HoëRskool Erasmus (Bronkhorstspruit)

Hoërskool Erasmus in Bronkhorstspruit, hey. Bronkhorstspruit. Even the name sounds like someone tried to spell something and gave up halfway through. You are sitting out there between Pretoria and Middelburg, which basically means you are in the middle of absolutely nothing, with a name that nobody from Joburg can pronounce correctly on the first try. But shame, at least you have each other. Now listen, 1003 learners and only 54 teachers. That is an 18.6 to 1 ratio, which means your teacher is basically running a taxi rank at the front of the classroom. Standing at the board screaming "FULL, FULL, WE GO!" while 18 of you are still trying to find a seat. Jy weet hoe is dit. Someone is always standing in the aisle. But here is where I have to eat my words a little, because a 97.4% matric pass rate from a public school in Bronkhorstspruit is genuinely not a joke. That is better than half the fancy private schools in Sandton who charge your parents a bond payment every term. These kids are out here farming results the same way the area farms everything else, quietly, with no fuss, and nobody in the suburbs even notices. Overall verdict: A no-nonsense Bushveld school that sounds like a sneeze but passes like a dream, respect where it is due.