P1 Two-Track Scheme at 12 Schools: What It Means for Homes Near Them

Quick answer: On 10 September 2026, MOE announced that from the 2027 Primary 1 (P1) registration exercise, 12 primary schools will split their Phase 2C places equally between children living within 2km and those living beyond 2km. Inside each track there is no distance priority, so a home 200m from the school and one 1.9km away draw with the same odds. For buyers, that weakens the case for paying up to live within 1km of these 12 schools, and opens a real path for families living further out.

The part most buyers will miss: this is not only good news for far-away families. It takes away the edge that homes within 1km of these schools used to have in Phase 2C.

I am Winnie Lim, a licensed CEA agent, and school distance is one of the most common reasons buyers give me for stretching their budget on a particular address. That makes this change worth reading closely. Here is what MOE confirmed, how it changes the odds at each distance, and what I would weigh before buying near one of these schools.

What MOE announced

Phase 2C is the P1 registration phase for children with no prior connection to the school. Until now, when a school is oversubscribed, Singapore Citizens (SCs) living within 1km are balloted first, then those within 1km to 2km, then those beyond 2km. At the most popular schools, the places run out inside the 1km ring.

MOE's announcement on 10 September 2026 changes two things, both starting with the 2027 exercise for children entering P1 in 2028:

• More Phase 2C places everywhere. Reserved Phase 2C places rise from 40 to 60 at every school with a P1 intake of 180 or more. The extra 20 places come out of the earlier phases.
• A two-track Phase 2C at 12 schools. At schools where public housing makes up less than 40% of the homes within 2km, Phase 2C places are split equally between a within-2km track and a beyond-2km track.

Within each track, SCs still get priority over Permanent Residents (PRs), and places are balloted if a track is oversubscribed. If a track still has places after all its SC applicants are admitted, the leftover places go to SC applicants in the other track. MOE's stated aim is to widen access for children from different backgrounds at schools in neighbourhoods with far less public housing than the national average.

The 12 schools on the two-track scheme

• 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

Most sit around Bukit Timah, Newton and the Katong and Marine Parade belt, which is why the scheme reads as a policy aimed at private-housing enclaves.

How competitive these schools were in 2025

Seven of the 12 schools ran out of Phase 2C places among SCs living within 1km in the 2025 exercise. For anyone living further away, those schools were effectively closed in Phase 2C.

Source: MOE 2025 P1 Registration Exercise, Phase 2C vacancy and balloting data. Places are the vacancies available at the start of Phase 2C.

What changes at each distance

Take a school where the Phase 2C pool is about 60 places, so each track gets about 30. Here is how the odds shift for SC families.

Within 1km. In 2025, these families had the whole Phase 2C pool to themselves at seven of the schools. From 2027, they share a track of about 30 places with every SC family living up to 2km away, and with no distance priority. At Methodist Girls' School (Primary), for example, the 2025 ballot was among 1km families competing for 45 places. That advantage is gone for Phase 2C.

Between 1km and 2km. This is the biggest winner inside the ring. At the seven schools that filled within 1km, these families had almost no chance in Phase 2C. They now ballot on equal terms with families living next to the school.

Beyond 2km. About 30 places are set aside for families living beyond 2km, and a family 2.1km away has the same odds as one in Woodlands. At the most popular schools this will still be a ballot, but it is a real one.

What it means for property prices near these schools

The school premium on homes within 1km of these 12 schools has rested largely on Phase 2C distance priority. For Phase 2C at these schools, that priority no longer exists. In my view, buyers paying extra purely to get inside the 1km ring of one of these 12 schools now have a weaker case than they did before 10 September.

That does not mean prices near these schools will fall. Many of these homes are freehold, in established districts, and hold their value for reasons that have nothing to do with P1 registration. Distance also still counts in the other registration phases, since the announcement only changes Phase 2C. And a home within 1km of one of these schools may also be within 1km of another popular school that is not on the list, where the old distance rules still apply in full.

Homes between 1km and 2km of these schools are the relative winners. They now get the same Phase 2C odds as the closest homes, usually at a lower price per square foot (psf). Expect agents to start marketing that point, and check the exact home-school distance on MOE's SchoolFinder before believing the listing.

What about the CBD and the city fringe?

Homes in the Central Business District (CBD) and on the southern and central fringe, around Tanjong Pagar, Robertson Quay or River Valley, have always come with a trade-off for families. They are central, but few of them sit within 1km of a popular primary school.

For these 12 schools, a home beyond 2km is no longer shut out of Phase 2C. That makes a city-fringe purchase easier to justify for a family that still wants one of these schools in play. The limit matters, though. It applies only to these 12 schools. For every other school, a CBD address gets no help from this change.

Then do the commute maths

Winning a beyond-2km ballot means travelling across the island twice every school day. For a family in the west or north heading to Bukit Timah or Katong, that is a long morning run by car and usually longer by public transport. Work it out before the ballot, not after. A place at the right school is only worth it if the daily trip is one your family can realistically sustain for six years.

Who should rethink their purchase

• Buying within 1km of one of these 12 schools mainly for Phase 2C? Your Phase 2C advantage is gone. Buy only if the home makes sense on its own merits.
• Looking at a home 1km to 2km away? Your Phase 2C odds just improved to match the closest homes. That is a genuine plus, but price it against the ballot, not a guarantee.
• Living or buying far away, including in the CBD? You now have a real, if uncertain, chance at these 12 schools. Confirm your target school is on the list before it shapes where you buy.

Buying near one of these 12 schools?
I check a specific address against the school's exact distance band, its recent Phase 2C ballot history and the new two-track rules, so you know whether the school premium still holds up. Message me on WhatsApp for a free address check.

Winnie's take
My honest read: this change quietly reverses the logic that has driven school-led buying around these 12 schools for years. Being within 1km used to put you at the front of the Phase 2C queue. From 2027 it puts you in the same ballot as a family 1.9km away.

If you already own near one of these schools, I would not panic. Good homes in these districts hold value for many reasons. If you are about to pay a premium to get inside the 1km ring for one of these schools, stop and ask whether you would still buy that home without the school. If the answer is no, the numbers have changed.

Families between 1km and 2km, and families further out who can manage the commute, gain the most. Check your exact distance and the school's ballot history before you commit.
By Winnie Lim, licensed CEA agent and founder of AIProperty.sg

Common questions about the P1 two-track scheme

Which schools use the new two-track Phase 2C?

Twelve schools: ACS (Junior), ACS (Primary), CHIJ (Katong) Primary, Methodist Girls' School (Primary), Nanyang Primary, Ngee Ann Primary, Pei Hwa Presbyterian Primary, Raffles Girls' Primary, Singapore Chinese Girls' Primary, St. Margaret's School (Primary), Tanjong Katong Primary and Tao Nan School.

When does the two-track scheme start?

From the 2027 P1 registration exercise, which is for children starting Primary 1 in 2028. Registration exercises up to and including 2026 follow the existing rules.

Does living within 1km still help at these 12 schools?

Not in Phase 2C. Within the within-2km track there is no distance priority, so a family 200m away and one 1.9km away have the same odds in the ballot. Citizens still have priority over Permanent Residents.

How many Phase 2C places go to families living beyond 2km?

Half of the school's Phase 2C places. Reserved Phase 2C places rise to 60 at schools with a P1 intake of 180 or more, so that is about 30 places, plus any unused places that flow over from the within-2km track.

Will property prices near these schools fall?

Not necessarily. The change removes one reason to pay a premium for homes within 1km, but many of these homes are freehold in established districts and hold value for other reasons. The effect is more likely to show up in how much extra buyers will pay for being very close to the school.

Thinking about buying near a top school?

If you are weighing homes around these schools, my guides to District 10 (Bukit Timah, Holland and Tanglin), District 15 (East Coast, Marine Parade and Katong) and District 9 freehold new launches cover the neighbourhoods around most of the 12 schools. Want a straight read on how the two-track scheme affects a specific address? WhatsApp me at +65 88772688.