P1 registration for 2026 admission to start on July 1

Majority of schools did not have to hold ballot for 2024 exercise, says MOE

- Elisha Tushara

The majority of the 180 primary schools here did not have to conduct balloting across the various phases in the Primary 1 registration exercise in 2024, said the Ministry of Education (MOE) on May 14.

Most of the schools had enough vacancies for all applicants who entered primary school in 2025, it said.

The 2025 exercise for children entering primary schools in 2026 runs from July 1 to Oct 31, said MOE.

The list of schools and their vacancies will be available by June 24 at https://www.moe.gov.sg/primary/pl-registration/vacancies-and-balloting

The ministry provided balloting figures for the first time for the Primary 1 registration exercise in 2024.

For instance, 78.9 per cent of all schools did not require balloting in Phase 2A.

This is the second phase in the exercise, which is reserved for pupils whose parents or siblings are alumni, or whose parents are staff, or members of the school advisory or management committee.

Pupils from the MOE Kindergarten (MK) located within the primary school can also apply during this phase.

The first phase, Phase 1, is for children with siblings studying in the primary school. No balloting was required at this stage.

For Phase 2B, the third stage of the exercise, 83.3 per cent of schools did not go through a ballot.