After nearly two decades of transforming the lives of young women from disadvantaged communities, Oprah Winfrey has announced that the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls (OWLAG) will close its doors at the end of the 2027 academic year.
The decision, however, is less an ending than a dramatic change in direction. Rather than continuing to operate the prestigious boarding school in Henley on Klip, south of Johannesburg, Winfrey is redirecting her philanthropic investment into a nationwide scholarship programme designed to reach twice as many girls across South Africa.
“The dream was never simply to build a school. It was to invest in the limitless potential of young women,” Winfrey said. “That mission doesn’t end with one campus.”
A New Chapter
The 22-acre campus, opened in 2007 following a reported $40 million investment inspired by Nelson Mandela, will be handed over to the Gauteng Department of Education in line with the original agreement. Provincial officials have confirmed the facility will continue operating as a school under government management.
Instead of funding one elite residential institution, Winfrey’s foundation will provide scholarships enabling academically gifted girls from disadvantaged backgrounds to attend top-performing schools across the country. According to her representatives, the new model is expected to double the number of young women who benefit from the Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation’s educational investment.
No Student Left Behind
Current learners will not be affected by the transition. The academy will graduate its final two classes before closing, while any remaining pupils will be transferred to leading schools with their tuition, academic support and personal development fully funded by Winfrey through to graduation.
The foundation says the shift reflects lessons learned over nearly 20 years of operating one of South Africa’s most exclusive educational institutions.
A Legacy Beyond the Headlines
Since welcoming its first class in 2007, OWLAG has produced more than 1,000 graduates, many of whom have gone on to become doctors, engineers, entrepreneurs and other professionals.
Yet the school’s history was not without controversy. Within months of opening, allegations of physical and sexual abuse against a dormitory matron triggered international scrutiny. Oprah personally travelled to South Africa, apologised to families and launched an independent investigation. Although the staff member was later acquitted in court, the scandal cast a long shadow over the academy’s early years.
The school later faced further public attention following a defamation lawsuit involving its former headmistress and a tragic 2011 incident involving the death of a newborn child born to a student on campus.
Critics also questioned whether the academy’s world-class facilities — including theatres, science laboratories, wellness centres and landscaped grounds — represented the best use of philanthropic funding in a country grappling with widespread educational inequality.
From Campus to Country
Winfrey’s latest decision appears to answer that criticism directly. By moving away from an expensive, centralised boarding model, her foundation believes more resources can flow directly to students rather than infrastructure, allowing talented girls from every corner of South Africa to access quality education without relocating to a single campus.
If successful, the initiative could mark the evolution of one of the country’s most recognisable philanthropic education projects — from an iconic school to a nationwide investment in opportunity.
OWLAG will graduate its final classes through the 2027 academic year, after which the Henley on Klip campus transfers to the Gauteng Department of Education. Details on the new scholarship programme are expected from the Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation as the transition approaches.
