CambriLearn is an accredited online private school for Grade 8 to Grade 12. Your teenager follows a structured weekly timetable of live lessons with qualified subject teachers, and writes matric through SACAI or sits International GCSE and A Level examinations. Six accredited pathways, one school, no transfer if your plans change.
Four connected school experiences, working as one school. Every high school pathway runs on all four.
See CambriOSThe live school day: timetabled lessons with qualified subject teachers, the campus your teenager logs into every day.
Six accredited pathways, each one leading to a recognised qualification. Switch pathway without switching school.
Clubs, events, meetups and study groups. Learning is online. The relationships are real.
The parent view: attendance, progress and standing, visible as the week runs.
Online high school in South Africa is no longer an experimental alternative. It is an accredited pathway that thousands of families choose every year, particularly through the Senior Phase (Grade 8 to 9) and the FET Phase (Grade 10 to 12), where subject choice and matric results decide what a teenager can do next.
CambriLearn has taught more than 80,000 students across 100+ countries over 20 years. Six things a family gets here, from the first consultation to results day.
Matric through SACAI, whose National Senior Certificate is quality assured by Umalusi and accepted by every South African university. International GCSE and A Levels for families who need a qualification that travels. 98% of CambriLearn graduates receive a university acceptance.
CAPS and KABV for matric, the IEB pathway, the International British Curriculum* and Pearson Edexcel for International GCSE and A Levels, and US K-12. If your plans change, the pathway changes and the school does not.
Mathematics is taught by a mathematics teacher, physical science by a physical science teacher. Live timetabled lessons for direct teaching, with every lesson recorded so a difficult topic can be rewatched before an exam.
Grade 9 subject choices decide which degrees are open in Grade 12. Every family works with a dedicated academic consultant who knows the subject combinations, the prerequisites, and what each university actually requires.
Provincial and national sport, performing arts, a chronic condition, or a family move can all sit alongside a full academic timetable. Your teenager attends live lessons from home, anywhere with a connection. No commute.
CambriCommunity connects your teenager with peers who share their interests. Subject study groups, social clubs, and real-world meetups across South Africa.
Explore CambriCommunityCambriLearn teaches five internationally recognised curricula across six accredited pathways. Each one leads to a different qualification, so the right choice depends on where your teenager is heading after school.
South African families heading to a local university usually take CAPS, or KABV for Afrikaans-medium teaching. Families who may emigrate, or who want a qualification recognised in more than 100 countries, take the International British Curriculum* or Pearson Edexcel. Student athletes aiming at American colleges take US K-12, the only pathway carrying NCAA approval.
| Pathway | Grades | Examination Body | Final Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|
| CAPSSouth African national | 8 to 12 | SACAI | National Senior Certificate |
| KABVAfrikaans medium | 8 to 11Grade 12 in 2027 | SACAI | National Senior Certificate from 2027 |
| IEBIndependent board | 10Gr 11 in 2027, Gr 12 in 2028 | Independent Examinations Board | National Senior Certificate from 2028 |
| International British*Globally portable | 8 to 12 | Cambridge Assessment International Education and Pearson Edexcel | International GCSE, AS and A Level |
| Pearson EdexcelOfqual regulated | 10 to 12 | Pearson Edexcel | International GCSE and A Level |
| US K-12NCAA approved | 6 to 12 | Score Academy Online | US High School Diploma |
International GCSE, AS and A Level examinations are written at independently registered examination centres, where CambriLearn students sit as private candidates. Grade equivalents are shown by age; placement is by readiness, so a consultant confirms the starting grade. See our exam centres page for locations.
Online high school follows the same academic standards and the same final examinations as a traditional school. The difference is in the delivery.
An academic consultant confirms the pathway, the starting grade, and the subject list for your teenager.
Confirm subjects, then Standard or Premium per subject. Grade 8 and 9 can also take Starter.
Log in, meet the teachers, and receive the weekly timetable. Most families are settled within a week.
Live timetabled lessons, recorded lessons for revision, marked assessments, and exam preparation.
Online high school is an accredited school programme for students aged roughly 13 to 18, covering Grade 8 through Grade 12, taught through live online lessons instead of a physical classroom. Students follow the same nationally and internationally recognised curricula as a traditional high school, sit the same external examinations, and receive the same qualification. In South Africa that qualification is the National Senior Certificate, quality assured by Umalusi.
At CambriLearn every student follows a structured weekly timetable taught by qualified subject specialists. That means live lessons for direct teaching, a recorded lesson library for revision, regular assignments with teacher feedback, and dedicated tutor support on Premium. High school students typically spend four to six focused hours a day on academic work.
The FET phase, Grade 10 to 12, is where the qualification is decided. CAPS students write their National Senior Certificate examinations through SACAI, a private assessment body accredited by Umalusi, at independently accredited examination centres across South Africa. The certificate is the same one issued to a learner at any government or private school. Students on the international pathways write International GCSE, AS and A Level examinations as private candidates at registered centres.
Yes. South African law requires that every child of compulsory school-going age receives an education, and learning through an accredited online school is a recognised way of meeting that requirement. Families who are formally home educating also register with their provincial education department. Your consultant will tell you which applies to your situation and what paperwork CambriLearn provides.
CAPS and KABV high school fees start at R4,152.42 a month for Grade 8 and 9 on the Standard package, and R4,443.88 a month for Grade 10 to 12, spread over ten instalments. That is R44,438.80 a year for a full seven-subject Grade 10 or 11 year.
Private high school fees in South Africa run from R60,000 to more than R180,000 a year before transport, uniforms, textbooks and sport. Even a government school carries transport, uniform and textbook costs that mount up. A one-off registration fee of R1,500 applies to new enrolments.
| Annual Cost | Government School | Private School | CambriLearn |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition fees | R0 to R18,000 | R60,000 to R180,000+ | From R44,438 |
| Registration, one-off | R0 | Registration fee plus deposit | R1,500 |
| Matric examination fees | Covered by the school | Varies by school | R1,960 per subject |
| Transport | R6,000 to R18,000 | R12,000 to R36,000 | R0 |
| Uniforms | R2,000 to R5,000 | R3,000 to R8,000 | R0 |
| Textbooks | R1,500 to R4,000 | R3,000 to R8,000 | Purchased separately |
| Sport and extramurals | R2,000 to R6,000 | R6,000 to R18,000 | Included via CambriCommunity |
| Class size | 35 to 50 learners | 20 to 30 learners | Small-group live lessons |
| Pathway choice | CAPS only | One or two options | Six accredited pathways |
Government and private school estimates are indicative and vary by school and province. Visit our pricing page for current CambriLearn fees.
Figures are per month over ten instalments, for a full subject load. Starter is available in Grade 8 and 9 only; from Grade 10 the packages are Standard and Premium, reflecting the assessment demands of the FET phase.
| Grade and pathway | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 8 to 9, CAPS or KABVNine subjects · Starter from R1,954.08 | R4,152.42 | R4,885.20 |
| Grade 10 to 11, CAPS or KABVSeven subjects | R4,443.88 | R5,360.74 |
| Grade 12, CAPSSeven subjects · plus SACAI R1,960 per subject | R4,443.88 | R5,360.74 |
| Grade 10, IEBSeven subjects | R5,038.60 | R6,083.49 |
Fees vary with the subjects chosen, so these figures assume the subject counts shown. International British Curriculum, Pearson Edexcel and US K-12 pathways are priced per subject in US dollars; see the pricing page for those. You can mix Standard and Premium across subjects, investing more where your teenager needs support.
The package sets how much teacher contact and marking your teenager receives. The curriculum and the final examination are the same either way.
Interactive learning content, a recorded lesson library, the student tracker, and structured assessments with memoranda.
Everything in Starter, plus live timetabled lessons, marked tests and assignments, progress reports, and academic support.
Everything in Standard, plus direct chat with teachers, live question and answer sessions, and dedicated tutor support.
CambriLearn runs three routes to the National Senior Certificate. All three lead to the same NSC, quality assured by Umalusi and accepted by every South African university.
The standard Grade 10 to 12 route on the CAPS curriculum through SACAI. Students follow a structured weekly timetable with live lessons, marked assessments and dedicated examination preparation, then write the NSC at an accredited examination centre. The certificate is identical to one issued at any government or private school.
If you hold an NSC but missed the symbols a degree requires, the upgrade route lets you rewrite individual subjects. You enrol only in the subjects you need, get focused subject teaching and past-paper preparation, and write through SACAI. The subjects families most often upgrade are Mathematics, Physical Sciences, Life Sciences and English.
Open to learners of any age, with no upper age limit. Adult learners returning to finish matric, students who did not pass certain subjects, and people who left school before Grade 12 all enrol on the CAPS curriculum, complete the required subjects, and write the NSC through SACAI. Many rewrite students study alongside work or other commitments.
The National Senior Certificate requires seven subjects: two official languages, Mathematics or Mathematical Literacy, Life Orientation, and three others. Upgrade and rewrite students can enrol per subject rather than taking the full seven. Examination registration with SACAI is handled through CambriLearn, and a consultant will confirm which subjects you need and which route fits your situation.
Accreditation decides whether a qualification counts. Here is exactly what CambriLearn holds, which body examines which pathway, and what each one covers.
CambriLearn is accredited by Cognia, which covers 36,000+ institutions across 85 countries. Cognia accredits the school itself: governance, teaching quality and continuous improvement, across every pathway from Grade 8 through to matric, A Levels and the US diploma.
For CAPS and KABV, CambriLearn is registered with SACAI, the South African Comprehensive Assessment Institute. SACAI is a private assessment body accredited by Umalusi, the quality council for general and further education. Umalusi accredits assessment bodies rather than individual schools, which is why SACAI registration is the credential that matters for matric.
CambriLearn is registered with the Independent Examinations Board and currently teaches the IEB pathway at Grade 10, with Grade 11 opening in 2027 and Grade 12 in 2028. The IEB is an Umalusi-accredited assessment body and its National Senior Certificate is widely respected for application-based assessment. The first CambriLearn IEB matric cohort will write in 2028.
Students on the International British Curriculum* and Pearson Edexcel pathways write International GCSE, AS and A Level examinations set by Cambridge Assessment International Education and Pearson Edexcel, as private candidates at independently registered examination centres. Both are recognised by universities in more than 100 countries.
CambriLearn is NCAA approved, so student athletes on the US K-12 pathway can qualify for athletic scholarships at American colleges. Few online schools in South Africa hold this approval, and for a serious sportsperson it is the difference between a scholarship being possible and not.
Yes. What a university assesses is the qualification, not the delivery method. A National Senior Certificate written through SACAI is the same certificate as one written through a provincial education department, and it is accepted at UCT, Wits, Stellenbosch, the University of Pretoria, UJ, UKZN, Rhodes and NWU, on the same admission point requirements as any other applicant. 98% of CambriLearn graduates receive a university acceptance.
Students on the international pathways apply with International GCSE and A Level results. South African students holding A Levels apply for a foreign qualifications exemption through the USAf Matriculation Board, and the same qualifications are accepted by universities in the UK, United States, Australia, Europe and beyond. Where a family is undecided about staying or emigrating, this is usually the deciding argument for an international pathway.
Across 330+ independent reviews on HelloPeter, Google, Trustpilot and Facebook.
"Our son was failing at a prestigious private school, not because he wasn't capable, but because the environment crushed him. Within six months on CambriLearn's CAPS programme he was getting distinctions. He's now in Grade 12 and has already been conditionally accepted to UCT."
"We relocated from Johannesburg to Dubai mid-year. Our daughter switched from CAPS to the International British Curriculum on CambriLearn without missing a single week of school. She wrote her International GCSEs last year and scored A*s in four subjects."
"My son is a competitive swimmer training for national colours. Traditional school was impossible, he missed too many classes and teachers wouldn't accommodate his schedule. CambriLearn lets him train in the mornings and study in the afternoons. He's excelling in both."
Online high school suits any South African family that wants an accredited, university-recognised education without the constraints of a traditional classroom. These are the most common profiles across CambriLearn's 80,000+ student community.
Competitive swimmers, tennis players, rugby prospects, dancers and musicians need a school day that a traditional timetable cannot give them. Students train during the day and attend live lessons around their competition calendars. NCAA approval on the US K-12 pathway also opens American college sports scholarships, a route most South African schools cannot offer at all.
A family relocating to the UK, UAE, Australia or Europe usually faces a change of curriculum mid-year. The International British Curriculum* and Pearson Edexcel pathways are recognised in more than 100 countries, so the curriculum travels with the family and no academic year is lost.
Anxiety, ADHD, autism spectrum conditions, chronic illness and physical disability are all harder to accommodate in a class of 40, and hardest of all during the matric years. Live timetabled teaching plus dedicated tutor support on Premium lets these students work in an environment built around them without giving up the qualification at the end.
Bright students held back by the pace of a large class often disengage. Specialist teachers can stretch a strong subject through harder material or enter a student for examinations early, so a capable teenager moves at the pace they are actually capable of.
Subject choice in many small towns is limited to whatever the local school can staff, which quietly closes off degrees that need Mathematics or Physical Sciences. CambriLearn delivers specialist subject teaching anywhere with an internet connection, across all six pathways.
Violence, bullying and drug exposure remain persistent concerns in South African high schools. Online school removes the physical risk while keeping real social contact through CambriCommunity: study groups, clubs and meetups built for teenagers.
Students who did not get the results they needed, and adults who left school before Grade 12, enrol on the CAPS curriculum and write the National Senior Certificate through SACAI. There is no upper age limit and no requirement to have passed the first time.
Matric recognition, university acceptance, fees, subject choice and load shedding, answered in full.
Yes. CambriLearn is registered with SACAI, a private assessment body accredited by Umalusi. Grade 10 to 12 learners on the CAPS curriculum write their NSC examinations at independently accredited examination centres across South Africa, and the certificate is identical to one issued at any government or private school. CambriLearn is also registered with the Independent Examinations Board, where the pathway currently runs to Grade 10 and the first matric cohort writes in 2028.
Yes. Universities assess the qualification, not how it was taught. A National Senior Certificate written through SACAI carries the same standing as one written through a provincial education department and is accepted at UCT, Wits, Stellenbosch, the University of Pretoria, UJ, UKZN, Rhodes and NWU on the same admission point requirements. 98% of CambriLearn graduates receive a university acceptance.
CAPS and KABV fees start at R4,152.42 a month for Grade 8 and 9 on Standard, and R4,443.88 a month for Grade 10 to 12, spread over ten instalments, which is R44,438.80 for a full seven-subject year. A one-off registration fee of R1,500 applies, and Grade 12 students pay a SACAI examination fee of R1,960 per subject. Private high school in South Africa runs from R60,000 to more than R180,000 a year. Full figures are on our pricing page.
Yes. South African law requires that every child of compulsory school-going age receives an education, and learning through an accredited online school is a recognised way of meeting that requirement. Families who are formally home educating register with their provincial education department, and CambriLearn provides the supporting documentation. Your consultant will confirm which applies to your situation.
Six accredited pathways: CAPS Grade 8 to 12 for matric through SACAI, KABV Grade 8 to 11 in Afrikaans with Grade 12 opening in 2027, the IEB pathway at Grade 10 with Grade 11 in 2027 and Grade 12 in 2028, the International British Curriculum and Pearson Edexcel for International GCSE and A Levels, and US K-12 for an American high school diploma with NCAA approval.
Yes. Upgrade students who already hold an NSC enrol only in the subjects they want to improve, most often Mathematics, Physical Sciences, Life Sciences and English. Rewrite and second-chance students who did not pass, or who left school before Grade 12, enrol on the CAPS curriculum and write the NSC through SACAI. Both routes are open to learners of any age with no upper age limit.
Every live lesson is recorded and available afterwards, so a lesson missed during an outage can be watched later. Assignments can be completed offline and uploaded when the connection returns. Families on a schedule affected by regular outages should raise it in the consultation so the timetable can be planned around the known windows.
Students work alongside their teachers and classmates in live lessons every day, and CambriCommunity adds subject study groups, clubs, events and real-world meetups. Many families also keep their teenager in local sport, music or drama alongside their online studies, which is easier once the commute is gone.
CambriOS is what runs CambriLearn: four connected school experiences working as one school. CambriCampus is the live school day. CambriPathways is the choice of six accredited routes, each leading to a recognised qualification. CambriCommunity is where your child belongs. CambriCommand is the parent view, with attendance, progress, and standing visible in one place. The name is new. The school is not. Discover CambriOS.
Book a free consultation with an academic consultant. They confirm the pathway, the starting grade, the subject list and the package, then handle enrolment and examination registration. Most families are set up and learning within a week, and admissions stay open through the year.
Cognia accredited, registered with SACAI and the IEB, NCAA approved. Six accredited pathways and 20 years of matric and A Level results behind them.
Free consultation · No obligation · Enrol any month
CambriLearn is accredited by Cognia, registered with SACAI for the CAPS and KABV pathways, registered with the Independent Examinations Board for the IEB pathway, and NCAA approved. Umalusi accredits assessment bodies rather than individual schools. *"International British Curriculum" refers to the curriculum framework delivered by CambriLearn, which prepares students to write International GCSE, AS and A Level examinations administered by Cambridge Assessment International Education and Pearson Edexcel at independently registered examination centres as private candidates. CambriLearn is not a registered Cambridge school and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Cambridge University or Cambridge University Press.
