American talk-show host Oprah Winfrey will close her girls’ boarding school in South Africa at the end of the 2027 academic year.
The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls, situated in Henley-on-Klip, south of Johannesburg, opened in 2007 to educate academically talented girls from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The campus will be transferred to local education authorities under the agreement reached when the academy was established.
There are currently 281 students at the school, while more than 1,000 girls have graduated since it opened.
Winfrey founded the academy after meeting anti-apartheid icon and former South African President Nelson Mandela in 2002.
The expansive campus reportedly cost $40 million to build.
What happens to the students and campus
Students who will not have graduated when the academy closes will receive full scholarships to continue their education at other schools.
Winfrey’s foundation will then expand its work through a scholarship programme supporting talented girls from communities across South Africa.
“The dream was never simply to build a school. It was to invest in the limitless potential of young women,” Winfrey said.
The 72-year-old explained that the new approach would enable her education project to reach more young women instead of operating from a single campus.
The future use of the academy remains unclear. Gauteng province’s education department has promised to preserve its legacy and ensure that the institution continues serving residents.
A public relations consultant working for Winfrey’s foundation has rejected online speculation that the school is closing because of mismanagement.
The academy attracted criticism when it opened because its facilities reportedly included two theatres, a yoga studio and a beauty salon.
Some commentators questioned whether the construction money could have been used to support more students nationwide.
The school also faced controversy months after opening when students accused a former employee of abuse. The staff member was subsequently cleared of all charges.
According to Winfrey’s organisation, graduates have gone on to become doctors, lawyers, engineers, artists, executives and entrepreneurs.
