Founded in 1921, Kearsney College is one of the country’s top independent traditional boys’ schools, renowned for its balance and all-round excellence. Kearsney’s beautiful 125-acre estate is located in Botha’s Hill, on the edge of the Valley of a Thousand Hills, midway between Durban and Pietermaritzburg and a thirty-minute drive from either city.

The College has an outstanding record of academic achievement in the IEB Matriculation Examinations and enjoys a proud reputation for academic excellence. Kearsney has a renowned Maths and Science Excellence Programme and for eleven consecutive years Kearsney's Maths and Science distinction rates have been approximately double the average distinction rates of all the IEB schools in the country.

Kearsney offers its 650 boys a unique and flexible weekly or termly boarding and day scholar options catering to the needs of the modern family. Most of our boarders are weekly boarders, opting for a mix of family time and the experience, structure, fun and brotherhood of boarding.

Transport is provided on Monday mornings for boarders from Richards Bay, Umtunzini, Ballito, Umhlanga, Hilton and Pietermaritzburg. A return bus for day scholars leaves daily from Berea, with pick up points from Westville to Botha’s Hill.  Boarders are transported to and from King Shaka International Airport for holidays and half terms.

Kearsney attracts pupils from all over the country and the world, and full (termly) boarding is also offered. On any given weekend about 100 boarders will stay in on Saturday night and spend Sunday on campus. All boarders are welcome to stay in on the weekend, or to take exeats to stay with family or friends. Sunday excursions are organised for termly boarders and all those staying in.

Boarding has many benefits for school boys, providing a structured environment where the boys benefit academically, whilst enjoying the social and personal development associated with friendships and involvement in sport and cultural activities.

Boarding helps a boy develop self-discipline, maturity, independence and social skills, skills vital for achieving their full potential in life.

Dayboys are integrated into the boarding experience as much as possible, participating in House activities, dining with their housemates and even sleeping over at the boarding houses when they would like to take advantage of the more structured academic environment or share in the camaraderie on the night before a big match.

Kearsney has four Houses – Finningley, Gillingham, Pembroke and Sheffield. In their Grade 8 year, the boarders are accommodated in Haley House.

Kearsney has a proud track record of sporting excellence, consistently producing provincial and national sportsmen across the codes. Kearsney pupils enjoy world-class facilities, including an indoor SportZone that houses seven indoor cricket nets with four bowling machines, two basketball courts, an indoor hockey/soccer pitch, two swimming pools and a 280m2 weights gymnasium. Boys on the High Performance Sports Programme have access to the expertise of a biokineticist, sports scientist, dietician and physiotherapists and personalised training programmes are developed to help each boy perform at his peak.

In addition to the SportZone, Kearsney’s spacious campus boasts seven sports fields, a floodlit, water-based hockey Astroturf, six tennis courts, six basketball courts, four squash courts and a mountain bike track through our conservancy. Kearsney believes that sports are an important part of a healthy lifestyle and balanced education and there are fourteen sporting codes for the boys to enjoy.

Kearsney is famous for its balance, and the College has a large and vibrant cultural programme, including the annual Culture@Kearsney showcase for the arts. The world-famous Kearsney College Choir have been crowned World Champions on four occasions. Since 2000 Kearsney has won fifteen gold medals and seven silver medals at the World Choir Games, the largest choir competition in the world. The Choir performs on the world’s great stages and has twice been selected to represent Africa at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva and New York. In 2023 the Kearsney College Choir was ranked 26th out of the Top 1,000 choirs in the world by Interkultur, the world's leading organiser of international choir competitions. In keeping with the College’s commitment to a balanced education, an extensive club and cultural programme is offered at Kearsney, with up to thirty-six clubs available to the boys.