Nearly 20 years after opening a boarding school for girls in South Africa, Oprah Winfrey will bring that chapter to a close, shifting her educational mission toward scholarships that can reach more students nationwide.
The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls (OWLAG) will cease operations when the 2027 academic year ends, with the property transferred to provincial education officials. Winfrey’s charitable foundation announced the decision on July 29, 2026.
The campus, located south of Johannesburg in the village of Henley-on-Klip, will be handed over to the Gauteng provincial education department under terms that were part of the school’s original founding agreement. Winfrey’s foundation operated and funded the institution, which enrolls girls in grades eight through 12, but the eventual transfer was built into the arrangement from the beginning.
From One School to Scholarships Across the Nation
Instead of maintaining a single campus, Winfrey plans to support academically talented girls through an expanded national scholarship program at leading schools throughout South Africa. A representative said the new approach will approximately double the number of students who receive educational support, describing that expansion as the motivation behind the transition.
Winfrey, 72, said her vision was never confined to building one school. Her mission, she explained, centered on unleashing the unlimited potential of young women — an objective that reaches beyond any single institution and endures in every girl whose life is transformed through education.
“The dream that began with one academy will now reach even farther,” Winfrey said in a video, outlining her intention to expand access for additional young women by offering financial aid and forming educational alliances.
The 281 students currently enrolled will experience no disruption. Those who have not yet graduated when the school shuts down will be placed at other top-tier schools, with Winfrey covering all tuition costs through their graduation. The new scholarship program will launch once OWLAG’s remaining students have completed their transition.
A Legacy Rooted in Conversations With Mandela
The school’s origins date back to discussions in 2002 between Winfrey and the late Nelson Mandela, the former South African president and champion of the fight against apartheid, about the transformative power of educating girls. Those discussions planted the idea for a school targeting students from underprivileged backgrounds. Mandela attended the opening ceremony when OWLAG admitted its first students in 2007.
The 52-acre campus was constructed at a reported cost of $40 million. Facilities include 21 learning spaces, half a dozen facilities dedicated to science and computer instruction, a library stocked with 10,000 books, and an auditorium that seats 600 people. Gauteng’s provincial education authorities will take possession of the site, though officials did not immediately say what they intend to do with it.
Provincial education minister Lebogang Maile confirmed that girls currently attending the academy will complete their education without any interruption to the financial assistance they receive. Gauteng’s education department expressed its dedication to upholding and furthering the school’s legacy and confirmed the facility will continue serving Gauteng’s residents.
Controversy and Accomplishment
The school faced scrutiny from its earliest days. Shortly after opening in 2007, a dormitory matron was accused by multiple students of physical and sexual abuse. Winfrey traveled to South Africa to speak directly with the students and families who were impacted, offered a public apology, and commissioned an independent inquiry into the allegations. The matron was acquitted when criminal proceedings concluded in 2010.
Critics also questioned the campus’s lavish amenities, such as dual performance venues, a studio for yoga practice, and a facility for beauty services. Some argued the funds could have supported more students if distributed across the country. The recent closure announcement prompted speculation on social media about possible mismanagement, though a spokesperson representing the foundation rejected any suggestion that such issues influenced the decision.
Despite the controversies, the academy achieved its core objective, according to those who operated it. More than 1,000 girls have graduated, figures cited by the foundation show, and alumnae have attended leading institutions of higher education in South Africa, America and on the European continent. Many have gone on to become doctors, lawyers, engineers, artists, executives and entrepreneurs.
Andronica Klaas, a 2012 graduate now working as a senior engineering lead at Meta, said the academy fundamentally changed what she believed was achievable for her life. “OWLAG convinced me that preparation, character and purpose mattered more than where I came from,” she said.
Reflecting on graduates who now work across nearly every field, Winfrey expressed pride. “I am dazzled and in awe of them,” she said, describing graduates who are now businesswomen, lawyers, mothers, doctors, artists and chief executives. The promise, she said, does not end with the campus — it keeps growing.