This paper explores how transphobia is understood and responded to in South African schools. Drawing on qualitative data gathered from in-depth interviews with teachers, school managers, and TGD school-attending youth, the findings show that while there are minimal efforts to respond to and dismantle transphobia, school managers and teachers increasingly reproduce cisnormativity instrumentalising TGD youth to either assimilate or change. The analysis crystalises that cisgenderism is highly institutionalised in South African schools, pointing to an urgent need for targeted strategies to include TGD learners. This article sets the stage for further research on transphobia in schools and its response