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The ‘School Proximity’ Advantage: How Being Near a Popular Primary School Influences the Singapore Private Property Market
For many parents in Singapore, the location of a primary school is a critical factor when choosing a home. The proximity of a property to a desired primary school is often a topic of intense discussion and debate among parents. This is especially evident when new condo launches, like AMO Residences, sell out quickly, with a key reason cited being their location within one kilometre of popular primary schools such as Ai Tong Primary and St Nicholas Girls’.
Housing within 1km of good schools, whether condos, HDB flats, or landed properties, is highly attractive to parents in Singapore. Total new launches such as Watten House, 32 Gilstead etc are close to top primary schools in Singapore.
Why Proximity Matters: Navigating the P1 Registration System
The importance of living near a good primary school is largely driven by Singapore’s Primary 1 (P1) registration system. The registration process involves several phases. If a chosen primary school receives more registrants than available vacancies for a particular phase, priority admission is given based on the child’s citizenship and the Home-School Distance (HSD) category, which is determined by the address used for registration.
Priority admission is awarded in a specific order:
- Singapore Citizens (SC) living within 1km of the school.
- SCs living between 1km and 2km of the school.
- SCs living outside 2km of the school.
- Permanent Residents (PR) living within 1km of the school.
- PRs living between 1km and 2km of the school.
- PRs living outside 2km of the school.
It’s important to note that nationality takes precedence over distance; a Singaporean child outside 2km may still get a place before a Permanent Resident child within 1km, provided there are enough vacancies. However, within the same nationality (both Singaporeans and PRs), distance becomes the critical factor. The closer you live to the preferred primary school, the higher your priority and the greater your chances of securing a place.
This priority admission system is crucial because many of the most popular primary schools face outsized demand. Balloting is often conducted when applications exceed vacancies in phases like 2A, 2B, and 2C Supplementary. In popular or “more famous” schools, balloting frequently occurs even in Phase 2A for Singaporeans staying within 1km. For instance, in 2022, balloting in Phase 2B for many oversubscribed schools was only for Singaporean children living within 1km. Similarly, in Phase 2C, oversubscribed top primary schools often conduct balloting solely for Singaporean children living within 1km, meaning “no 1km, no talk”. Ultimately, for top primary schools, there will likely be a ballot, and the balloting is most often for Singaporeans staying within 1km.
To gain priority admission based on distance, families must reside at the address used for registration (which must also be the registering parent’s NRIC address) for at least 30 months from the start of the P1 Registration Exercise. For new properties, this period starts from when the family moves in, while for resale properties, it starts from the beginning of the child’s P1 school term. Failing to meet this requirement or provide satisfactory evidence may lead to the Ministry of Education (MOE) transferring the child to any school at its sole discretion.
Beyond the P1 registration advantage, staying within 1km of a child’s school can also improve the quality of school life, allowing children to wake up later, come home earlier, and easily participate in CCAs. It can also offer parents peace of mind if children walk to and from school.
Influence on the Singapore Property Market
The “proximity advantage” in P1 registration makes nearby properties more attractive to parents aiming to maximize their child’s admission priority. Property developers and agents actively market developments based on their proximity to popular schools, specifically mentioning if they are within 1km. Examples of new launches highlighting proximity to good schools in areas like Bukit Timah include The Hyde (within 1km of ACPS and SCGS Primary), Enchante (within 1km of ACPS and SJI Junior), Sanctuary@Newton (3 schools within 1km), and Watten House (within 1km of Nanyang Primary School and Raffles Girls Primary).
This demand has led to the question of a “primary school premium”. A study comparing price appreciation of private non-landed properties within 1-2km of popular primary schools against their district averages over the past decade found that most homes within this radius saw stronger price appreciation. However, the trend is not consistent across all schools.
While some schools, like Catholic High School and CHIJ St Nicholas Girls’ School, showed positive relationships, with properties within 1km experiencing Compound Annual Growth Rates (CAGR) generally over 5%, higher than their district averages. Other schools, like Singapore Chinese Girls’ School and Rosyth School, recorded more mixed or “neutral” results, with some projects near these schools underperforming their surrounding districts. The study’s findings were inconclusive in demonstrating that properties within 1km or 2km consistently outperform their district in terms of price appreciation. Nan Hua Primary School and St. Hilda’s Primary School even showed “negative” relationships in the sample data, where properties within 1km or 2km had lower CAGRs compared to the district average.
Factors to Consider Beyond Proximity
While moving closer to a popular school is considered one of the key factors driving potential price appreciation and improving admission chances, it is crucial to understand that it is not the sole determinant of property value or investment success.
Other important factors that explain the variation in price trends across different school zones, despite similar proximity advantages, include:
- Entry timing and price.
- Proximity to MRT stations and transport access.
- Lease tenure (e.g., leasehold vs freehold).
- The age of the project.
- The availability of multiple primary schools nearby.
- Other development attributes.
- Nearby amenities.
These considerations highlight the complexity of property investment, where school proximity is just one piece of the puzzle. The upcoming relocation of Anglo-Chinese School (Primary) to Tengah by 2030 is an example of how a school move could potentially influence future property prices in a developing area, and will be an interesting area to watch.
Conclusion
The proximity of a property to a desired primary school in Singapore plays a significant role in the private property market, primarily due to the priority admission rules in the P1 registration exercise. Being a Singaporean citizen within 1km of a popular school is often a requirement for balloting in competitive phases. This “proximity advantage” makes homes near these schools highly sought after by parents.
However, while proximity is a key draw and can contribute to attractiveness and potential price appreciation, it does not guarantee investment success or consistent outperformance compared to the broader market. A comprehensive property purchase decision should always consider a range of factors including timing, transport links, tenure, project details, and other market conditions. Ultimately, the decision to buy a property based on school proximity is a personal one, often driven by a desire to secure the best for one’s children.
