What are no-fee schools?
No-fee schools are public schools that may not charge mandatory school fees. National policy designates all Quintile 1, 2, and 3 schools as no-fee, but provincial departments may extend this to Quintile 4 and 5 schools. In the Western Cape, over 200 Q4 and Q5 public schools have been declared no-fee (as of 2025). These schools receive higher per-learner allocations from the government to cover what fee-charging schools fund through fees.
How no-fee status is determined
No-fee status is linked directly to a school's quintile. All Quintile 1, 2, and 3 schools are designated no-fee under national policy. The quintile is based on the poverty level of the surrounding community, measured by census data on income, income dependency ratio (unemployment rate), and literacy.
What no-fee schools can and cannot charge
No-fee schools may not charge mandatory school fees. They may still request voluntary contributions and many do fundraise for additional resources. Schools may also charge separately for uniforms, stationery, or transport. If a no-fee school attempts to charge mandatory fees, parents can report this to the provincial education department.
How does the government fund no-fee schools?
No-fee schools receive a higher per-learner allocation than fee-charging schools, set by the national norms and standards for school funding. Quintile 1 schools receive the highest allocation; Quintile 5 the lowest. Many schools report the allocation does not fully cover operational costs, which is why voluntary contributions and fundraising remain important.
Can you get fee exemptions at fee-charging schools?
Yes. Even at Quintile 4 and 5 schools, the South African Schools Act requires schools to grant fee exemptions. The exemption is based on the proportion of household income that the annual fee represents: if the annual fee equals 10% or more of your household's annual income, you qualify for full exemption; if fees fall between 3.5% and 10% of income, a partial exemption applies on a sliding scale; households where fees represent less than 2% of income do not qualify. Learners in foster care or receiving social grants qualify for automatic full exemption regardless of income. Schools may not exclude learners or withhold report cards for non-payment — this applies to all public schools, not only no-fee schools.
How to find no-fee schools on SchoolSeek
Use the "Fees" filter on any area page or in the map explorer to show only no-fee schools. Each school profile also shows whether the school is no-fee and its quintile classification.
Sources
- South African Schools Act 84 of 1996 (Sections 39–41 — fee exemptions)
- Regulations Relating to School Fees (promulgated under SASA, 1996; as amended)
- Norms and Standards for School Funding — Government Gazette No. 18546, 1998 (amended 2006)
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Data sourced from the Department of Basic Education EMIS database. Read our full methodology