Desmond Mpilo Tutu Secondary School
Secondary · Public · NSC exams · EMIS 130042202
Paarl, Cape Winelands, Western Cape
At a glance
- Fees
- No-fee school
- Exam body
- NSC
- Language
- English
Matric: 80.5% of candidates passed in 2025 (198 of 246). Of the 24 comparable Quintile 1 schools in Western Cape with 2025 results, 10 scored lower.
Source: DBE EMIS Q3 2025 · NSC School Performance Report 2025 · Processed 8 Aug 2026
Provided by the school. We've confirmed it comes from the school; we don't fact-check the details. How we verify · Updated 10 Sep 2026
What does Desmond Mpilo Tutu Secondary School say about itself?
- Curriculum
- National curriculum (CAPS/NSC)
- Language of instruction
- English, isiXhosa
- Affiliation
- Christian
- Grades offered
- Grade 8 – Grade 12
- Typical class size (as stated by the school)
- 34
- School hours
- 08:00 - 14:30
- Principal
- Mr P.V Tsewu
Subjects
Sports & extramurals
Grade R, 1 and 8 admissions for 2027 closed on 14 April 2026. Late applications: Western Cape admissions portal · Provincial default, check the school · How admissions work
What kind of school is Desmond Mpilo Tutu Secondary School?
Desmond Mpilo Tutu Secondary School is a public secondary school in Paarl, within the Cape Winelands education district of the Western Cape. EMIS records it as a very large school with 1,785 enrolled learners and 51 educators, giving a learner-to-educator ratio of 35:1.
It is classified as Quintile 1 — a government classification based on the surrounding community's socioeconomic profile, not a measure of school quality. It is designated as a no-fee school, so families do not pay tuition fees. Matric candidates write the National Senior Certificate (NSC) administered by the Department of Basic Education.
The school falls within the Drakenstein local municipality. Among 23 Q1 Secondary schools in Western Cape, it has a learner-educator ratio close to the median for similar schools. EMIS classifies the location as urban.
The school is at Funda Street Polar Park Mbekweni 7626, and can be reached on 021 868 2959.
Language of instruction: English
As recorded by the Western Cape Education Department. See Methodology.
Note: The Urban/Rural classification is sourced directly from EMIS and may reflect historical registration data. See Data Limitations.
School fees at Desmond Mpilo Tutu Secondary School
Desmond Mpilo Tutu Secondary School is recorded as a no-fee school. Parents do not pay compulsory school fees. The school may ask for voluntary contributions. You do not have to pay them.
Fee status as recorded by the Department of Basic Education.
Still missing
NSC Matric Results
80.5% of candidates passed in 2025 (198 of 246). Of the 24 comparable Quintile 1 schools in Western Cape with 2025 results, 10 scored lower.
Show the peer dot plot & trend
Each year reflects a different cohort. Year-on-year change does not necessarily indicate improvement or decline.
80.5% pass rate in 2025. 10 Quintile 1 schools in Western Cape scored lower, 14 scored higher.
Each dot is one school. The dashed amber line shows where the typical similar school sits: half score above, half below. Pass rates each year reflect a different group of students.
Source: DBE NSC School Performance Report 2025; subject results: DBE NSC School Subject Reports 2024 & 2025. Methodology
After matric: applying and paying for study
Some universities charge nothing to apply, and some waive the fee. These are their own rules, checked on 7 November 2026. Most applications for 2027 closed in September and October 2026. Rules and dates change every year, so confirm on the university's website before you apply.
- University of the Free State: No application fee (2027 applications).
- University of Johannesburg: No application fee for online applications.
- University of Mpumalanga: No application fee from the 2027 academic year.
- University of Venda: No application fee.
- Central University of Technology: No application fee.
- Nelson Mandela University: No application fee for South African citizens.
- University of the Western Cape: No application fee (2027 application guide).
- University of Pretoria: R300 to apply for 2027, waived if your household income is R150 000 a year or less. You upload proof of income with the application.
- Stellenbosch University: R100 for South African citizens and permanent residents to apply for 2027. The online system asks for R400: pay only R100 by EFT, or pay R400 online and get R300 back. Depending on the quintile of your school, undergraduate applicants may pay nothing: the application then shows the fee as R0.00. South Africans applying to the Stellenbosch or Tygerberg campus who cannot pay can send the university a motivation: the fee guide linked here gives the address. The EMIS record lists Desmond Mpilo Tutu Secondary School as Quintile 1; confirm with the university.
- NSFAS: The government's student funding scheme for study at public universities and TVET colleges. Applications for 2027 funding closed on 31 October 2026; the website has the rules and lets you track an application.
- Career advice (Khetha): The Department of Higher Education and Training's career advice service: call 086 999 0123 or SMS 072 204 5056.
This list may be incomplete: other universities may also be free to apply, and some charge a fee. It is not a recommendation of any university.
Learner numbers reported to the Department, by year
These counts are not a measure of quality. A number can change because a school adds or drops grades, because new schools open nearby or boundaries change, or because of an error in what was reported.
See the number for each year
| Year | Learners |
|---|---|
| 2007 | 1,322 |
| 2008 | 1,735 |
| 2009 | 1,237 |
| 2010 | 977 |
| 2011 | 1,009 |
| 2012 | 1,135 |
| 2013 | 1,539 |
| 2016 | 1,462 |
| 2018 | 1,410 |
| 2019 | 1,488 |
| 2020 | 1,711 |
| 2021 | 1,844 |
| 2022 | 1,679 |
| 2023 | 1,881 |
| 2025 | 1,785 |
These are counts of learners from the Department of Basic Education’s national school lists. A few figures that look like recording errors are left out. We found no list with figures for 2014, 2015, 2017, 2024. How we read these lists.
What is the learner-to-educator ratio at Desmond Mpilo Tutu Secondary School?
How many learners there are per educator, compared to schools in the same quintile and phase. The educator count includes teachers, heads of department, and principals, so real class sizes are usually larger than this number suggests.
Fewer learners per educator than 41% of similar schools
(Q1 Secondary schools in Western Cape)
Contact
Contact details updated by the school · not from EMIS.
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Link to this page
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Web address
https://schoolseek.co.za/school/desmond-mpilo-tutu-secondary-school-130042202/Straight to the matric results
https://schoolseek.co.za/school/desmond-mpilo-tutu-secondary-school-130042202/#resultsFor a web page (HTML)
<a href="https://schoolseek.co.za/school/desmond-mpilo-tutu-secondary-school-130042202/">Desmond Mpilo Tutu Secondary School on SchoolSeek</a>Location
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What other schools are near Desmond Mpilo Tutu Secondary School?
Other schools within a few kilometres. Proximity does not imply similarity: these schools may serve different phases, quintiles, or communities.
Primary · Public · Quintile 1
Fewer learners per educator than 10% of similar schools
Primary · Public · Quintile 1
Fewer learners per educator than 15% of similar schools
Secondary · Public · Quintile 1
Fewer learners per educator than 14% of similar schools
Primary · Public · Quintile 1
Fewer learners per educator than 3% of similar schools
Primary · Public · Quintile 2
Fewer learners per educator than 43% of similar schools
Schools serving similar communities
Other public secondary schools in Western Cape with Quintile 1.
Grouped by quintile, phase and province. These schools face similar resource constraints to Desmond Mpilo Tutu Secondary School. This grouping is for browsing and is broader than the peer group used for the matric percentile above.
Secondary · Public · Quintile 1
Fewer learners per educator than 14% of similar schools
Secondary · Public · Quintile 1
Fewer learners per educator than 36% of similar schools
Secondary · Public · Quintile 1
Fewer learners per educator than 77% of similar schools
Frequently Asked Questions
School data: DBE EMIS Q3 2025. Matric results: NSC School Performance Report 2025. Subject results: NSC School Subject Reports 2024 & 2025. Infrastructure: NEIMS/EFMS 2021 (historical). Learner-educator comparisons group schools by quintile, phase and province; matric comparisons group by sector and province, plus quintile for public schools. The learner-educator ratio includes all staff classified as educators, so actual class sizes may differ. Learn about our methodology
Some details on this page (each marked “Provided by the school”) were supplied by the school and are not independently verified by SchoolSeek. The official statistics above (learner and educator numbers, quintile, learner-educator ratio, and matric results) are unchanged and come from DBE EMIS Q3 2025 and NSC School Performance Report 2025.
Some data fields may not be available for all schools. Missing data is shown as '—' or 'Not available'. Source: DBE EMIS Q3 2025.
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