Joburg’s Top Schools Shine as IEB Class of 2025 Delivers Exceptional Results

A standout year for Joburg’s independent schools

As families across Johannesburg celebrate the end of a demanding school journey, the IEB matric Class of 2025 has given the city plenty to cheer about. From historic campuses to modern private colleges, some of Joburg’s top independent schools delivered results that speak not just to high pass rates, but to depth, consistency and academic resilience.

Sacred Heart College, Dainfern College and St John’s College all recorded 100% pass rates, with pupils racking up hundreds of distinctions and placing among the country’s top subject performers.

In a year still shaped by the aftershocks of Covid-era learning disruptions and growing academic pressure, these results have sparked pride across school communities and lively celebration on parent WhatsApp groups and school social media pages.

Sacred Heart College: Excellence rooted in depth and discipline

At Sacred Heart College in Observatory, a 101-year-old Catholic Marist school, the Class of 2025 achieved a clean sweep in the IEB exams, with a 100% pass rate and an impressive 86% bachelor’s pass rate.

The cohort produced 86 distinctions and multiple top 1% national subject performers, a significant achievement in an exam system known for prioritising application and critical thinking over rote learning.

Executive head Dhiraj Bharuth described the results as evidence of meaningful learning rather than rushed performance.

“Academic mastery is about depth, not speed,” he said, noting that pupils had to navigate lingering post-Covid gaps, intensified senior-grade assessments and broader social and economic pressures.

The class also reflected the school’s diversity, including pupils who joined Sacred Heart later in their high school careers, each bringing different learning needs and backgrounds into the mix.

Dainfern College: Another year, another clean sweep

In Fourways, Dainfern College once again proved its consistency, achieving a 100% pass rate for the 24th consecutive year. All 68 matric pupils qualified for university entrance, with a 100% bachelor’s pass rate.

The class achieved a combined 131 distinctions, nearly two per pupil, with 19% of the grade averaging 80% or higher.

Top achiever and dux scholar Kelly Philips stood out with nine distinctions, including an exceptional 99% for mathematics. Head girl Mandisa Phakane followed closely with six distinctions, alongside several peers who also reached the six-distinction mark.

Founded in 1997, Dainfern has built a reputation as a holistic, community-focused independent school, a balance executive head Andrew Baker says is key to sustained success.

“We’re incredibly proud of every pupil,” he said. “This is about academic excellence, but also about confidence, character and realising individual potential.”

St John’s College: Big numbers, big ambition

St John’s College delivered one of the most statistically striking performances of the year. Of the 149 pupils who wrote the IEB exams, all achieved a tertiary pass, with 146 securing bachelor’s passes.

The cohort amassed a remarkable 548 distinctions, an average of 3.7 per candidate. One pupil earned 11 distinctions, while several others reached double digits.

Notably, 93% of pupils achieved at least one distinction, and 60% of mathematics candidates earned distinctions, producing 78 in the subject alone.

Deputy head of academics Vanessa Govender said the school’s demanding academic structure plays a central role.

“At St John’s, we don’t take the easy path,” she said, explaining that pupils are required to take sciences alongside mathematics, languages and humanities to build intellectual stamina and adaptability.

More than marks

Beyond the numbers, these results highlight a broader conversation unfolding in South Africa’s education space: what meaningful academic success really looks like.

In a climate where national results are often debated and politicised, Joburg’s IEB schools are being praised online for producing pupils who are not only passing, but genuinely prepared for university and beyond.

For the Class of 2025, the distinctions are impressive, but the real achievement may be proving that rigorous education, when paired with care and support, still delivers under pressure.

{Source: The Citizen}

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