SEDIBENG.- Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane  has announced that only 4858 learners remain unplaced as part of the 2026 Online Admissions process for Grade 1 and Grade 8.

A statement by the department said that as of today, Tuesday, January 6, the Gauteng Department of Education’s Online Admissions system recorded a total of 4858 unplaced learners, translating to:

• Grade 1: 1381 learners
• Grade 8: 3477 learners

This represents approximately 1.5% of the total 358 574 complete applications received for the 2026 academic year, comprising 175 792 Grade 1 and 182 782 Grade 8 applicants. The Department said that it continues to release placement and transfer offers daily, supported by targeted interventions in high-pressure districts, to ensure that all remaining learners are placed as efficiently and fairly as possible, in line with regulated admissions criteria and available school capacity.

Placement per district: High pressure area

Placement data per district indicates that the majority of the remaining unplaced learners are concentrated in urban and metropolitan districts, where sustained population growth and infrastructure constraints continue to place pressure on available school capacity.

Ekurhuleni Districts

Ekurhuleni remains the highest-pressure district, with a combined total of:

• Ekurhuleni North: 1741 unplaced learners (Grade 1: 381; Grade 8: 1360)
• Ekurhuleni South: 1181 unplaced learners (Grade 1: 569; Grade 8: 612)
• Gauteng East: 247 unplaced learners (Grade 1: 85; Grade 8: 162)

This results in a total of 3169 unplaced learners in Ekurhuleni, with pressure particularly at Grade 8 level in Ekurhuleni North.

Johannesburg Districts

Only two Johannesburg districts account for a significant number of remaining unplaced learners:

• Johannesburg North: 3 Grade 8 learners
• Johannesburg East: 1173 (Grade 1: 95; Grade 8: 1078)
• Johannesburg South: 352 (Grade 1: 250; Grade 8: 102)

Placement pressure remains highest in Johannesburg East, largely driven by demand for secondary school placements.

Tshwane Districts

Tshwane has shown significant progress in placing learners, with only Tshwane having a minuscule amount of learners to place:

• Tshwane North: 14 unplaced learners (Grade 1: 1; Grade 8: 13)

Sedibeng and West Rand Districts

Sedibeng and West Rand have also shown tremendous placement progress with comparatively lower numbers as well and are largely stabilised:

• Sedibeng East: 70

The Department said that it has prioritised Ekurhuleni and Johannesburg as high-pressure districts, with intensified district-based placement, continued release of placement and transfer offers, and strategic utilisation of available capacity across neighbouring schools.