Oprah to Close South African School After Nearly 2 Decades

Oprah Closing Girls' School in South Africa... But Plans to Continue Funding Education Published July 29, 2026 1:25 PM PDT Oprah Winfrey's girls' school in South Africa she opened nearly two decades ago will be closing in 2027 ... and transitioning its operations to local officials, she announced. Moving forward, the media mogul will instead focus on a scholarship program for girls at the boarding school -- currently called the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy of Girls -- she said in a statement Wednesday. The plan is to expand reach to more young girls across South Africa. The school will end its current operations at the end of 2027, according ot the announcement ... and South Africa’s Gauteng Department of Education will take over. Oprah's reps tell TMZ that girls who are unable to finish their schooling at the Academy "will go to other top-tier schools with their tuition paid for in total by Ms. Winfrey through their graduation." Oprah opened the school in 2007 and more than 1,000 girls have graduated since. Oprah said in a statemet, "The dream was never simply to build a school. 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." Related articles Oprah Winfrey Celebrity News TV Stars Charity