School MattersBeatty Secondary School vs Commonwealth Secondary School
Compare recorded PSLE entry ranges, CCAs, DSA programmes and location, with intake years shown alongside the data.
At a glance
| Compare | Beatty Secondary School | Commonwealth Secondary School |
|---|---|---|
| School type | Co-Ed School | Co-Ed School |
| Level | Secondary (S1-S4) | Secondary (S1-S4) |
| School tags | Not listed | Autonomous |
| Zone | South | West |
| Address | 1 Toa Payoh North | 698 West Coast Road |
| Nearest MRT | Braddell, Toa Payoh | Jurong East, Clementi |
| Listed CCAs | 17 | 20 |
| DSA listings | 13 | 13 |
Differences to explore
- CCA
- The records share 8 CCA listings. Beatty Secondary School also lists Badminton (Girls), Boys' Brigade (Boys), Canoeing (Girls and Boys), Chinese Orchestra (Girls and Boys) and more, which do not appear in the other school's records. Commonwealth Secondary School also lists Badminton (Girls and Boys), Basketball (Boys), Broadcasting (Girls and Boys), Cross Country (Girls and Boys) and more, which do not appear in the other school's records. Listings may be incomplete; confirm availability with each school.
- DSA programme
- The records share 6 DSA programme listings. Beatty Secondary School also lists Canoeing (Girls and Boys), Chinese Orchestra (Girls and Boys), Leadership (Girls and Boys), Malay Dance (Girls and Boys) and more, which do not appear in the other school's records. Commonwealth Secondary School also lists Basketball (Boys), Coding (Girls and Boys), Cross Country (Girls and Boys), Environmental Science (Girls and Boys) and more, which do not appear in the other school's records. Listings may be incomplete; confirm availability with each school.
- The daily journey
- Nearby MRT stations listed for Beatty Secondary School: Braddell, Toa Payoh; for Commonwealth Secondary School: Jurong East, Clementi. Compare the full journey from home, including transfers and the walk to school.
Recorded entry ranges
| Compare | Beatty Secondary School | Commonwealth Secondary School |
|---|---|---|
| PG3 · Non-affiliated | 2026 · 12–18 | 2026 · 8–13 |
| PG2 · Non-affiliated | 2026 · 21–25 | 2026 · 21–23 |
| PG1 · Non-affiliated | 2026 · 25–28 | 2026 · 25–28 |
Each range belongs to the intake year and programme shown. Affiliated and non-affiliated ranges are separate. D, M and P are Higher Mother Tongue requirements. Past ranges do not guarantee admission.
Get to know each school
Beatty Secondary School
Beatty began in 1953 with 323 pupils in eight classes. It was initially co-educational, became a boys’ school in 1956, and enrolled girls again in 1983 after moving to Toa Payoh in 1982. Its 2017 merger with Balestier Hill Secondary brought another school community into its history. After that merger, Beatty was designated as a mainstream secondary school supporting students with hearing loss who learn through signing. That specialised provision is an important part of its present identity.
The hearing-loss programme describes specialised teachers and educational interpreters from the Singapore Association of the Deaf who use Singapore Sign Language. They work with subject teachers, the student-development team and parents, with supplementary sessions to revisit classroom concepts. The page also lists literacy support, mentoring and deaf-awareness activities, alongside frequency-modulation systems and speech-to-text applications. This explains the published support model; a family would still need to discuss the individual child’s communication and examination arrangements.
Commonwealth Secondary School
Commonwealth Secondary began in 1964 as Tanglin Integrated Vocational Secondary School. It became Tanglin Secondary in 1969 and Commonwealth Secondary in 1972, commemorating the previous year's Commonwealth heads-of-government meeting in Singapore. It moved through two Jurong East campuses before reaching West Coast Road in 2006. Autonomous status dates to 1995, followed by recognised environmental-education and design-and-innovation centres in 2008 and 2016. This history helps explain its current mix of practical making, environmental learning and performing arts.
The eco-stewardship curriculum describes Geography water-quality investigations in the stream and wetland, Science farm-to-table work, and hydroponic design in Craft and Technology. Campus spaces include a rainforest, marine aquarium, plant nursery and indoor and outdoor farms. These are concrete learning settings; the pages do not give a fixed fieldwork allocation for every cohort. CCA projects also link sustainability with community partners and causes such as responsible consumption or animal welfare. Parents can ask how often students use these spaces within ordinary lessons.
CCAs and programmes
Beatty Secondary School
- Badminton (Girls)
- Boys' Brigade (Boys)
- Canoeing (Girls and Boys)
- Chinese Orchestra (Girls and Boys)
- Choir (Girls and Boys)
- Concert Band (Girls and Boys)
- English Drama (Girls and Boys)
- Football (Boys)
- Infocomm Technology (Media Production) (Girls and Boys)
- Malay Dance (Girls and Boys)
- Modern Dance (Girls and Boys)
- National Cadet Corps (NCC) (Land) (Boys)
- National Civil Defence Cadet Corps (NCDCC) (Girls and Boys)
- National Police Cadet Corps (NPCC) (Girls and Boys)
- Scouts (Girls and Boys)
- Volleyball (Girls)
- Wushu (Girls and Boys)
Commonwealth Secondary School
- Badminton (Girls and Boys)
- Basketball (Boys)
- Broadcasting (Girls and Boys)
- Choir (Girls and Boys)
- Concert Band (Girls and Boys)
- Cross Country (Girls and Boys)
- Dragon Boat (Boys)
- English Drama (Girls and Boys)
- Environmental Science (Girls and Boys)
- Football (Boys)
- Girl Guides (Girls)
- Indian Dance (Girls)
- Infocomm Technology (Media Production) (Girls and Boys)
- Modern Dance (Girls and Boys)
- National Cadet Corps (NCC) (Land) (Boys)
- National Police Cadet Corps (NPCC) (Girls and Boys)
- Netball (Girls)
- Percussion Ensemble (Girls and Boys)
- Red Cross Youth (Girls and Boys)
- Robotics (Girls and Boys)
Listed DSA programmes at Beatty Secondary School
- Badminton (Girls and Boys)
- Canoeing (Girls and Boys)
- Chinese Orchestra (Girls and Boys)
- Choir (Girls and Boys)
- Concert Band (Girls and Boys)
- English Drama (Girls and Boys)
- Football (Boys)
- Leadership (Girls and Boys)
- Malay Dance (Girls and Boys)
- Modern Dance (Girls and Boys)
- Stem (Girls and Boys)
- Volleyball (Girls)
- Wushu (Girls and Boys)
Listed DSA programmes at Commonwealth Secondary School
- Badminton (Girls and Boys)
- Basketball (Boys)
- Choir (Girls and Boys)
- Coding (Girls and Boys)
- Concert Band (Girls and Boys)
- Cross Country (Girls and Boys)
- English Drama (Girls and Boys)
- Environmental Science (Girls and Boys)
- Football (Boys)
- Indian Dance (Girls and Boys)
- Modern Dance (Girls and Boys)
- Netball (Girls)
- Tamil Language (Girls and Boys)
Questions about these schools
How should I choose between Beatty Secondary School and Commonwealth Secondary School?
Start with programmes, the CCAs your child wants and the actual journey from home. Visit both schools to assess the daily environment. Counts and past results alone do not establish which school fits your child.
How do their recorded PSLE entry ranges compare?
PG3 · Non-affiliated: Beatty Secondary School 2026 · 12–18; Commonwealth Secondary School 2026 · 8–13. PG2 · Non-affiliated: Beatty Secondary School 2026 · 21–25; Commonwealth Secondary School 2026 · 21–23. PG1 · Non-affiliated: Beatty Secondary School 2026 · 25–28; Commonwealth Secondary School 2026 · 25–28.
Do past admission records guarantee a place?
No. Ranges belong to the intake year and programme shown and can change. Keep affiliated and non-affiliated ranges separate and retain any D, M or P Higher Mother Tongue suffix.