Oprah Winfrey closes South Africa girls' academy, expands scholarship program

Oprah Winfrey announced on July 29, 2026, that the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls (OWLAG) in South Africa will close at the end of the 2027 academic year. The 52-acre boarding school campus near Johannesburg will be returned to the Gauteng Department of Education, as originally stipulated in the partnership agreement when the academy was established in 2007. The transition fulfills the long-standing plan to hand over the facility to local authorities after two decades of operation.

Winfrey, 72, framed the closure as an evolution rather than an ending of her educational mission in South Africa. "The dream was never simply to build a school. It was to invest in the limitless potential of young women," she stated. "That mission doesn't end with one campus. It continues in every girl whose future can be transformed through education." More than 1,000 girls have graduated from the academy since its opening, with graduates pursuing careers as doctors, lawyers, engineers, and executives. The final two graduating classes will complete their education at OWLAG, while remaining students will be placed at leading schools with full tuition covered by Winfrey through graduation.

The academy will pivot to a national scholarship program that Winfrey's representatives say will support double the number of girls compared to the residential model. The expanded program will provide scholarships for academically talented girls from disadvantaged communities across South Africa to attend leading schools nationwide. This shift allows Winfrey to extend her educational investment beyond a single campus to reach more students across the country.

The Gauteng Department of Education stated it is "committed to preserving and advancing the academy's legacy" but did not immediately announce specific plans for the campus's future use. Provincial Education Minister Lebogang Maile confirmed that currently enrolled students will complete their education with uninterrupted financial support. The announcement did not address online speculation about the closure, though a foundation representative denied rumours of mismanagement.

The academy was inspired by conversations between Winfrey and former South African President Nelson Mandela in 2002 regarding the transformative power of educating girls. Built at a cost of $40 million, the campus features 21 classrooms, six science and computer laboratories, a 10,000-volume library, and a 600-seat theatre. The school faced early controversy in 2007 when students accused a dormitory matron of abuse; the matron was acquitted of criminal charges in 2010. Currently, 281 students are enrolled at the academy.