St John's College, Johannesburg

In Brief

St John's is the strongest British-curriculum boys' school in Johannesburg, with A-Level results to match and a boarding option that few South African schools can offer. If you have a boy and want Cambridge exit qualifications alongside IEB, this is the school to see first.

St John's occupies a specific and well-defined niche: it is a boys' school, it runs the British curriculum end-to-end from nursery through Sixth Form, and it is one of the few schools in South Africa where a boy can sit Cambridge A-Levels (not just IGCSE) without switching schools at 16. The combination of IGCSE, A-Level, and IEB matric in one institution gives families genuine flexibility at senior level - a real advantage if university plans are not yet fixed. The Houghton campus sits close to Roedean on St David Road, about 15 minutes from Sandton at off-peak times.

Results in 2025 were strong: one in three A-Level grades at A*/A, a 100% IEB pass rate, and a 90% bachelor-degree pass rate. The school sits around 1,500 students including 240 boarders, which means there is a genuine boarding community rather than a token few. Under head Dale Jackson, who took over from Jeppe High for Boys in January 2026, the school is in an early transition period - worth asking at any visit what his priorities are for the college phase specifically. The Good Schools Guide describes the school as 'a very special place', noting a warm and purposeful atmosphere across the prep and college phases.

The fees are mid-to-high for Johannesburg - ZAR 232,974 for Grades 8-12 plus a ZAR 11,876 annual development levy - and boarding adds ZAR 134,066-164,328 depending on the boarding type. Day families in Houghton, Parktown, or Rosebank are well-placed; families in the northern suburbs face a significant daily commute south on the M1. St John's is also a boys-only school from the start, which is a clear preference match - families looking for co-education should look at Redhill, AISJ, or St Stithians instead.