Parents Urged To Finalise 2025 Grade 1 And 8 Applications As Online System Closing Date Approaches

In a statement on Friday, the department said that all public ordinary schools, district offices and 81 decentralised walk-in centres will remain open to assist parents with applications until the system closes.

“No new applications will be accepted after the application period has closed,” the department said.

The department announced that as of Thursday, 21 August, a total of 738,445 Grade 1 and Grade 8 applications were recorded by the GDE Online Admissions System.

Grade 1 received 315,865 applications and Grade 8 received 422,580, totalling 738,445.

“With seven days from the end of the application period, parents are urged to apply online without delay, or face disappointment,” the department said.

Parents and guardians who have already applied to schools are reminded that certified copies of documents must be submitted to schools or uploaded online by 12-midday on 9 September 2025.

“A certified copy of the proof of home address is a very important document as it is used to determine placement.

“Applicants who have not submitted or uploaded certified copies of proof of home address by 9 September 2025, will have incomplete applications and therefore, will not receive any placement offers during the placement period,” the department said.

Equally, applicants who uploaded or submitted fraudulent or invalid documents will forfeit the opportunity to receive placement offers.

Documents required

It is important to note that certified copies of the following documents are required:

1. SA parent ID or passport and child’s birth certificate or passport; ORRefugee permitAsylum seeker permit,Permanent residence permitStudy permit
2. Proof of home address
3. Proof of work address
4. Most recent Grade 7 school report (Grade 8 applicants only)
5. Clinic card / immunisation report (Grade 1 applicants only)

Proof of home address

The following documents are accepted as proof of home address:

Homeowners: Municipal account not older than 3 months in the name of the applicant parent bearing the full residential address.

Tenants / renters:

1. Municipal account not older than 3 months in the name of the landlord (homeowner) bearing the full physical residential address; AND2. Certified copies of the following documents:

• Lease agreement signed by landlord and tenant, bearing the full physical residential address; and
• Rental payment receipt with full physical residential address not older than 3 months; and
• Statement of any account in the name of the applicant parent bearing the full physical residential address, not older than 3 months.

Proof of home address: Other

Applicant who lives in a family home whereby the municipal bill bears the name of their parent:

In addition to the municipal account in the name of the homeowner (parent of the applicant parent), the applicant must submit the ID of her/ his parent and any statement of account not older than 3 months, in the name of the applicant parent, and addressed to the same address as the municipal account.

Applicant renting a back room with no lease agreement or proof of payment/statement:

A lease agreement is mandatory.

Important to note, “Offer to purchase” and affidavits will not be accepted as proof of home address.

Incomplete applications breakdown

To date, a total of 97,719 incomplete applications are recorded.

Of these:

• 20,265 registered parent details only (step 1 and 2) – no learner registered, no application made to any school and no documents uploaded/submitted;
• 30,547 registered parent and learner details only (step 1 – 3), but failed to apply to any schools or upload/submit documents; and
• 46,907 registered parent and learner details, and applied to schools (step 1 - 4), but failed to submit/upload documents OR submitted/uploaded documents could not be confirmed or validated.

“All parents under this category of incomplete applications must complete the 5 step application process (incl. selection of schools, submit/upload documents) by 29 August 2025 to qualify for placement offers.

“Additional time to upload/submit documents is allowed up to 12pm (midday) on 9 September 2025 only for those who applied on 29 August 2025,” the department said.

Placement period

Upon successful completion of an application online, and once all documents have been verified, parents are encouraged to wait to receive placement offers.

The placement period is scheduled to commence on Thursday, 16 October 2025, when the department starts sending placement offers to parents and guardians with complete applications via SMS.

Placement offers cannot be issued to all parents on the announced date, hence offers will be issued throughout the rest of the year until all learners have been placed.

Parents with complete applications are advised to patiently await placement offers.

Receiving and accepting placement offers

To receive and accept placement offers, parents must:

• Login to the system to view whether they have any outstanding documents and submit / upload immediately.
• Keep the cell phone number you provided when registering to apply as ongoing communication regarding status of the application and Placement offers will be forwarded to parents via SMS.
• Parents must keep their username and password safe to login to the system and view placement offers from 16 October 2025 until the department announces that all learners are placed.

Placement criteria

It is critical to remember that the following criteria is considered in order of priority below when placing learners (not first come first served):

• Home address within the school’s feeder zone, closest to the school
• Sibling / previous school
• Work address within school’s feeder zone
• Home address within 30km radius
• Home address within 30km radius
• High Pressure Areas

The department has identified a number of high-pressure areas where schools received an overwhelming number of applicants which exceeds the capacity of learners that each school can accommodate.

Approximately 277 of 1408 primary schools registered more applicants than the available capacity; and approximately 221 of 674 secondary schools registered more applicants than the available capacity.

The department said that applicants that cannot be accommodated in schools that have reached capacity are transferred to the next closest school with available space.

"Nineteen new or satellite schools were established between 2024 and 2025. Primary schools increased from 1403 to 1408. Secondary schools increased from 660 to 674,” the department said.

Placement of unplaced applicants

Parents / guardians are reminded that all placements are subject to the priority of the placement criteria and availability of space (capacity) per school.

“Therefore, applicants that cannot be accommodated at the schools they applied to due to the schools having reached capacity, will receive transfer offers of placement at the next closest school with available space.

“Transfer offers are made only after confirmation that none of the schools which a parent applied to has available space,” the department said.

Parents or guardians who are offered transfer placement at schools that they have not applied to have the option to accept or decline the placement offer.

Transfers, objections and appeals

Parents have seven days to accept or decline a transfer placement offer. If the transfer placement offer is declined, the parent may submit an objection within seven days.

The department requires 14 days to respond to objections and provide an outcome to parents. Parents have seven days to accept or decline the objection outcome.

If a parent declines the objection outcome, the parent may submit an appeal within seven days.

“The department requires 21 days to respond to appeals and provide an outcome to parents. The Appeal outcome is final. Only applicants that could not be accommodated at schools applied to may submit an objection and appeal,” it said.