Pretoria Boys High School (Pretoria)

Pretoria Boys High School, eish. "Excellence thrives in every aspect, academics, sports, and culture." Broe, that is a lot of words for a school that charges R77,940 a year for Grade 12. That is not school fees, that is a bond repayment. You are literally financing your child's matric like a second-hand Golf 7. And for that price you get 1526 boys crammed in together with 96 teachers at a 15.9 to 1 ratio, which means your "articulate, well-mannered leader" is basically raising himself. The teacher is somewhere in the back trying to remember which one you are. And the boarding? So you pay almost eighty grand, and then you also pay extra to drop your son off and not see him again until he smells like Lynx Africa and bad decisions. "Shaping young men into independent thinkers." Ja, independent enough to sort out their own laundry because mom is four hours away in Limpopo. Look, Pretoria Boys High has been around forever and the old boys love to tell you about it at every braai from here to Centurion. You will know when you meet one because they will work it into the conversation before you have finished opening your Savanna. "Courage, service, and integrity." Sure. But also R77,940. Per year. In Pretoria. Where the wind does not even have the decency to be Cape Town wind, it is just hot and full of jacaranda pollen. Overall verdict: One of the most genuinely respected schools in the country, but they write their own description like they are applying for a job at the United Nations.