St Stithians College

Founded 1953 by Albert Collins, William Mountstephens, and Gilbert Tucker, St Stithians is a Methodist co-ordinate village of schools straddling Sandton and Randburg, consistently among South Africa's top performing independents.

Around 2,600 pupils across Junior Prep (co-ed, Grades R to 2), separate Boys' Prep and Girls' Prep from Grade 3, and separate Boys' and Girls' Colleges from Grade 8. Mixed classes in subjects like Drama, English, isiZulu, Afrikaans, Art, and Computer Science under the co-ordinate model. IEB curriculum. Head is Dr Tim Nuttall.

Sport is a central feature, particularly hockey, swimming, and diving, and the campus is the largest and most expansive in Gauteng. Academics are strong but the environment is high pressure. Some past pupils describe a perfectionist culture that has weighed on mental health, particularly for less sporty children, and bullying has come up in pupil voice. Methodist ethos is real but worn lightly. Families looking for the full Saints package of academics, sport, and traditions arrive happy; those wanting smaller and quieter often choose St Peter's or St John's instead.

• Strong IEB matric track record. Multiple recent cohorts have produced students in the top 1% of IEB candidates across a wide subject spread, and double-digit Summa Cum Laude awards in 2025.
• Sport runs deep. Old boys cite the school routinely in cricket and rugby contexts; one redditor flagged it as one of the country's best cricketing schools and the alma mater of Kagiso Rabada, Lorcan Tucker and Curtis Campher.
• Pastoral tone is divided. Parents describe dedicated teachers and a supportive community; ex-students on SchoolParrot describe bullying as a serious problem and say staff add to it through gossip about pupils.
• High-pressure culture is a recurring theme from former pupils, with one girls' college reviewer linking the perfectionism to anxiety and depression.
• Recent safeguarding incident in the news. A 2025 case in which a Grade 1 girl was reportedly left with hearing damage after bullying drew national press and put discipline practices under public scrutiny.
• Positioned as a Tier 1 South African private school by reputation, alongside St John's, Hilton and Michaelhouse.