Every year, parents eagerly await the Primary 1 registration balloting results to gauge the competitiveness of Singapore’s top primary schools. While official 2025 balloting data won’t be available until next year, we can project potential rankings based on 2024 Phase 2C demand trends. with the 2024 Phase 2C balloting data, we’ve ranked the top 100 most sought-after schools by calculating the applicant-to-vacancy ratio—a key indicator of demand.

This ranking reveals which schools had the fiercest competition, which ones are rising in popularity, and why some elite schools don’t appear as high as expected.

How We Ranked the Schools

We analyzed the number of applicants vs. available vacancies in Phase 2C (the main registration phase for children with no prior connections to the school). The higher the ratio, the more competitive the school.

Key Takeaways:

✅ Most Competitive School: Princess Elizabeth Primary (6.59 applicants per vacancy!)
✅ Biggest Climber: Angsana Primary (jumped 92 spots since 2022!)
✅ Elite Schools with Low Phase 2C Slots: Catholic High, SCGS, CHIJ St. Nicholas—most seats taken in earlier phases.
✅ Neighborhood Schools Rising: Chongfu, North View, and Sengkang Green gaining popularity.

Balloting Priority Codes

Understanding admission priorities is crucial:

Code	Definition
SC<1	Singapore Citizens living <1km
SC1-2	Singapore Citizens living 1-2km
SC>2	Singapore Citizens living >2km
PR<1	Permanent Residents living <1km
PR1-2	Permanent Residents living 1-2km
PR>2	Permanent Residents living >2km

Top 100 Primary Schools in 2024 (Ranked by Applicant-to-Vacancy Ratio)

How competitive is your phase?

Example: Princess Elizabeth has 270 applicants for 41 spots → 270 ÷ 41 = 6.59 (SC<1).
This mean there are 6.59 applicants fighting for 1 vacancy, there is balloting for SC<1 however that does not mean all the 270 applicants stay within 1 km.

Rank (2024)	School	Vacancies (2024)	Applicants (2024)	Ratio (2024)	Ballot (2024)	Rank (2022)	Rank (2023)
1	Princess Elizabeth	41	270	6.59	SC<1	1	1
2	Nan Hua	40	160	4.00	SC<1	2	2
3	Chongfu	43	153	3.56	SC<1	7	10
4	Rosyth	44	139	3.16	SC<1	8	4
5	St. Hilda’s	41	129	3.15	SC<1	5	5
6	South View	43	127	2.95	SC<1	4	6
7	Nan Chiau	88	247	2.81	SC<1	6	7
8	Rulang	41	115	2.80	SC<1	13	9
9	Northland	62	170	2.74	SC<1	3	3
10	Angsana	60	155	2.58	SC<1	102	26
11	Wellington	45	114	2.53	SC<1	32	18
12	Poi Ching	79	192	2.43	SC<1	26	13
13	Gongshang	41	99	2.41	SC<1	12	11
14	Holy Innocents’	40	96	2.40	SC<1	11	8
15	Bukit Panjang	43	102	2.37	SC<1	74	15
16	Ai Tong	41	94	2.29	SC<1	22	27
17	Sengkang Green	42	94	2.24	SC<1	10	19
18	Frontier	43	89	2.07	SC<1	28	51
19	Xinmin	45	93	2.07	SC<1	46	33
20	CHIJ (Toa Payoh)	41	83	2.02	SC<1	70	57
21	Shuqun	42	84	2.00	SC<1	61	22
22	Nanyang	40	79	1.98	SC<1	18	28
23	Admiralty	69	134	1.94	SC<1	14	24
24	Punggol Green	59	108	1.83	SC<1	16	25
25	Pasir Ris	41	74	1.80	SC<1	27	32
26	North View	61	109	1.79	SC<1	103	65
27	Hong Wen	71	124	1.75	SC<1	41	15
28	Keming	81	141	1.74	SC<1	15	29
29	Fairfield Methodist	45	78	1.73	SC<1	17	30
30	Kuo Chuan Presbyterian	44	76	1.73	SC<1	69	70
31	Westwood	49	83	1.69	SC<1	40	48
32	Horizon	51	86	1.69	SC<1	30	24
33	St. Anthony’s	72	121	1.68	SC<1	42	34
34	Huamin	60	97	1.62	SC<1	80	37
35	Pei Hwa Presbyterian	41	66	1.61	SC<1	19	23
36	Temasek	51	80	1.57	SC1-2	9	12
37	Dazhong	60	94	1.57	SC<1	98	87
38	Henry Park	41	63	1.54	SC<1	24	46
39	Hougang	85	130	1.53	SC<1	53	54
40	Qifa	68	104	1.53	SC1-2	81	81
41	Singapore Chinese Girls’	40	61	1.53	SC<1	31	49
42	Maris Stella High	67	101	1.51	SC<1	38	47
43	CHIJ St. Nicholas Girls’	40	60	1.50	SC<1	45	18
44	Kong Hwa	74	110	1.49	SC<1	23	43
45	Elias Park	60	88	1.47	SC<1	51	30
46	Red Swastika	43	63	1.47	SC<1	25	17
47	Radin Mas	52	76	1.46	SC1-2	21	42
48	Tanjong Katong	73	104	1.42	SC1-2	63	60
49	Alexandra	58	82	1.41	SC<1	67	75
50	St. Andrew’s Junior	92	130	1.41	SC<1	49	77
51	Yangzheng	51	72	1.41	SC1-2	35	35
52	Compassvale	112	156	1.39	SC<1	75	50
53	Riverside	56	77	1.38	SC<1	55	41
54	Rivervale	84	115	1.37	SC<1	47	21
55	Raffles Girls’	135	183	1.36	SC>2	57	69
56	Valour	60	81	1.35	SC<1	72	63
57	Paya Lebar Methodist Girls’	103	139	1.35	SC<1	60	67
58	Yu Neng	49	66	1.35	SC<1	44	45
59	Sembawang	66	88	1.33	SC1-2	82	60
60	Chua Chu Kang	97	127	1.31	SC<1	33	25
61	Tao Nan	66	86	1.30	SC<1	20	14
62	Northshore	128	166	1.30	SC<1	130	104
63	Methodist Girls’	50	64	1.28	SC>2	34	44
64	Chongzheng	96	122	1.27	SC1-2	43	66
65	Maha Bodhi	76	96	1.26	SC1-2	54	52
66	Anglo-Chinese (Primary)	59	74	1.25	SC>2	71	55
67	Junyuan	63	79	1.25	SC1-2	112	68
68	Fengshan	62	76	1.23	PR<1	66	95
69	West Spring	60	73	1.22	SC<1	36	78
70	Punggol	91	110	1.21	SC<1	39	61
71	Anglo-Chinese (Junior)	63	76	1.21	SC1-2	65	56
72	Jing Shan	60	71	1.18	SC1-2	95	84
73	Pei Chun Public	57	67	1.18	SC<1	29	36
74	St. Joseph’s Institution Junior	86	101	1.17	SC>2	59	73
75	Catholic High	46	54	1.17	SC<1	37	53
76	Mee Toh	130	152	1.17	SC<1	50	58
77	Canberra	112	130	1.16	SC1-2	64	79
78	Naval Base	59	68	1.15	SC1-2	83	40
79	Tampines	86	99	1.15	PR1-2	92	92
80	Zhangde	85	95	1.12	PR1-2	90	90
81	River Valley	86	95	1.10	SC1-2	48	62
82	Oasis	68	73	1.07	PR<1	62	82
83	St. Margaret’s	111	119	1.07	PR1-2	78	110
84	Anderson	60	64	1.07	PR<1	58	59
85	CHIJ Our Lady of the Nativity	104	110	1.06	PR<1	85	83
86	Waterway	91	92	1.01	PR<1	68	108
87	Fern Green	68	67	0.99		73	64
88	White Sands	84	82	0.98		76	76
89	Springdale	65	61	0.94		94	117
90	De La Salle	119	110	0.92		104	97
91	Teck Ghee	80	73	0.91		105	96
92	Marsiling	103	90	0.87		121	120
93	Queenstown	133	110	0.83		91	68
94	Ngee Ann	128	105	0.82		86	86
95	Woodlands	88	72	0.82		56	94
96	Lakeside	131	105	0.80		84	89
97	Woodgrove	92	73	0.79		52	88
98	Kheng Cheng	162	128	0.79		103	91
99	Evergreen	96	75	0.78		126	103
100	Zhenghua	77	60	0.78		108	116

🎓 Top Primary Schools by Region in Singapore (2025 Edition)

This regional view offers a more practical approach for parents who prioritize proximity and transport convenience—especially in high-demand areas where competition is tight even within 1km.

Explore the top schools near you by region below.

🟦 North-East Region

(Ang Mo Kio, Hougang, Sengkang, Punggol, Yishun, Pasir Ris)

Town	Top Primary Schools	Remarks
Ang Mo Kio	CHIJ St. Nicholas Girls’ School	Balloted in 2A, 2B, 2C – very high demand
	Anderson Primary School	Strong balloting history in 2C
	Mayflower Primary School	Moderate demand, may ballot in 2C
	Jing Shan Primary School	Balloted occasionally in 2C
	Ang Mo Kio Primary School	Usually no balloting in 2C
Hougang	Holy Innocents’ Primary	Balloted in Phase 2C, high Chinese-medium appeal
	Hougang Primary School	Moderate balloting in 2C
	Xinmin Primary School	Balloted in 2C
	Rosyth Primary	Balloted in 2A, 2B, 2C – very high demand
	Paya Lebar Methodist Girls’ School (Pri)	Phase 2C balloting likely
Sengkang	Nan Chiau Primary School	Balloted in 2B & 2C yearly
	Anchor Green Primary	Occasional balloting in 2C
	Fern Green Primary	Usually safe in 2C
	Sengkang Green Primary	Rising demand, some 2C balloting
	Springdale Primary	Popular, but often still available in 2C
Punggol	Mee Toh School	High demand, balloted in 2C
	Horizon Primary School	Balloted occasionally
	Punggol Green Primary	Moderate balloting trend
	Oasis Primary School	Rarely ballots
	Punggol View Primary	Usually has 2C availability
Yishun	Northland Primary	High demand, Phase 2C balloting
	Chongfu School	Very high demand, often 2B/2C balloting
	Huamin Primary	Moderate demand, sometimes 2C balloting
	Jiemin Primary	Usually no balloting
Pasir Ris	White Sands Primary	Some balloting in recent years
	Casuarina Primary	Usually safe in 2C

🟩 Central Region

(Bishan, Toa Payoh, Bukit Merah, Clementi)

Town	Top Primary Schools	Remarks
Bishan	Catholic High School (Primary)	Consistently balloted in all phases
	Townsville Primary	Lower demand, often available
	Guangyang Primary	Rare balloting
Toa Payoh	CHIJ Primary (Toa Payoh)	High demand, 2A/2B/2C balloting
	Pei Chun Public School	Balloted in Phase 2C, strong reputation
	First Toa Payoh Primary	Usually available in 2C
Bukit Merah	Radin Mas Primary School	Popular, 2C balloting likely
	Gan Eng Seng Primary	Some years balloting, moderate demand
Clementi	Nan Hua Primary School	Extremely high demand, always balloted in all phases
	Clementi Primary	Moderate demand, 2C balloting possible

🟨 North-West & West Region

(Woodlands, Choa Chu Kang, Jurong East/West)

Town	Top Primary Schools	Remarks
Woodlands	Riverside Primary School	Balloting in Phase 2C
	Woodgrove Primary School	Moderate demand
	Innova Primary	Rarely balloted
Choa Chu Kang	South View Primary School	Balloted in Phase 2C frequently
	Concord Primary School	Moderate demand
	Teck Whye Primary	Usually available
Jurong East	Yu Neng Primary School	High demand, balloted in 2C
	Jurong Primary School	Balloting occurs some years
Jurong West	Westwood Primary	Growing popularity
	Frontier Primary	Rising demand, balloting possible
	West Grove Primary	Moderate demand

🟥 East Region

(Bedok, Tampines, Marine Parade)

Town	Top Primary Schools	Remarks
Bedok	Red Swastika School	Always balloted in all phases
	Yu Neng Primary	Strong demand, 2C balloting
	Fengshan Primary	Moderate demand
Marine Parade	Tao Nan School	Extremely high demand, all-phase balloting
	Ngee Ann Primary	Balloted in 2C regularly
	CHIJ (Katong) Primary	Strong demand
Tampines	Poi Ching School	Consistent 2C balloting
	St. Hilda’s Primary	Balloted most years in 2C
	Junyuan Primary	Usually available

Trend Analysis (2022 → 2024)

1. Most Sought-After Schools

Top 5 Consistency:

Princess Elizabeth and Nan Hua maintained #1 and #2 positions all 3 years
St. Hilda‘s (#5 in 2024) never left the top 5
Rosyth rose from #8 (2022) to #4 (2024)

2. Biggest Climbers (2022→2024)

School	2022 Rank	2024 Rank	Change
Angsana	102	10	↑92
North View	103	26	↑77
Dazhong	98	37	↑61
Junyuan	112	67	↑45

Neighborhood Schools Rising:

7 of the top 20 climbers are non-elite schools
Reflects parental preference for proximity over prestige

3. Sharpest Decliners

School	2022 Rank	2024 Rank	Change
Tao Nan	20	61	↓41
Pei Chun Public	29	73	↓44
Catholic High	37	75	↓38

2024-Specific Insights

1. Record-Breaking Competition

Princess Elizabeth hit a 6.59 ratio (41 seats, 270 applicants)
9 schools exceeded 3.0 ratio (vs. 6 in 2023)

2. Vacancy vs. Applicant Mismatch

Top 10 schools: Avg. 49 vacancies vs. 162 applicants
Bottom 10 schools: Avg. 121 vacancies vs. 89 applicants

3. Strategic Implications for Parents

<50 Phase 2C vacancies = High-risk choice
1.5-2.5 ratio = “Sweet spot” for balanced odds
Non-balloted schools (Ratio <1.0) = Near-guaranteed placement

Why Elite Schools Don’t Top the Rankings

While our rankings highlight the most competitive schools based on Phase 2C data, many parents are surprised that elite institutions like :

SCGS (ranked #41)
St Nicholas (ranked #43)
RGPS (ranked #55)
PLMS (ranked #57)
Tao Nan (rank #61)
ACS Primary (ranked #66)
ACS Junior (ranked #71)
SJI (Ranked #74)
Catholic High (Rank #75)

1. The Phase 2C Vacancy Crunch

Elite schools have most seats snapped up in the earlier registration phases 2A, leaving shockingly few spots for Phase 2C applicants which is mandatory 40 seats:

Catholic High: Only 46 Phase 2C vacancies (2024)
SCGS: Just 40 Phase 2C spots
CHIJ St. Nicholas: 40 Phase 2C vacancies

The ratios don’t reflect true demand because most competition happens before Phase 2C even begins.

2. The Risk-Averse Parent Effect

Smart registration strategies actually suppress elite schools’ Phase 2C numbers:

Ballot Conservation: Families with only one chance (no priority) avoid “wasting” it on impossible odds
Artificial Demand Reduction: This creates a self-fulfilling prophecy where elite schools appear less competitive than they truly are

3. The Early Bird Advantage

The real battle for elite schools happens in Phases 2A-2B:

MGS: 64 applicants for 50 Phase 2C spots (2024) → But 80%+ seats already taken by Phase 2B
Alumni Networks: Schools like Nanyang, Catholic High, St Nicholas have generations of families applying through priority phases

The Bottom Line

While our rankings accurately reflect Phase 2C competitiveness, they don’t tell the full story about Singapore’s most prestigious schools. For parents targeting elite institutions, the real work begins years in advance – securing priority through alumni networks, volunteer work, or religious affiliations.

For everyone else, understanding these dynamics helps explain why schools like Princess Elizabeth (6.59:1 ratio) top the charts while equally renowned schools appear surprisingly low. It’s not about quality – it’s about the registration system’s structure and parent psychology.

Pro Tip for 2025: Always check how many Phase 2C vacancies a school typically offers, not just its ratio. A school with 20 seats and 100 applicants (5:1) is actually more competitive than one with 5 seats and 15 applicants (3:1) in practical terms.

P1 Registration Phase 2A results 2025 & Full Analysis

P1 Registration Phase 2B results 2025, Balloting & Analysis

P1 Registration Phase 2C results 2025, Balloting & Analysis

Category: 2025, Tips

Top 100 Primary School Ranking 2025 Singapore (based on 2024 balloting)