How many primary schools in Singapore have an official secondary school affiliation?

32 primary schools in our MOE-sourced database have an official affiliation with one or more secondary schools, based on MOE-published school data.

What advantage does an affiliated primary school give for Secondary 1 Posting?

Since the 2021 S1 Posting Exercise, MOE data shows the average cut-off point gap between affiliated and non-affiliated pupils is about 7 points for Posting Group 3, and smaller — about 2 and 1 point respectively — for Posting Groups 2 and 1. This is an MOE-wide average, not a per-school guarantee, and it varies by school.

Are all places at an affiliated secondary school reserved for affiliated pupils?

No. MOE requires affiliated secondary schools to reserve at least 20% of places in each Posting Group for non-affiliated pupils, a rule in place since the 2019 S1 Posting Exercise. Affiliation priority is also subject to each school's Affiliate Minimum Requirement (AMR).

Is Secondary-to-JC affiliation the same as Primary-to-Secondary affiliation?

No. Secondary-to-JC affiliation is a separate system: 5 Junior Colleges give affiliated students 2 bonus points off their L1R5 aggregate at the Joint Admissions Exercise (JAE), capped at 4 points total, only if the JC is placed as their 1st choice. This is a bonus-point deduction, not the cut-off point advantage used in Secondary 1 Posting.

School affiliation in Singapore — Primary-to-Secondary and Secondary-to-JC affiliation pathway illustration

SGSchoolKaki Planner

School Affiliation in Singapore: How It Works

Some schools are officially linked. If your child is in a linked (“affiliated”) primary school, they get a small head start getting into the linked secondary school. Separately, some secondary schools are linked to a JC for a small bonus at JC admission. Two different perks — we explain both in plain English below, with MOE sources.

32 affiliated primary schools5 affiliated junior colleges20% of places still open to everyone

Two different perks — don't mix them up

“Affiliation” means one thing for getting into Secondary 1, and a completely different thing for getting into JC.

Primary → Secondary

Getting into Secondary 1

≈7points easier
at Posting Group 3

Your cut-off can be a bit easier — about 7 / 2 / 1 points, depending on your Posting Group.
You must put the linked secondary school as your 1st choice.
At least 20% of places stay open to everyone else.
Each school still sets a minimum result you need to hit.

In short: a slightly easier cut-off!

Secondary → JC

Getting into JC

−2points off
your L1R5 score

You get 2 points knocked off your L1R5 score.
Put the linked JC 1st (or 1st & 2nd choice).
Combined with CCA / Mother Tongue bonuses, capped at 4 points.
A lower score is better — so this helps you.

In short: a small score discount!

Same word, two unrelated perks — one lowers the cut-off for Secondary 1, the other lowers your score for JC.

How Big Is the Head Start?^[1]

Since 2021, MOE has shared how much easier the cut-off can be for affiliated pupils at the same school. On average it's about 7 points easier in Posting Group 3, and a smaller 2 points and 1 pointin Posting Groups 2 and 1.

But this is only the average across all schools.Your school's real gap can be bigger or smaller — MOE doesn't fix a set number per school, so don't count on hitting exactly these figures.

How much easier is the cut-off?

Average across all schools since 2021 — your own school may be higher or lower.

Posting Group 3+7 points

Posting Group 2+2 points

Posting Group 1+1 point

At least 20% of places are always kept for children who are not affiliated.

Source: MOE Parliamentary Reply, 5 Feb 2025

Two Rules That Limit the Advantage

Since 2019 S1 Posting

Affiliated secondary schools must reserve at least 20% of places in each Posting Group for non-affiliated pupils^[2].

Affiliate Minimum Requirement

Affiliation priority is subject to the school's Affiliate Minimum Requirement (AMR)— some schools have tightened their AMR over time^[1].

Affiliation priority applies during Secondary 1 Posting to an eligible pupil from an officially affiliated primary school, subject to the school's Affiliate Minimum Requirement and the relevant Posting Group; it is NOT a benefit conferred merely by belonging to the same religious or Lasallian network.

What We Don't Claim

• Some affiliations carry additional qualifying criteria (e.g. Higher Mother Tongue, minimum grades). Per-school AMR details are not in our database— check directly with the specific school.
• We do not assert shared religious or organisational governance (e.g. under a particular federation or mission) for individual schools — only the school-to-school affiliation itself, as published by MOE.

The Other System: Secondary→JC Affiliation

Separately from S1 Posting, 5 Junior Colleges give affiliated students bonus points at the Joint Admissions Exercise (JAE) — a completely different mechanism from the cut-off point advantage above^[3].

How the JC bonus works

A small score discount at JC admission — not the same as the Secondary 1 head start.

+2bonus points for affiliation — only if the affiliated JC is placed as your 1st choice(or 1st & 2nd choices) on JAE.

Max 4bonus points in total — the affiliation bonus combines with CCA / Higher Mother Tongue bonus points, capped at 4.

Bonus points are deducted from the L1R5 gross aggregate to give the net L1R5 used for JAE posting. Lower net score = better.

From 2028, JC/MI admission moves from L1R5 to L1R4 — the mechanism above is the current, pre-2028 system.

Source: MOE Joint Admissions Exercise (JAE) admission criteria; individual JC JAE pages (e.g. Victoria Junior College)

Primary → Secondary List

All 32 affiliated primary schools and the secondary schools each one feeds into, searchable and filterable by area.

View full list

Secondary → JC List

All 5 affiliated Junior Colleges, the secondary schools linked to each, and how the JAE bonus point mechanism works.