Oprah Winfrey has announced that the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls (OWLAG) will close at the end of the 2027 academic year, with the Henley-on-Klip campus reverting to local authorities. Current students who have not graduated will be offered full scholarships to continue elsewhere. The foundation says Winfrey will replace the campus model with a nationwide scholarship programme to reach more academically talented girls across South Africa.
Oprah to Close South African Girls' Academy in 2027 — Will Shift to Nationwide Scholarship Programme
The first group of students graduated from Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in 2012 [AFP via Getty Images]
Oprah Winfrey has announced that the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls (OWLAG), the boarding school she founded near Johannesburg nearly two decades ago, will close at the end of the 2027 academic year. The campus in Henley-on-Klip will be handed back to local education authorities as originally agreed when the academy was established.
The foundation said that students who have not graduated by the time the campus closes will be offered full scholarships to continue their education elsewhere. Winfrey, 72, also confirmed she will continue her investment in girls' education in South Africa by launching a nationwide scholarship programme to support academically talented students from underserved communities.
Background and Impact
OWLAG opened in 2007 with the aim of educating girls from underprivileged backgrounds, a project inspired by Winfrey's 2002 meeting with Nelson Mandela. More than 1,000 young women have graduated from the academy; according to the foundation, alumni now work as doctors, lawyers, engineers, artists, executives and entrepreneurs. There are currently 281 students enrolled.
Why the Change?
The foundation framed the closure as the next phase of a broader mission. "The dream was never simply to build a school," Winfrey said in a statement. "It was to invest in the limitless potential of young women. That mission doesn't end with one campus. It continues in every girl whose future can be transformed through education."
[BBC]
"I'm excited that this next chapter will allow us to reach even more young women across South Africa and continue the promise that began more than 20 years ago."
Controversies and Response
OWLAG — built at a reported cost of $40 million and noted for its expansive facilities — has courted controversy since opening. Critics questioned whether its lavish campus could have funded programs for more students nationwide. Months after the school opened, a former staff member faced accusations of abuse but was later cleared of all charges.
As news of the closure circulated online, a PR consultant for the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy Foundation denied claims that mismanagement prompted the decision. The foundation emphasized that the move reflects a strategic shift to expand impact through scholarships rather than the operation of a single campus.
Local Authorities and the Campus Future
Gauteng province's education department said it is "committed to preserving and advancing the academy's legacy" but has not yet detailed plans for the site's future use. The department pledged the institution will continue to serve the people of Gauteng while honoring the vision on which it was founded.
Practical arrangements are in place to protect current students' education: those who will not graduate before the campus closes will receive full scholarships to continue at other institutions. The foundation says its forthcoming scholarship programme will target academically gifted girls from communities across South Africa to attend leading schools nationwide.
While the OWLAG campus will close, the foundation frames the decision as a transition from a single flagship institution to a broader, countrywide effort to support girls' education and opportunity.
Help us improve.
