum is the first lever. The International Baccalaureate continuum and American route at AISJ sits at the top of the published range, with the British IGCSE and A Level schools, the German Abitur and the French Baccalaureate schools in the upper middle, and the IEB matriculation independents such as St Stithians, Roedean and St John's completing the range. The premium tracks the depth of subject choice and university guidance.

Campus and reputation drive the rest. The flagship senior schools hold large sites with strong sports, arts and science facilities, and those capital costs feed into tuition and the one off capital fee. A South African independent can deliver a strong IEB matriculation at the lower end of the published range, usually trading the international curriculum rather than teaching quality.

Hidden costs parents miss

The capital fee catches families out first. Most Johannesburg schools apply a one off capital or registration levy on joining, from about ZAR 15,000 to ZAR 45,000, separate from tuition and due before the first term, so the entry year always costs more than the published senior headline.

The standard top up and exam year costs come next. Schools add 5 to 10 per cent on published tuition for transport, meals, books and trips, and exam years bring IB, IEB, Abitur or A Level entries plus senior trips, which together are a real line rather than a rounding error. Device programmes add further in the senior years.

For the stages before this one, read our primary fees and nursery and preschool fees pages, or return to the Johannesburg schools hub. To weigh Johannesburg against another city, the international school fee calculator totals tuition plus living costs.

Frequently asked questions

Published 2026 to 2027 senior tuition at Johannesburg international schools runs from about ZAR 200,000 to 320,000 a year, before the one off capital fee and the 5 to 10 per cent top up most schools add for transport and trips.

On published senior tuition, the American International School of Johannesburg is the most expensive at about ZAR 320,000 a year, reflecting its full International Baccalaureate continuum and American route and its dedicated Sandton campus.

The American International School of Johannesburg is the only full IB continuum school in Gauteng, and Reddam House Bedfordview offers the IB Diploma in sixth form. Others run IGCSE and A Level, the German Abitur, the French Baccalaureate or the IEB matriculation.

Expect a one off capital or registration fee, the standard 5 to 10 per cent top up for transport, meals, books and trips, exam entry fees in IB, IEB, Abitur or A Level years, plus senior trips and device programmes.

Yes. Johannesburg schools set and bill fees in South African rand, so the figures here are the published senior rates rather than a conversion, and families paid in another currency should budget for exchange rate movement across the year.