Online applications for grade one and eight admissions will be open from 24 July to 29 August.
The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has announced the dates for the 2026 online admissions for grades one and eight.
Applications will open from Thursday, 24 July and are scheduled to close on Friday, 29 August 2025. Parents will not be able to access the system before it goes live.
The GDE’s online admissions application system was introduced in 2015, with the aim to make the application process fair, transparent and efficient.
Since its introduction in 2015, the GDE’s online system has successfully assisted hundreds of thousands of parents and guardians with securing a space for their children going to grades one and eight at Gauteng public schools.
Matome Chiloane, Gauteng MEC for education, says the system has a 98% placement rate of all complete applications submitted online for 10 consecutive years.
In the 2025 academic year, close to 400 000 learners were placed in Gauteng schools through the online admissions system.
Chiloane urges parents to apply to a minimum of three schools and a maximum of five schools to increase chances of placement.
“Some parents think that applying to just one school gives them an advantage, but that’s not how it works. The department still uses the same criteria to place learners, regardless of whether you’ve applied to one school or multiple schools.”
Parents and guardians are also urged to apply within the application period because schools become full and will not be available for late applications.
The minister emphasises the need for all parents and guardians to register, as previous login details will not work.
Chiloane says parents with children that are currently in grade R must also apply online for their children to be admitted to grade one as there is no automatic progression to grade one. Applications for other grades must be made directly at the school(s) of choice.
“To increase the chances of placement closer to the parent’s home address, parents should select schools with feeder zones that cover the parent’s home address,” notes Chiloane.
No new applications will be accepted once the application period has closed.
