SINGAPORE – A total of 81 primary schools will hold a ballot for places in Phase 2C, the latest stage in the Primary 1 registration process.

There are a total of 84 schools that are oversubscribed, meaning they have received more applications than there are vacancies.

Princess Elizabeth Primary School in Bukit Batok is the most oversubscribed in Phase 2C, with 232 applicants vying for 41 spots.

This is followed by Nan Hua Primary School in Clementi, which has 166 applicants vying for 41 spots, and South View Primary School in Choa Chu Kang, with 155 applicants for 41 spots.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) updated the latest registration figures on its website on Aug 6 for Phase 2C, which ended on July 31 at 4.30pm. Results for this phase will be out on Aug 12.

Vacancies for the next stage, Phase 2C Supplementary, will also be released at 1pm on the same day. This phase is the last one for the 2025 P1 Registration.

Registration for Phase 2C Supplementary will open for registration at 9am on Aug 18 and close at 4.30pm on Aug 19. Results for this phase will be out on Aug 28.

MOE said that 52.5 per cent of its schools will not be conducting balloting in Phase 2C , which is open to children who have no prior links to the school.

In the 2024 exercise, 88 schools

faced such a ballot

.

Of the 81 schools going through a ballot in 2025, 62 will do so for children who are Singapore citizens residing within 1km of the school.

Eight schools will be conducting balloting for children who are Singaporean citizens residing between 1km and 2km from the school. These include Paya Lebar Methodist Girls’ School (Primary) in Serangoon, Tanjong Katong Primary School in Marine Parade and Anderson Primary School in Ang Mo Kio.

Three schools – Raffles Girls’ Primary in Bukit Timah, Qifa Primary in Clementi and CHIJ Our Lady of the Nativity in Hougang – will be holding a ballot for children who are Singaporean citizens residing outside 2km of the school.

The other eight schools going through the ballot will be conducting it for permanent resident (PR) children residing either within 1km of the school, between 1km and 2km of the school.

This includes Bukit Timah Primary School, which was not oversubscribed but will be holding a ballot for PRs outside of 2km. This is because it has a cap on the intake of PR children.

The remaining four schools that are also oversubscribed will not be holding a ballot because there are enough vacancies for all applicants up to a certain priority category.

These schools are Chongzheng Primary, Hougang Primary, Punggol Primary and St. Margaret’s School (Primary).

In oversubscribed schools, priority admission is given to children in this order:

Singapore citizen children living within 1km of the school

Singapore citizen children living between 1km and 2km from the school

Singapore citizen children living more than 2km from the school

PR children living within 1km of the school

PR children living between 1km and 2km from the school

PR children living more than 2km from the school

From 2022, MOE has reserved 60 places for Phases 2B and 2C at the start of the Primary 1 registration exercise to ensure schools remain accessible to as many children as possible.

If there are vacancies left from earlier phases, one-third will be allocated to Phase 2B and two-thirds to Phase 2C.

More on this topic

There are 182 primary schools in Singapore, with 179 open for registration in 2025. 

Kranji Primary School will not be admitting Primary 1 pupils from 2024 to 2026, ahead of its planned move to Tengah in 2028.

Townsville Primary School and Damai Primary School will also stop Primary 1 admissions from 2025 to 2027, as they prepare to relocate in 2029 to Sembawang and Tampines North, respectively.