Montarena Secondary School
Secondary · Public · NSC exams · EMIS 500214526
Montford, Umlazi, KwaZulu-Natal
At a glance
- Fees
- Fee-paying
- Exam body
- NSC
Matric: 98% of candidates passed in 2025 (50 of 51). Of the 158 comparable Quintile 4 schools in KwaZulu-Natal with 2025 results, 123 scored lower.
Source: DBE EMIS Q3 2025 · NSC School Performance Report 2025 · Processed 8 Aug 2026
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Grade 1 and 8 admissions for 2027 closed on 31 August 2026. Late applications: contact the school directly. · Provincial default, check the school · How admissions work
2027 school terms
- Term 1
- 13 January to 19 March
- Term 2
- 6 April to 25 June
- Term 3
- 20 July to 22 September
- Term 4
- 5 October to 8 December
The national calendar for public schools, for learners. Check with the school for its own events. Source: Government Gazette 52178
What kind of school is Montarena Secondary School?
Montarena Secondary School is a public secondary school in Montford, within the Umlazi education district of KwaZulu-Natal. EMIS records it as a medium-sized school with 513 enrolled learners and 22 educators, giving a learner-to-educator ratio of 23:1.
It is classified as Quintile 4 — a government classification based on the surrounding community's socioeconomic profile, not a measure of school quality. Fees are set by the School Governing Body, and families who cannot afford fees may apply for exemption. Matric candidates write the National Senior Certificate (NSC) administered by the Department of Basic Education.
The school falls within the Ethekwini metropolitan municipality. Among 148 Q4 Secondary schools in KwaZulu-Natal, it has fewer learners per educator than 90% of similar schools. EMIS classifies the location as urban.
The school is at 466706 Montford Road, Chatsworth, Durban, 4030, and can be reached on 031 404 5437.
Note: The Urban/Rural classification is sourced directly from EMIS and may reflect historical registration data. See Data Limitations.
School fees at Montarena Secondary School
Montarena Secondary School is recorded as a fee-charging school. The school governing body proposes the amount and a majority of parents at the yearly budget meeting must approve it.
We do not have the amount. The principal must tell parents the yearly fee when a child is admitted, so ask the school office.
Fee status as recorded by the Department of Basic Education.
If you cannot afford the fees
At a public school that charges fees, parents can apply to pay less or nothing. This is called an exemption. A public school may not refuse to admit a child because the parent cannot pay the fees or has not paid them.
- You pay nothing if one child's yearly fees, plus any other money the school asks you to pay for that child, are 10% (one tenth) or more of the parents' combined yearly income before tax.
- You pay less if the fees and other payments are between 3.5% and 10% of that income. Below 3.5%, you pay less only if you have several children at public schools that charge fees: at least 2 children at 3%, 4 at 2.5%, or 6 at 2%. The regulations' table goes up in half percents and does not settle the figures between its rows, so the calculator below shows both rows.
- Below 2% the formula gives no exemption. If you still cannot pay because of something outside your control, tell the governing body. It may agree to an exemption with conditions.
- You pay nothing, no matter how much you earn, if you receive a social grant for the child, if the child is placed in a foster home, a youth care centre, a place of safety or an orphanage, if you are a relative caring for an orphan, or for a child whose parents have abandoned them and who has no means of support, or if the child heads the household. You must give the governing body proof: an affidavit, a letter from a social worker, or a court order.
Work out what the formula gives you
Use amounts for a whole year. If you pay monthly, multiply by the number of months the school charges. Nothing you type leaves your device.
How to apply: ask the principal for the exemption form and give it to the chairperson of the school governing body. You apply every year. If the other parent cannot be found or will not give their income, you can say so in an affidavit and apply on your own. The governing body must decide within 30 days and tell you in writing. If you are not satisfied, you can appeal in writing to the head of the provincial education department, within 30 days of getting the decision.
Source: Regulations relating to the Exemption of Parents from Payment of School Fees in Public Schools (Government Notice R1052 of 2006, as amended by Notice 1149 of 2006), and sections 5 and 41 of the South African Schools Act. More about fee exemptions.
What we don't have yet
- Exact fee amount
- Admissions process, open days or deadlines
- Whether the school uses WhatsApp
From this school? Add these yourself, free.
NSC Matric Results
98% of candidates passed in 2025 (50 of 51). Of the 158 comparable Quintile 4 schools in KwaZulu-Natal with 2025 results, 123 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.
98.0% pass rate in 2025. 123 Quintile 4 schools in KwaZulu-Natal scored lower, 35 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 Montarena Secondary School as Quintile 4; 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.
The Department’s lists record this school for 2018 as a special needs school. A school listed as a different type usually offered a different range of grades, so those numbers and later ones may not be counting the same thing.
See the number for each year
| Year | Learners |
|---|---|
| 2007 | 765 |
| 2008 | 748 |
| 2009 | 825 |
| 2010 | 840 |
| 2011 | 810 |
| 2012 | 809 |
| 2013 | 804 |
| 2016 | 625 |
| 2018 | 537 |
| 2019 | 519 |
| 2020 | 576 |
| 2021 | 626 |
| 2022 | 716 |
| 2023 | 636 |
| 2025 | 513 |
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 Montarena 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 90% of similar schools
(Q4 Secondary schools in KwaZulu-Natal)
Contact
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Web address
https://schoolseek.co.za/school/montarena-secondary-school-500214526/Straight to the matric results
https://schoolseek.co.za/school/montarena-secondary-school-500214526/#resultsFor a web page (HTML)
<a href="https://schoolseek.co.za/school/montarena-secondary-school-500214526/">Montarena Secondary School on SchoolSeek</a>Location
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What other schools are near Montarena 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 3
Fewer learners per educator than 70% of similar schools
Primary · Public · Quintile 4
Fewer learners per educator than 43% of similar schools
Primary · Public · Quintile 4
Fewer learners per educator than 75% of similar schools
Primary · Public · Quintile 4
Fewer learners per educator than 87% of similar schools
Primary · Public · Quintile 4
Fewer learners per educator than 60% of similar schools
Schools serving similar communities
Other public secondary schools in KwaZulu-Natal with Quintile 4.
Grouped by quintile, phase and province. These schools face similar resource constraints to Montarena Secondary School. This grouping is for browsing and is broader than the peer group used for the matric percentile above.
Secondary · Public · Quintile 4
Fewer learners per educator than 59% of similar schools
Secondary · Public · Quintile 4
Fewer learners per educator than 74% of similar schools
Secondary · Public · Quintile 4
Fewer learners per educator than 59% 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 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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