School MattersBowen Secondary School vs Nan Chiau High School
Compare recorded PSLE entry ranges, CCAs, DSA programmes and location, with intake years shown alongside the data.
At a glance
| Compare | Bowen Secondary School | Nan Chiau High School |
|---|---|---|
| School type | Co-Ed School | Co-Ed School |
| Level | Secondary (S1-S4) | Secondary (S1-S4) |
| School tags | Not listed | SAP |
| Zone | North | North |
| Address | 2 Lorong Napiri | 20 Anchorvale Link |
| Nearest MRT | Hougang, Serangoon, Sengkang | Sengkang, Renjong, Tongkang |
| Listed CCAs | 19 | 23 |
| DSA listings | 5 | 8 |
Differences to explore
- CCA
- The records share 6 CCA listings. Bowen Secondary School also lists Basketball (Boys), Boys' Brigade (Boys), Football (Girls and Boys), Girl Guides (Girls) and more, which do not appear in the other school's records. Nan Chiau High School also lists Audio Visual Aid (Girls and Boys), Basketball (Girls and Boys), Chinese Calligraphy and Brush Painting (Girls and Boys), Chinese Dance (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 1 DSA programme listing. Bowen Secondary School also lists Community Youth Leadership (Girls and Boys), Entrepreneurship (Girls and Boys), Football (Girls and Boys), Marching Band (Girls and Boys), which do not appear in the other school's records. Nan Chiau High School also lists Basketball (Girls and Boys), Bilingualism (Girls and Boys), Chinese Dance (Girls), Chinese Orchestra (Girls and Boys) and more, which do not appear in the other school's records. Listings may be incomplete; confirm availability with each school.
- Programme tags
- Bowen Secondary School: no IP or SAP tag listed; Nan Chiau High School: SAP. Check the specific programme your child would enter.
- The daily journey
- Nearby MRT stations listed for Bowen Secondary School: Hougang, Serangoon, Sengkang; for Nan Chiau High School: Sengkang, Renjong, Tongkang. Compare the full journey from home, including transfers and the walk to school.
Recorded entry ranges
| Compare | Bowen Secondary School | Nan Chiau High School |
|---|---|---|
| PG3 · Non-affiliated | 2026 · 12–16 | 2026 · 4M–11M |
| PG2 · Non-affiliated | 2026 · 21–24 | Not listed |
| PG1 · Non-affiliated | 2026 · 25–28 | Not listed |
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
Bowen Secondary School
Bowen Secondary started in Ang Mo Kio in 1982 and moved to 2 Lorong Napiri in December 1999. The following January it began single-session operation with 1,374 pupils. The school marked its 40th anniversary in 2022. These dates distinguish the founding school from its present campus. The history page also shows changes to the school emblem, including a temporary anniversary version, providing a useful introduction to the school’s identity before looking at today’s programmes.
Secondary 1 students spend two terms using design thinking to investigate school issues, such as classroom cleanliness or canteen queues, and pitch prototypes. Secondary 2 has a five-week service-learning programme with weekly visits to partners such as MINDS, AWWA or Bright Vision Hospital, alongside design workshops and reflection. Upper-secondary pupils choose a social cause and share their work at Bowen Congress. A smaller ALP Interest Group offers deeper design work. The distinction between cohort experiences and the additional group matters when comparing opportunities.
Nan Chiau High School
Nan Chiau’s history starts with the teachers’ training school founded by Tan Kah Kee in 1941 on land donated by Lee Kong Chian. Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan converted it into Nan Chiau Girls’ High with a primary section in 1947. It became co-educational in 1984; the two sections moved to Sengkang as separate schools in 2001. The secondary school received SAP status in 2012 and introduced CLEP-Sec in 2020. This explains the institutional emphasis on bilingual and bicultural learning without confusing it with the primary school’s programmes.
The ALP page describes Sec 1 electronics lessons using Arduino, held fortnightly for 90 minutes over one semester, with pupils working in pairs. It also lists six forensic-science lessons in the second semester, from DNA and blood typing to fingerprint analysis. Sec 2 extends design thinking and programming into team projects, including healthcare devices and research on bacterial growth, with reports and presentations. Selected Sec 3 pupils can enter applied-science competitions. These are progressively different activities; the competition opportunities belong to the talent tier rather than every pupil’s timetable.
CCAs and programmes
Bowen Secondary School
- Art and Crafts (Girls and Boys)
- Badminton (Girls and Boys)
- Basketball (Boys)
- Boys' Brigade (Boys)
- Choir (Girls and Boys)
- English Drama (Girls and Boys)
- Football (Girls and Boys)
- Girl Guides (Girls)
- Indian Dance (Girls and Boys)
- Infocomm Technology (Media Production) (Girls and Boys)
- Malay Dance (Girls and Boys)
- Media Resource Library (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) (Boys)
- Netball (Girls)
- Table Tennis (Boys)
- Taekwondo (Girls and Boys)
Nan Chiau High School
- Art and Crafts (Girls and Boys)
- Audio Visual Aid (Girls and Boys)
- Badminton (Girls and Boys)
- Basketball (Girls and Boys)
- Chinese Calligraphy and Brush Painting (Girls and Boys)
- Chinese Dance (Girls and Boys)
- Chinese Drama (Girls and Boys)
- Chinese Orchestra (Girls and Boys)
- Choir (Girls and Boys)
- Concert Band (Girls and Boys)
- Debating and Public Speaking (Girls and Boys)
- English Drama (Girls and Boys)
- Environmental Science (Girls and Boys)
- Infocomm Technology (Computing) (Girls and Boys)
- Modern Dance (Girls and Boys)
- National Cadet Corps (NCC) (Land) (Boys)
- National Police Cadet Corps (NPCC) (Girls and Boys)
- Red Cross Youth (Girls and Boys)
- Robotics (Girls and Boys)
- Student Leadership (Council) (Girls and Boys)
- Table Tennis (Girls and Boys)
- Track and Field (Girls and Boys)
- Wushu (Girls and Boys)
Listed DSA programmes at Bowen Secondary School
- Badminton (Girls and Boys)
- Community Youth Leadership (Girls and Boys)
- Entrepreneurship (Girls and Boys)
- Football (Girls and Boys)
- Marching Band (Girls and Boys)
Listed DSA programmes at Nan Chiau High School
- Badminton (Girls and Boys)
- Basketball (Girls and Boys)
- Bilingualism (Girls and Boys)
- Chinese Dance (Girls)
- Chinese Orchestra (Girls and Boys)
- Table Tennis (Girls and Boys)
- Visual Arts (Girls and Boys)
- Wushu (Girls and Boys)
Questions about these schools
How should I choose between Bowen Secondary School and Nan Chiau High 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: Bowen Secondary School 2026 · 12–16; Nan Chiau High School 2026 · 4M–11M. PG2 · Non-affiliated: Bowen Secondary School 2026 · 21–24; Nan Chiau High School Not listed. PG1 · Non-affiliated: Bowen Secondary School 2026 · 25–28; Nan Chiau High School Not listed.
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.