St Anne's Diocesan College

St Anne’s Diocesan College is a leading independent Anglican girls’ high school in the village of Hilton, in the scenic KwaZulu-Natal Midlands above Pietermaritzburg. Founded in 1877 in Pietermaritzburg by the Right Reverend William Macrorie, Bishop of Maritzburg, and Miss Emma Cresswell – beginning as a small school of around 40 girls – it moved to its present Hilton site in 1904 in search of a more temperate climate and room to grow. Today it educates around 420 girls in Grades 8 to 12, made up mostly of termly boarders alongside weekly boarders and a small, integrated community of day girls, and is the sister school of nearby Michaelhouse.

As a Diocesan college, St Anne’s is rooted in the Anglican Church and the Diocese of KwaZulu-Natal, and seeks to give each girl a secure spiritual foundation; entrants need not be Christian, but all attend regular chapel worship. Under the motto Res Non Verba (“Deeds Not Words”), the school’s purpose is to nurture “women of significance” – strong, confident, compassionate and socially conscious young women who use their voices responsibly and lead with integrity.

Academic standards are high, with girls writing the IEB National Senior Certificate and achieving consistently excellent results, supported by future-focused teaching and a broad, empowering curriculum. Thanks to its relatively small size, every girl has the opportunity to flourish – whether in the classroom, on the sports field, or through a comprehensive music, drama and social-responsibility programme. Recent fees are around R176,000 a year (Grade 12); full fee and admissions details are available directly from the school.