Gauteng MEC for Education Matome Chiloane has announced that over 600 000 successful applications were recorded during the 2026 Online Admissions application period for Grade 1 and Grade 8.
In a statement, the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) said this remarkable milestone was reached on Tuesday, 5 August 2025, just under two weeks since the system opened for applications on 24 July 2025.
"As of 2pm on Tuesday afternoon, the system had recorded a total of 600 936 applications, comprising 254 251 for Grade 1 and 346 685 for Grade 8.
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"Parents and guardians who have not yet applied are encouraged to do so by visiting www.gdeadmissions.gov.za online on any device before the application period closes on 29 August 2025," the GDE said.
The department said that after registering, parents must complete the 5 Step Application Process as incomplete applications will not be considered for placement.
All applicants are urged to upload certified copies of the required documents online or submit them in person to each selected school within 7 days of applying.
If uploaded online, documents only need to be submitted once, as all selected schools will be able to view them. The GDE Online Admissions System supports document verification by schools. It will prompt schools to verify and update the status of documents, whether uploaded online or submitted physically.
Parents will then receive SMS notifications once schools acknowledge receipt and verification of documents. Schools will receive automated alerts whenever new documents are uploaded by applicants.
Parents are advised to apply to a minimum of three and a maximum of five schools to increase the likelihood of successful placement.
The GDE said it is also essential to provide a valid cellphone number, as all communication, including placement offers, will be sent via SMS. Parents are urged to keep all SMS communication regarding their application.
"Applicants with complete submissions will begin receiving placement offers from 16 October 2025. Parents should log in regularly to ensure all steps have been completed," the GDE said.
To accommodate parents without access to digital resources, the department has made support available at all Gauteng public schools and through 81 decentralised walk-In centres across the province.
For assistance, the GDE Contact Centre is available from:
· Monday to Thursday: 07h00 - 17h00
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· Friday: 07h30 - 16h30
· Saturday: 09h00 - 13h00
Parents and guardians can reach out to the department on:
· Call: 0800 000 789
· WhatsApp: 060 891 0361
· Email: gdeinfo@gauteng.gov.za
"The phenomenal number of applications we've received is a concrete demonstration of the trust parents place in Gauteng's education system. We are grateful to all parents for their co-operation, and we continue to urge all parents to apply online," Chiloane said.
