Almost 10% of the pupils at principal Barane Luka Rampaku's school are either heads of their household or are orphans being cared for by their grandparents.
At least eight girls become pregnant every year and many pupils use drugs or drink alcohol.
Though most principals would feel like giving up in the face of all these social ills, Rampaku, of Madiba Comprehensive School, in Kagiso, west of Johannesburg, faces them head-on.
In dealing with the issues, Rampaku motivates everyone at his no-fee school - teachers, pupils and school management - to work together to find solutions.
This week he was named Gauteng's Secondary School Principal of the Year. Next year he will compete with principals across the country for the national award.
"Personally, I can't take the glory. It is a collective victory," he says.
Rampaku has been principal of the school for three years.
He is brutally honest about the many problems facing the school - at least 120 children are orphans or heads of their household.
Some of the pupils, he said, have told their teachers that they are HIV-positive.
"Outside there is too much negative influence. Some end up on drugs," he said, adding that alcohol abuse was also a big problem.
"On weekends pupils won't study; they just party."
Despite this, Rampaku is proud of what the school has achieved. Sports and academic certificates won by his pupils are displayed in his office.
Last year, the matric pass rate was 78% and he is confident of achieving 85% success in this year's matric results.
He believes the secret to a "perfect" school is "motivated teachers". Every morning, he quotes passages from motivational books to encourage his 53-strong teaching staff to have a positive attitude.
Grade 12 teacher Yoliswa Thulo says Rampaku "understands his staff and knows their strengths and weaknesses". "He's really changed the school."
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