Gauteng school admissions: When do late applications close?

Parents of Grade 1 and Grade 8 pupils who have not found a school for their children yet have until Thursday to apply.

Since online admissions opened in July, the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) placed just over 325 000 pupils across 2 079 schools.

With 32 500 placed since the late applications window opened in December 2024, the window for the GDE’s late online admission applications closes on 30 January.

Late applications close on 30 January

The GDE stated that 1 500 of the total number of schools in Gauteng were made available for late applicants, with those pupils automatically being allocated a school upon completing the application.

To provide additional seats, the GDE installed a series of satellite schools in high-pressure areas that could accommodate a further 4 417 seats.

“These satellite schools have provided critical relief for parents, having successfully accommodated more learners who might otherwise have been left without space,” stated GDE spokesperson Steve Mabona.

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While the GDE’s centralised system handles applications for grades 1 and 8, Mabona stressed that applications for all other grades must be made directly through schools and districts.

“Parents who have not yet secured a space for their child in Grade 1 or Grade 8 at a Gauteng public school are encouraged to visit www.gdeadmissions.gov.za and apply before the closing date,” Mabona concluded.

School overcrowding

Just over 157 000 Grade 1 pupils were placed for the 2025 school year, as well as 168 400 in Grade 8.

The provincial government has been accused of not building enough schools to deal with the growing population.

An oversight visit by Democratic Alliance (DA) members suggested that classrooms were being crammed with up to 50 pupils at some schools in the south of Johannesburg.

Following protests outside an Afrikaans school earlier this week, a separate oversight visit found parents wanting to have their children placed there despite Laerskool Danie Malan being at full capacity.

“Interestingly, North Park Primary School, a nearby English-medium school, has seven empty classrooms and sufficient capacity to accommodate additional learners,” stated DA Pretoria North constituency head Bronwynn Engelbrecht.

“However, parents are not seeking placement at this school because it does not have sporting facilities,” Englebrecht explained.

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