School Matters

Getting things ready

Boon Lay Secondary School vs CHIJ St. Joseph's Convent

Compare recorded PSLE entry ranges, CCAs, DSA programmes and location, with intake years shown alongside the data.

At a glance

CompareBoon Lay Secondary SchoolCHIJ St. Joseph's Convent
School typeCo-Ed SchoolGirls' School
LevelSecondary (S1-S4)Secondary (S1-S4)
School tagsNot listedNot listed
ZoneWestNorth
Address11 Jurong West Street 6562 Sengkang East Way
Nearest MRTBoon LaySengkang
Listed CCAs1619
DSA listings137

Differences to explore

CCA
The records share 1 CCA listing. Boon Lay Secondary School also lists Audio Visual Aid (Girls and Boys), Badminton (Girls and Boys), Basketball (Boys), Boys' Brigade (Boys) and more, which do not appear in the other school's records. CHIJ St. Joseph's Convent also lists Angklung/kulintang Ensemble (Girls), Badminton (Girls), Choir (Girls), Community Service (Girls) 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 1 DSA programme listing. Boon Lay Secondary School also lists Badminton (Girls and Boys), Basketball (Boys), Chinese Orchestra (Girls and Boys), Choir (Girls and Boys) and more, which do not appear in the other school's records. CHIJ St. Joseph's Convent also lists Choir (Girls), Concert Band (Girls), Debate and Theatre (Girls), Leadership (Girls) 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 Boon Lay Secondary School: Boon Lay; for CHIJ St. Joseph's Convent: Sengkang. Compare the full journey from home, including transfers and the walk to school.

Recorded entry ranges

CompareBoon Lay Secondary SchoolCHIJ St. Joseph's Convent
PG3 · Non-affiliated2026 · 7–222026 · 8–14
PG3 · AffiliatedNot listed2026 · 11–20
PG2 · Non-affiliated2026 · 22–252026 · 21–23
PG2 · AffiliatedNot listed2026 · 21–25
PG1 · Non-affiliated2026 · 26–302026 · 25–28
PG1 · AffiliatedNot listed2026 · 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

Boon Lay Secondary School

Boon Lay Secondary merged with Pioneer Secondary in 2017. Its heritage garden and gallery retain both histories rather than suggesting that the combined school was newly founded that year. The school describes a replica of the Wisdom Bridge, originally built with students’ involvement in 1978, and Ng Eng Teng’s Unity sculpture, unveiled in 1995. The latter also inspired the school logo. These are tangible connections to the two schools’ past that a visitor can look for near the entrance and General Office.

The handbook effective from 29 June 2026 says pupils’ school experiences are organised around CCA groups, with CCA mentors acting as form teachers and guiding the same group through secondary school. NIE’s September 2023 SingTeach feature explains the CCA-Family and CCE-Level structures: juniors and seniors interact, and different CCAs can be paired, such as Boys’ Brigade and Contemporary Dance. The current directory lists 16 CCAs, some with gender restrictions. A family should therefore understand allocation and mentoring arrangements as well as the activity itself.

CHIJ St. Joseph's Convent

The school began at Flower Road in 1938 with 21 pupils, one nun and two teachers. Its primary section was later phased out, and it moved to Sengkang in 2000; the new school was officially opened in 2003. MOE’s history and the school’s own chronology disagree on the precise year of the earlier Hillside move and completion of the primary phase-out. Those disputed years are omitted here, rather than combined into a misleadingly precise timeline.

The four-year Applied Learning Programme, The Art of Communication Through Theatre and Debates, runs across the school. It connects speech and drama with English, Literature and Mother Tongue work: published examples include analysing stories, storyboarding, vlogs, speeches and discussions. Students also encounter performances, workshops and competitions. These are different kinds of participation; a class task does not imply a place in an external competition. Families interested in public speaking can ask how the classroom sequence leads to those additional opportunities.

CCAs and programmes

Boon Lay Secondary School

  • Audio Visual Aid (Girls and Boys)
  • Badminton (Girls and Boys)
  • Basketball (Boys)
  • Boys' Brigade (Boys)
  • Chinese Orchestra (Girls and Boys)
  • Choir (Girls and Boys)
  • Concert Band (Girls and Boys)
  • English Drama (Girls and Boys)
  • Infocomm Technology (Computing) (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)
  • Netball (Girls)
  • St John Brigade (Girls and Boys)

CHIJ St. Joseph's Convent

  • Angklung/kulintang Ensemble (Girls)
  • Badminton (Girls)
  • Choir (Girls)
  • Community Service (Girls)
  • Concert Band (Girls)
  • Food and Consumer Education (Girls)
  • Girl Guides (Girls)
  • Guitar Ensemble (Girls)
  • Handbell Ensemble (Girls)
  • Infocomm Technology (Media Production) (Girls)
  • Modern Dance (Girls)
  • Modular CCA (Sports) (Girls)
  • National Police Cadet Corps (NPCC) (Girls)
  • Netball (Girls)
  • Shooting (Girls)
  • Speech and Drama (Girls)
  • St John Brigade (Girls)
  • Table Tennis (Girls)
  • Volleyball (Girls)

Listed DSA programmes at Boon Lay Secondary School

  • Badminton (Girls and Boys)
  • Basketball (Boys)
  • Chinese Orchestra (Girls and Boys)
  • Choir (Girls and Boys)
  • Concert Band (Girls and Boys)
  • Digital Media (Girls and Boys)
  • English Drama (Girls and Boys)
  • Football (Girls)
  • Leadership (Girls and Boys)
  • Malay Dance (Girls and Boys)
  • Modern Dance (Girls and Boys)
  • Netball (Girls)
  • Theatre (Girls and Boys)

Listed DSA programmes at CHIJ St. Joseph's Convent

  • Choir (Girls)
  • Concert Band (Girls)
  • Debate and Theatre (Girls)
  • Leadership (Girls)
  • Netball (Girls)
  • Table Tennis (Girls)
  • Volleyball (Girls)

Questions about these schools

How should I choose between Boon Lay Secondary School and CHIJ St. Joseph's Convent?

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: Boon Lay Secondary School 2026 · 7–22; CHIJ St. Joseph's Convent 2026 · 8–14. PG3 · Affiliated: Boon Lay Secondary School Not listed; CHIJ St. Joseph's Convent 2026 · 11–20. PG2 · Non-affiliated: Boon Lay Secondary School 2026 · 22–25; CHIJ St. Joseph's Convent 2026 · 21–23. PG2 · Affiliated: Boon Lay Secondary School Not listed; CHIJ St. Joseph's Convent 2026 · 21–25. PG1 · Non-affiliated: Boon Lay Secondary School 2026 · 26–30; CHIJ St. Joseph's Convent 2026 · 25–28. PG1 · Affiliated: Boon Lay Secondary School Not listed; CHIJ St. Joseph's Convent 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.