Navigating Phase 2C Primary 1 Registration in Singapore: What Home-Hunting Parents Need To Know
Finding the ideal home in Singapore is no longer just about square footage, accessibility or appreciation potential. If you have young children, your property search might be closely tied to the Primary 1 (P1) Registration Exercise too.
Before you put down a deposit on a home near your preferred primary school to qualify for Phase 2C, there are a few changes you should know about. They’ll affect the P1 Registration Exercise from 2027 onwards.
Not sure how the registration phases work? Check out MOE’s website for the full details.
What Are the Changes?
- Phase 2C will reserve 60 vacancies, up from 40. This excludes schools with smaller intakes (fewer than 180 P1 students).
- Any vacancies left at the end of Phase 2A will be split, with one-third going to Phase 2B and two-thirds to Phase 2C.
- 12 schools* will adopt a new Two-Track Scheme: one track for families living within 2km of the school, and another for those living beyond 2km. Within each track, living closer doesn’t give you an added advantage.
- Under the Two-Track Scheme, Singapore Citizens (SCs) still get admission priority over Permanent Residents (PRs).
What Do These P1 Registration Rules Mean for You?
Raising the Phase 2C vacancies from 40 to 60 per school may help ease the intense competition. However, the Two-Track Scheme could lower your chances of getting in, since it increases competition from applicants living beyond the 2km radius.
Here are a few important points to note if you’re hoping to take part in Phase 2C with a competitive address:
Fierce Competition From Parents Vying for a Proximity Advantage
Singapore is a competitive society and parents are always looking out for opportunities to get their children ahead of the competition. This also means many parents will be trying to one up another to gain a P1 placement.
If you are not sure how to gain geographical advantage, consulting an experienced property agent can be helpful when picking the right address to buy. You can also do some research via online tools like ballotbuddy and kiasuparents to check your odds of getting a P1 placement in your preferred school. They’ll provide useful indicators based on MOE data.
Be Ready To Pay More for Homes Near Popular Schools
It is quite common for homes near popular schools to have higher price tags or faster price growth than their district average. Here’s the price growth of resale condos near popular schools versus their district averages between January 2022 to June 2026:
| Schools | District | Price growth of condos within 1km | Average price growth in district |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rosyth School | Serangoon | 46.8% | 30.6% |
| Nanyang Primary School | Bukit Timah | 18.2% | 12.4% |
| Maris Stella High School | Toa Payoh | 31.4% | 25.7% |
| Catholic High School | Bishan | 29.6% | 25.1% |
| Nan Chiau Primary School | Sengkang | 34.8% | 30.6% |
| Pei Hwa Presbyterian Primary School | Bukit Timah | 31.2% | 27.3% |
| Tao Nan School | Marine Parade | 24.1% | 21.4% |
| Red Swastika School | Bedok | 23.1% | 21.4% |
| CHIJ St Nicholas Girls' School | Ang Mo Kio | 20% | 25.1% |
| Ai Tong School | Bishan | 19.2% | 25.1% |
| Nan Hua Primary School | Clementi | 21.7% | 28% |
| Kong Hwa School | Geylang | 16.2% | 23.9% |
| Maha Bodhi School | Geylang | 14.6% | 23.9% |
| CHIJ Primary (Toa Payoh) | Toa Payoh | 9.1% | 18.5% |
| Methodist Girls' School | Bukit Timah | 17.3% | 27.3% |
Source: Yahoo News
Priority Admission Based on Citizenship and Home-School Distance (HSD) Category
All P1 registrations go through a standard qualifying process set by MOE. When a school is oversubscribed, priority admission is given based on your child’s citizenship and the Home-School Distance (HSD) category of the address used for registration.
SCs have admission priority over PRs, in this order:
- SCs staying within 1km radius of the school
- SCs staying between 1km and 2km
- SCs staying beyond a 2km radius
- PRs staying within 1km radius
- PRs staying between 1km and 2km
- PRs staying beyond a 2km radius
If your child is one of the lucky ones to get a place, your next step is to fulfil the 30-month stay requirement tied to your registered address.
Here’s how it works:
| If your P1 registration includes: | The 30-month stay requirement starts from: |
|---|---|
| a new property address | the date your family moves into your new property (Your family must move in within two years of your child’s entry into P1) |
| a resale address | the start of your child’s P1 school term |
| a care-giver’s address | the start of your child’s P1 Registration Exercise |
Don’t try to wiggle your way out of this requirement. MOE does conduct house visits if it spots any irregularity. There have been past cases where parents were charged in court for providing false addresses and their children were transferred to another school.
Factors To Consider Before You Move
A fair warning to parents thinking of moving closer to a popular school in the hope of getting a P1 placement: there’s no guarantee it will work.
In this year’s Phase 2C P1 registration, there were 13,102 applications for 17,193 vacancies, and 79 of the 179 participating schools were oversubscribed. Simply put, competition at this phase is intense, and more popular schools can be even harder to get into.
Of course, there’s always a glimmer of hope. If you’re feeling optimistic and ready to take a chance, here are a few tips:
Affordability
As mentioned earlier, homes near popular schools can come with higher price tags. If price isn’t an issue for you, great! If it is, it probably won’t make financial sense to blow your budget on a new address that doesn’t guarantee success.
Renting is another option. Just make sure your lease can fulfil MOE’s 30-month stay requirement. You could also consider a different primary school with more public housing nearby. That naturally gives you plenty of HDB flat options across a wide price range to suit your budget.
Appoint a Care-Giver
If you have parents or siblings who can look after your child, you may not need to go through the hassle of moving at all. This option lets you indicate an alternative child-care arrangement by appointing a caregiver who lives within 2km of your school of choice.
To be eligible for this option, you and your spouse must be working full-time and have a valid Singpass with 2-Factor Authentication (Singpass 2FA). Either of you will need to submit an online declaration with supporting documents that verifies the relationship between you and the caregiver.
To be eligible, you and your spouse must both be working full-time when you make the declaration. Either of you can submit the online declaration, together with supporting documents that verify your relationship with the caregiver.
Conclusion
Moving for Primary 1 can feel like a big gamble, especially with the Two-Track Scheme and rising prices around popular schools. Before you commit, take a step back and weigh the trade-offs: the new Phase 2C rules, the 30-month stay requirement, your budget, and alternatives like renting or appointing a caregiver. There’s no guaranteed ticket into any school, but doing your homework early will help you make a decision you won’t regret, whether or not the ballot goes your way.
Thinking of buying or renting a home near a primary school? Reach out to our experienced property agent. We can help you shortlist the right addresses, make sense of the latest registration rules, and find a home that fits both your budget and your P1 plans.
Drop us a message today!
*Schools with Two-Track Scheme in 2027
- Anglo-Chinese School (Junior)
- Anglo-Chinese School (Primary)
- CHIJ (Katong) Primary
- Methodist Girls' School (Primary)
- Nanyang Primary School
- Ngee Ann Primary School
- Pei Hwa Presbyterian Primary School
- Raffles Girls’ Primary School
- Singapore Chinese Girls' Primary School
- St. Margaret's School (Primary)
- Tanjong Katong Primary School
- Tao Nan School
