SAP schools come up every year when families choose secondary schools after the PSLE. This explainer sets out what a SAP school is, the full list, and how admission works, using MOE's own pages and data.
What is a SAP school?
A Special Assistance Plan school is a government, government-aided or independent school that MOE describes as "committed to nurturing bilingual and bicultural students who are immersed in the Chinese language and culture, and are equipped with a global outlook".
MOE told Parliament in 2021 that SAP schools "were established in 1979 to develop bilingual students", at a time when enrolment in Chinese-medium schools was falling.
What makes them different is the school environment. In a 2024 letter, MOE said that in SAP schools:
- school assemblies are held in Chinese on certain days of the week
- most SAP primary schools teach subjects such as physical education, art, music and social studies in Chinese
- SAP secondary schools run an Appreciation of Chinese Culture curriculum
- schools hold Chinese festival celebrations and offer modules in Chinese art forms such as calligraphy
Full list of SAP schools
This list is taken from MOE's "General information of schools" dataset on data.gov.sg (2026), which marks each SAP school. Three schools run both primary and secondary sections, so they appear in both lists.
Primary level (15). All 15 are government-aided schools.
- Ai Tong School
- Catholic High School (Primary)
- CHIJ St. Nicholas Girls' School (Primary)
- Holy Innocents' Primary School
- Hong Wen School
- Kong Hwa School
- Maha Bodhi School
- Maris Stella High School (Primary)
- Nan Hua Primary School
- Nanyang Primary School
- Pei Chun Public School
- Pei Hwa Presbyterian Primary School
- Poi Ching School
- Red Swastika School
- Tao Nan School
Secondary level (11)
| School | School type |
|---|---|
| Anglican High School | Government-aided |
| Catholic High School (Secondary) | Government-aided, offers the Integrated Programme |
| CHIJ St. Nicholas Girls' School (Secondary) | Government-aided, offers the Integrated Programme |
| Chung Cheng High School (Main) | Government-aided |
| Dunman High School | Government, offers the Integrated Programme |
| Hwa Chong Institution | Independent, offers the Integrated Programme |
| Maris Stella High School (Secondary) | Government-aided |
| Nan Chiau High School | Government-aided |
| Nan Hua High School | Government |
| Nanyang Girls' High School | Independent, offers the Integrated Programme |
| River Valley High School | Government, offers the Integrated Programme |
You can also filter for SAP schools on MOE's SchoolFinder. School details can change, so check SchoolFinder before you list your choices.
Who can apply to a SAP secondary school?
MOE's S1 posting rules for SAP schools are short:
- Eligibility. A child who took both English and Chinese at the PSLE can choose SAP schools. They do not need to have taken Higher Chinese in primary school.
- Posting advantage. A Pass, Merit or Distinction in Higher Chinese, together with a PSLE Score of 14 or better, gives a posting advantage when applying to SAP schools.
- Ties. When several students with the same PSLE Score apply to a SAP school, those with better Higher Chinese grades get priority. This applies before the usual tie-breakers.
- Cut-off points. A SAP school's cut-off point includes the Higher Chinese grade of the last student posted, where relevant. MOE's example: a range of 6 (M) to 11 (P) means the last student posted had a PSLE Score of 11 with a Pass in Higher Chinese.
- After posting. Students posted to a SAP school must take Higher Chinese or Chinese.
In MOE's example, a student with a PSLE Score of 10 or better would have been admitted without Higher Chinese, but a student with a score of 11 and no Higher Chinese would not.
What does this mean for parents?
- Higher Chinese helps, but only in a narrow band. The advantage applies only with a PSLE Score of 14 or better, and mainly matters when students tie on the PSLE Score.
- Think about the daily Chinese load. A SAP school uses Chinese well beyond the Chinese lesson. That suits a child who enjoys the language and may feel heavy for a child who finds it hard.
- Check the programme, not just the label. Six of the 11 secondary SAP schools also offer the Integrated Programme, a six-year course in which students do not take the SEC in Secondary 4. Our guide to the Integrated Programme vs the SEC pathway explains the difference.
If your child is aiming for a SAP school and Chinese is a weak spot, start early. See Higher Chinese tuition and our PSLE Chinese guide, or get my tutor shortlist for 2 to 4 tutor profiles with rates within 16 hours.
