In January 1906, Mrs. Janet E.C. Brink, the widow of Andries Brink, donated a piece of land to the community with the exclusive purpose of building a school on it.

The first meeting of the then school committee, chaired by Mr. H. Theunissen, took place on January 9, 1906. The school building had not yet materialized, and it was decided that the education scheduled to begin on January 22 would initially take place in Mr. C.M. Nagel’s house. The first teacher was Miss M. Miller, who also became the first principal.

The number of students increased, and after the first classroom was built, the school later had to make provision for a second one. The school also accommodated English-speaking students. The second classroom was put into use in April 1921, and in April 1928, a third classroom was added.

The number of students continued to grow rapidly, and in August 1952, parents held a protest meeting and demanded a new school building. A delegation was sent to the then Department of Education. Construction began in 1959 and was completed in 1960. During the inauguration ceremony on September 23, 1960, farewell was also bid to the old building. Mrs. E.C.L. Brink, who served as principal from 1910 to 1914, closed the door of the old school. At that time, Brackenfell only accommodated students up to standard 6. It would be some time before a high school would be built.