HIDDEN GEM: Inside the Joburg inner city school proving what central Joburg learners can achieve

On any given weekday, the Johannesburg inner city is a wall of noise. The pavements are packed with hawkers selling items while minibus taxis edge through heavy traffic, hooting for passengers. The buildings here show the heavy wear and tear of the city, a mix of faded paint and cramped wholesale stores.

Yet, turn onto one particular stretch of Mooi Street, and the typical CBD hustle simply drops away. The street is unexpectedly quiet, separated from the rest of the city by a rainbow-coloured palisade fence.

Behind that bright boundary sits CityKidz Pre & Primary School, established in 2008 to give inner-city children access to top-tier education. With small class sizes and a forward-thinking program rooted in Stem subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), robotics, and the arts, the school offers a high-calibre environment right where it is needed most.

Principal Sharon Reynolds has been at the helm since 2013. Sit across from her for just five minutes and her affection for the place becomes impossible to miss. When she talks about her staff and the learners, she practically beams, effortlessly pulling up a personal anecdote for almost every child she mentions. That level of personal care is a big reason CityKidz is widely regarded as the top independent school in the inner city.

That reputation was backed up earlier this month when the school was crowned number one in the 2026 Matific Olympiad. The global contest brings maths to life for millions of primary school children across 20 countries each year through interactive, game-based learning.

“Being crowned number one requires much more than having a few top-performing learners; it takes whole-school participation and continuous practice. Every learner had to log in and practise consistently, backed by teachers monitoring their progress in class and parents keeping the momentum going at home, and I’m very proud of what we have achieved,” said Reynolds.

A haven inside the CBD

That whole-school effort comes down to the environment built by teachers like Nhlanhla Mgobhozi, the head of department for the intermediate phase. Having taught Grade 6 and 7 at CityKidz since 2021, he describes the campus as an inner-city hidden gem and regularly watches visitors’ perceptions shift the moment they step past security.

“Parents walk in and say they’ve worked in the area for years and had no idea a school like this existed,” he says.

In central Johannesburg, student safety is paramount. Inside the gates, however, that security creates space for a lively, charged classroom.

“I have to calm the learners down when class starts, but that just shows me they really want to be here,” Mgobhozi explains.

He also pushes back against common misconceptions about CBD independent schools.

“Outsiders might assume it’s a fly-by-night operation where real teaching isn’t happening, but our track record speaks for itself.”

Accredited by Umalusi and a member of the Independent Schools Association of SA, CityKidz regularly places in regional maths, science and spelling contests. High school principals across Joburg frequently report back that former CityKidz students excel academically.

Yet for Mgobhozi, the real reward comes from simpler moments.

“Once learners enter the gates, every staff member works to create a great experience for them,” he says. “The real motivation is a learner saying thank you, or a parent recognising your hard work. It’s those nuggets of appreciation.”

**A school built on soul **

For Cinderella Moyo, the head of department for the foundation phase and a Grade 3 teacher, that community spirit has been built over more than a decade. Having joined CityKidz in 2010, she has witnessed the school’s transformation firsthand.

“When I started here, there were just a handful of learners, and now we are close to 1,000. The growth has been exponential, and continues,” she said. The school launched an AI Robotics Centre in February 2025 and looks to continue its expansion with plans to open CityTeenz High School in 2027.

The connection to the school is deeply personal for her as her own children were educated at CityKidz before moving on to tertiary education.

“CityKidz is home, it really is home, and I think that keeps me grounded and motivated,” she said.

That sense of ownership shapes everyday learning. In the foundation phase, teaching goes beyond standard textbooks, with staff and learners writing custom stories together around specific themes.

Parents are equally woven into school life, coming in for community days to collaborate on campus art projects, from planning to execution.

Moyo said this hands-on partnership was what gave the school its distinct feeling.

“Our school has a soul. I like the spirit, the people, the children, the teachers. It’s alive, you can feel it, it’s almost like there’s a heartbeat in the school,” she said.

Growing the pipeline from infants to leaders

Maria King, the Grade RR leader, has watched the school’s early childhood programme grow from scratch over her seven years at CityKidz. When it was first launched, it was just a single room of 18 children next to a tuckshop. That initial experiment quickly grew into a full early childhood pipeline.

Three years ago, the school introduced CityTotz for children aged two-and-a-half to four years old, followed this year by CityBabies for infants as young as four months. While administrative red tape has temporarily delayed their move into a dedicated new facility, the youngest learners are sharing space in the main building.

Navigating those temporary space constraints is worth it to give inner-city children a head start.

“We are encouraged to grow and encourage each other to grow, because if we stay stagnant there’s no change and there’s no hope,” said King.

Instilling the school motto, Strive to Achieve, begins with the youngest groups, and King doesn’t have to look far for proof that it works.

“I’m very proud right now because our current head girl, Hope, was in my very first class seven years ago. To see her leading the school today, that is what it’s all about,” she said.

Safe, supported and ready to lead

Ask the Grade 7 student leadership team what sets the school apart, and they all talk about feeling safe and supported. Head Girl Hope Makgopa, Head Boy Eleazar Mazana, Deputy Head Girl Kayla Mavura and all describe an environment where teachers treat pupils like family, pushing them to work hard while giving them room to grow.

Deputy Head Boy Lulo Gcolotela sums up that shared culture in simple terms: “You’re never on your own here. Whether it’s tough classwork or just a hard day, there’s always a teacher or a classmate ready to help you figure it out,” he said.

That environment is exactly what Reynolds set out to build. For her, regional honours are rewarding, but ultimately a byproduct of a healthy school culture.

“Success for me isn’t only about academic achievement. It’s about the type of children we are producing, whether they are kind to one another and how they interact with the world around them. When you get kids genuinely engaged and achieving like this, that is what makes me truly proud,” she said. DM