Mid-Fee Independent Schools: The Conundrum of Promise and Profit in South Africa’s Education Boom

 
South Africa’s schooling landscape is evolving fast. For middle-income families squeezed between overstretched public schools and pricey private options, mid-fee independent schools have emerged as the hopeful middle ground, offering smaller classes, better resources, and a values-driven ethos without needing to sell a kidney to pay tuition.

At least, that’s the promise.

These schools sprouted from noble intentions, make quality education affordable, individualised and human-centred. Initially, many succeeded in doing just that. They focused on experiential learning, emotional development and creating schools where children weren’t just seen but known.

But as the popularity of these institutions grew, so too did the allure of expansion. And as we’ve seen before, when education meets corporate investment, things can get a bit... slippery. Picture a school that started out like a charming artisanal bakery and now resembles a discount chain store selling pre-packaged loaves that all taste the same.

When Vision Becomes Volume – A Case Study

Take, for example, a well-known mid-fee school in Johannesburg that I did some research on a short while back. Founded around 2015 by teachers with a unique education vision, it was designed, from the ground up, around a progressive education model, with Constructivism at its core. Learning was messy, creative, hands-on… and that was the point. Parents loved it, children thrived, and educators felt inspired.

Fast forward a few years and a change in investors and leadership brought with it a shift in focus. As profitability took centre stage, the school’s heart began to shrink. Class sizes swelled, personalisation shrank, and decisions began to favour numbers over nuance. It went from “let’s honour each child’s natural learning journey” to “how many kids can we fit into one classroom before the fire marshal notices?”

The result? Disillusionment. A community once united around a bold educational mission now questions whether the school they signed up for still exists. I revisited the school a couple of months ago. The buildings are the same, the uniforms are still pressed, but the soul feels somewhat absent.

When Growth Becomes Greed

Here lies the cautionary tale: mid-fee schools must walk a fine line between sustainable growth and selling out. Of course, financial viability matters, but not at the cost of the very values that drew families in. When child-centred education is replaced by metrics, spreadsheets and “cost-effective staffing models,” something precious is lost.

Educators feel the pinch too. Teachers are stretched thinner than Wi-Fi at a school camp, expected to deliver personalised learning to overcrowded classes. Passion wanes, burnout rises and the creative spark dims. This isn’t just inefficient, it’s unethical.

Investors in education carry a unique and profound responsibility—unlike other industries, their returns are not just financial but deeply human. When profit becomes the sole motivator, the true purpose of education is undermined, reducing children to data points and schools to business units.

Investors must recognise that they are stewards of a system that shapes young minds, influences futures and impacts entire communities. Their role should be one of ethical partnership: supporting innovation, sustainability and quality, while ensuring that every decision made - from staffing to infrastructure - ultimately serves the best interests of the children. A school’s success should be measured not just by enrolment numbers or margins, but by the well-being, growth and empowerment of the children it serves.

Finding Our Way Back

There is a way forward. One that doesn’t involve choosing between impact and income. Schools must commit to their founding vision by:

• Reinvesting profits into resources, teacher development and reduced class sizes, not new signage or admin block makeovers.
• Returning creativity to the classroom: reinvigorate arts, music, project-based learning and unstructured play, because curiosity is a far better predictor of success than a test score.
• Empowering educators to teach as professionals, not as cogs in a system. Teachers should be supported to innovate, not forced to conform.
• Honouring diversity in learning, because no child deserves to be boxed into a system that forgets they’re more than a mark on a spreadsheet.

The Bigger Picture

Parents aren’t asking for perfection. They’re asking for honesty, balance and vision. And schools that hold tight to their values will find that families stay loyal, even when the competition offers shinier marketing or lower fees. Why? Because people remember how you made them feel, especially when it comes to their children.

In the end, mid-fee schools have the potential to reshape South African education for the better. But only if they resist the lure of becoming factories with glossy facades. Let’s build schools that educate, not just enrol. That inspire, not just operate. And that put the children, not shareholders, at the heart of every decision.

And ironically enough, get this right and the profits will naturally follow.