American talk-show host Oprah Winfrey will close her girls’ boarding school in South Africa at the end of the 2027 academic year, nearly two decades after it opened.

The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls, located in Henley-on-Klip, south of Johannesburg, will be handed over to local education authorities under the original agreement governing the school.

Students who will not have graduated by the time the academy closes will receive full scholarships to continue their education elsewhere.

The school currently has 281 students and has produced more than 1,000 graduates since opening in 2007.

Winfrey’s foundation said the closure would mark a transition to a broader scholarship programme for academically talented girls from disadvantaged communities across South Africa.

“The dream was never simply to build a school. It was to invest in the limitless potential of young women,” Winfrey said.

The 72-year-old added that the next phase would enable the foundation to reach more young women across the country.

Winfrey established the academy after meeting anti-apartheid icon and former South African President Nelson Mandela in 2002.

The expansive campus, reportedly built for $40 million, attracted criticism when it opened because of facilities that included two theatres, a yoga studio and a beauty salon.

Some critics argued that the money could have been used to support a larger number of students nationwide.

The school also faced controversy months after opening when some students accused a former employee of abuse. The staff member was later cleared of all charges.

A public relations consultant working for the academy’s foundation has rejected online speculation that the school is closing because of mismanagement.

The future use of the campus remains unclear, but Gauteng province’s education department said it would preserve and advance the academy’s legacy.

The department pledged to ensure that the institution continued serving residents while honouring the vision behind its establishment.

According to Winfrey’s organisation, graduates of the school have gone on to become doctors, lawyers, engineers, artists, executives and entrepreneurs.