Oprah Winfrey's South African Girls' School to Close in 2027
The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls will hand its campus to local authorities after the 2027 academic year, with scholarships offered to remaining students as the foundation shifts to a nationwide scholarship program.
Oprah Winfrey announced that the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls near Johannesburg will close after the 2027 academic year, with the campus to be transferred to local education authorities as originally planned. Students who have not yet graduated will receive full scholarships to attend other schools.
Since opening in 2007, the boarding school has graduated more than 1,000 girls from under-privileged backgrounds. Winfrey said the closure is part of a broader effort to expand educational opportunities across South Africa. > "The dream was never simply to build a school. It was to invest in the limitless potential of young women. That mission doesn't end with one campus. It continues in every girl whose future can be transformed through education," she said.
The foundation clarified that the decision was not related to mismanagement, and it will continue supporting academically talented girls through a new scholarship programme. Gauteng's education department said it is committed to preserving the academy's legacy. > "We will ensure that this exceptional institution continues to serve the people of Gauteng while honouring the vision upon which it was established," the department said.
The school, built at a cost of $40 million, featured facilities such as theatres, a yoga studio and a beauty salon. Alumni have gone on to careers in medicine, law, engineering, the arts and business, including a 2012 graduate now working as a senior engineering lead at a major technology company.