What Academic Results and School Facts Does Maru-a-Pula School Highlight?

Updated

Maru-a-Pula School (MaP) presents its headline academic and institutional figures in a "Maru-a-Pula in Numbers" section on its homepage. The published figures are: 94.4% of A Level results at A*–A, 824 students in 2020, 6,086 alumni, and "50 years of excellence." These are the school's own marketing figures, so treat them as claims published by MaP rather than independently verified statistics.

The Published Figures at a Glance

Measure Figure shown on site What it refers to
A Level results 94.4% A*–A Share of A Level entries graded A* or A
Student body 824 students in 2020 Total enrolment for that year
Alumni 6,086 Former students counted by the school
History "50 years of excellence" Longevity since founding in 1972

Reading the A Level Figure Correctly

The 94.4% is presented as an A*–A rate, meaning the proportion of A Level entries that achieved the top two grades. It is not an average pass rate, and the site does not state which year or how many candidates the figure covers. If you are comparing schools, ask for the cohort size and the year behind any A*–A percentage, because a small cohort can produce a high rate more easily than a large one.

Context Behind the Numbers

The school describes itself as a co-educational, independent day and boarding secondary school founded in 1972 as a non-profit trust. It sits on 50 acres of land donated by the Botswana Government, and the founding Head, Deane Yates, launched it on multiracial ideals with community outreach as a core principle. The "50 years of excellence" line aligns with that 1972 founding date.

The 824-student figure is dated to 2020, so it is a snapshot rather than current enrolment. The 6,086 alumni count reflects the school's cumulative graduate base and is used on the site alongside its alumni mentorship and giving programmes.

What These Figures Do and Do Not Tell You

The numbers are useful as a starting point for judging the school's academic profile and scale, but they leave gaps:

  • No year attached to the A Level result. You cannot tell whether 94.4% is recent or from an earlier cohort.
  • No subject breakdown. A single A*–A rate hides differences between subjects and between the Lower School (12–16) and Upper School (16–19) stages.
  • No fee, entry-requirement, or acceptance-rate data in the figures section. Admissions details sit under the Admissions pages, and pricing is not stated in the material reviewed.
  • Enrolment is from 2020, so current class sizes may differ.

How to Verify Before Relying on Them

  1. Open the school's homepage and locate the "Maru-a-Pula in Numbers" block to confirm the figures are still displayed as described.
  2. Check the Admissions pages for entry requirements and the Lower/Upper School structure, since results alone do not indicate who is admitted.
  3. Contact the school directly using the details published on the site — Plot 4725 Maruapula Way, Gaborone, Botswana; Tel +267 391 2953 — and ask for the year and cohort size behind the A*–A rate.
  4. If you are comparing schools, request the same measures (year, cohort size, subject-level results) from each so the comparison uses like for like.

The practical takeaway: MaP publishes a strong headline A Level figure and a clear institutional profile, but the site's numbers are a summary, not a full results table. Use them to shortlist the school, then confirm the underlying year and cohort details directly before making a decision.