The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has confirmed a strong start to the 2026 online school admissions process, with more than 213,000 Grade 1 and Grade 8 applications successfully processed by 1pm on opening day.
Gauteng MEC for Education, Matome Chiloane, announced that the online admissions system officially opened at 8am on Thursday, 24 July 2025, and within the first hour, the system had already recorded a total of 78,645 applications. These included 32,584 Grade 1 applications and 46,061 Grade 8 applications.
By 1pm, the numbers had surged to 213,654 successfully processed applications, with 93,042 Grade 1 and 120,612 Grade 8 applications submitted via the online system.
MEC Chiloane Leads Official Launch in Ga-Rankuwa
To mark the launch of the application window, MEC Chiloane conducted the official Switch-On event at the YMCA in Ga-Rankuwa, where he personally assisted parents with the online application process.
“Significantly, over 40 000 users were already attempting to access the system even before the official opening time of 8am, with some starting as early as 5am. This early surge caused temporary delays for some users, who had to refresh the page before gaining access once the system went live,” the GDE explained.
“We therefore urge parents and guardians in future to refrain from trying to log in before the official start time, to avoid unnecessary access issues. The 2026 Online Admissions application window will remain open until 29 August 2025,” the department added.
How to Apply for Grade 1 and Grade 8 Admissions in Gauteng
Parents and guardians must submit their applications online at www.gdeadmissions.gov.za. Once the application is submitted, required supporting documents must be uploaded to the system or delivered to the chosen schools within seven school days of applying.
For those needing help with the online application process, the GDE has made support available through:
• Local District Offices
• 81 Decentralised Walk-in Centres across Gauteng
• GDE Call Centre: 0800 000 789
• GDE WhatsApp Support: 060 891 0361
System Stability and Continued Access
“We are proud of this monumental achievement, processing such a high number of applications on the first day. This success reflects the improvements made to the system, which operated smoothly overall, despite a brief delay experienced by users who tried accessing the site before it officially opened.
“We encourage parents not to panic. The system will remain open until 29 August, giving ample time to apply,” said MEC Chiloane.
Parents are advised to apply early, upload documents timeously, and avoid last-minute submissions to ensure a smooth application process for the 2026 Gauteng school admissions.
