Population · Chart
On-time school applications in the Western Cape rose from 139,000 to 164,500 in four years
164.5thousand applications 2026 · Highest
The 2026 intake added 12,500 applications in a single year, more than double the yearly rise of the three years before it.
From our storiesWestern Cape Semigration: The Data 2020 to 2026Read the full story →
Method and sources
Each bar is the number of Grade R, Grade 1 and Grade 8 applications received by the Western Cape Education Department inside the on-time application window, in thousands, as printed in the article's chart.
2022: 139k.
2023: 145k.
2024: 149k.
2025: 152k.
2026: 164.5k, an increase of 12.5k on 2025.
The article notes that the 2026 figure includes about 13,000 learners arriving from the Eastern Cape. It gives intake years only, so each bar is dated to its calendar year.
Sources: Western Cape Education Department (https://www.westerncape.gov.za/education/) The link is to the publisher, not the exact admissions report.
Figures as published in our article on Western Cape semigration (chart last checked 14 September 2026): Western Cape Education Department admissions reports.
Chart updated · 23 Oct 2026. The observation dates above describe the data, not today’s conditions.
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