The Elite Seven is an unofficial reference to seven private, boys only high schools in South Africa. Private schools, or independent schools, are schools not administered by local, state, or national government, which retain the right to select their student body and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students tuition rather than with public (state) funds. ...

The group consists of the oldest and most expensive schools in the country, where economic and social barriers mean that they are attended by predominantly elite families' sons.

It was coined in the 1970s as a reference by outsiders of the schools. It is comparable to the The Ten Schools Admissions Organization, the Eton Group and the Rugby Group. The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, In the Western world, the focus shifted from the social activism of the sixties to social activities for ones own pleasure, save for environmentalism, which continued in a very visible way. ... The Ten Schools Admissions Organization is a group formed more than forty years ago by prep schools in New England and the Mid-Atlantic on the basis of a number of common goals and traditions. ... The Eton Group consists of twelve leading independent schools (Eton College, Bryanston School, Dulwich College, Highgate School, Kings College School Wimbledon, Kings School, Canterbury, Marlborough College, St Pauls School, Sherborne School, Tonbridge School, University College School Hampstead, and Westminster School). ... The Rugby Group consists of well-known British independent schools. ...

Two schools, Hilton College and Michaelhouse are full boarding schools whilst the rest offer boarding and day schooling. All the schools except Diocesan College write the Independent Examinations Board exams. Hilton College is a private full boarding senior school for boys located near the small town of Hilton in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands of South Africa. ... Michaelhouse is a private full boarding senior school for boys founded in 1896. ... The Diocesan College, or Bishops as it is more commonly known, is a private, all-boys school situated in the leafy suburb of Rondebosch in Cape Town, South Africa. ... Independent Examinations Board The Independent Examinations Board or IEB is a South African independent assessment agency which offers examinations for various client schools. ...

The oldest member school is Diocesan College which was founded in 1849, it is followed by St Andrew's College in 1855, Hilton College in 1872, Michaelhouse in 1896, St John's College in 1898, Kearsney College in 1921 and St Stithians College in 1953. The Diocesan College, or Bishops as it is more commonly known, is a private, all-boys school situated in the leafy suburb of Rondebosch in Cape Town, South Africa. ... 1849 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... St. ... 1855 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Hilton College is a private full boarding senior school for boys located near the small town of Hilton in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands of South Africa. ... Year 1872 (MDCCCLXXII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a leap year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Michaelhouse is a private full boarding senior school for boys founded in 1896. ... Year 1896 (MDCCCXCVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display calendar). ... St Johns College is a private school for boys in Houghton, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa. ... Year 1898 (MDCCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Kearsney College is a private boarding school for boys located in Bothas Hill, a small town that lies between the provincial capital of Pietermaritzburg and Durban, the largest city of KwaZulu-Natal, a province in South Africa. ... Year 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for full calendar). ... St Stithians College consists of several private schools within a co-ordinate model and includes a boys college, a girls college, a boys preparatory school and a girls preparatory school. ... 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday. ...

Member schools

• Diocesan College, Rondebosch, Cape Town, Western Cape
• Hilton College, Hilton, KwaZulu-Natal, KwaZulu-Natal
• Kearsney College, Botha's Hill, KwaZulu-Natal
• Michaelhouse, Balgowan, KwaZulu-Natal
• St Andrew's College, Grahamstown, Eastern Cape
• St John's College, Houghton, Johannesburg, Gauteng
• St Stithians College, Randburg, Johannesburg, Gauteng