School MattersCHIJ St. Joseph's Convent vs Hillgrove Secondary School
Compare recorded PSLE entry ranges, CCAs, DSA programmes and location, with intake years shown alongside the data.
At a glance
| Compare | CHIJ St. Joseph's Convent | Hillgrove Secondary School |
|---|---|---|
| School type | Girls' School | Co-Ed School |
| Level | Secondary (S1-S4) | Secondary (S1-S4) |
| School tags | Not listed | Not listed |
| Zone | North | West |
| Address | 62 Sengkang East Way | 10 Bukit Batok Street 52 |
| Nearest MRT | Sengkang | Bukit Batok, Bukit Gombak |
| Listed CCAs | 19 | 18 |
| DSA listings | 7 | 11 |
Differences to explore
- CCA
- The records share 2 CCA listings. 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. Hillgrove Secondary School also lists Art and Crafts (Girls and Boys), Badminton (Boys), Boys' Brigade (Boys), CONCERT BAND 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 2 DSA programme listings. 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. Hillgrove Secondary School also lists Badminton (Boys), Choir (Girls and Boys), Concert Band (Girls and Boys), English Drama (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 CHIJ St. Joseph's Convent: Sengkang; for Hillgrove Secondary School: Bukit Batok, Bukit Gombak. Compare the full journey from home, including transfers and the walk to school.
Recorded entry ranges
| Compare | CHIJ St. Joseph's Convent | Hillgrove Secondary School |
|---|---|---|
| PG3 · Non-affiliated | 2026 · 8–14 | 2026 · 13–18 |
| PG3 · Affiliated | 2026 · 11–20 | Not listed |
| PG2 · Non-affiliated | 2026 · 21–23 | 2026 · 21–24 |
| PG2 · Affiliated | 2026 · 21–25 | Not listed |
| PG1 · Non-affiliated | 2026 · 25–28 | 2026 · 25–27 |
| PG1 · 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
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.
Hillgrove Secondary School
Hillgrove Secondary began in 2001 with 277 pupils, initially sharing Yusof Ishak Secondary’s premises. MOE records its move to 10 Bukit Batok Street 52 on 2 February 2002 and official opening on 5 March 2004. Flight and aerospace became its ALP in 2014, followed by the arts LLP in 2015. These milestones explain the two strands visible in the school’s current open-house materials. Historical enrolment and earlier principals’ descriptions are not used to infer the present pupil population or a uniform experience of school culture.
The ALP microsite describes a three-tier approach to STEM through flight and aerospace. Its April 2023 example involved all Secondary 2 pupils building and flying rubber-band-powered gliders; a separate group of 20 Secondary 1 and 2 pupils was selected for drone training. Earlier entries discuss autonomous-vehicle principles with mBot in 2021 and coding drones in 2019. These give tangible examples of applied learning, but they are dated records. Ask what the incoming cohort will actually build, how often lessons occur and how pupils enter additional training.
CCAs and programmes
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)
Hillgrove Secondary School
- Art and Crafts (Girls and Boys)
- Badminton (Boys)
- Boys' Brigade (Boys)
- CONCERT BAND
- Choir (Girls and Boys)
- Digital Media (Girls and Boys)
- English Drama (Girls and Boys)
- Floorball (Boys)
- Girls' Brigade (Girls)
- Malay Dance (Girls and Boys)
- Modern Dance (Girls and Boys)
- National Cadet Corps (NCC) (Air) (Girls and Boys)
- National Police Cadet Corps (NPCC) (Girls and Boys)
- Netball (Girls)
- Robotics (Girls and Boys)
- Scouts (Girls and Boys)
- Singapore Youth Flying Club (Girls and Boys)
- Volleyball (Girls)
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)
Listed DSA programmes at Hillgrove Secondary School
- Badminton (Boys)
- Choir (Girls and Boys)
- Concert Band (Girls and Boys)
- English Drama (Girls and Boys)
- Floorball (Boys)
- Malay Dance (Girls and Boys)
- Modern Dance (Girls and Boys)
- Netball (Girls)
- Stem (Girls and Boys)
- Visual Arts (Girls and Boys)
- Volleyball (Girls)
Questions about these schools
How should I choose between CHIJ St. Joseph's Convent and Hillgrove 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: CHIJ St. Joseph's Convent 2026 · 8–14; Hillgrove Secondary School 2026 · 13–18. PG3 · Affiliated: CHIJ St. Joseph's Convent 2026 · 11–20; Hillgrove Secondary School Not listed. PG2 · Non-affiliated: CHIJ St. Joseph's Convent 2026 · 21–23; Hillgrove Secondary School 2026 · 21–24. PG2 · Affiliated: CHIJ St. Joseph's Convent 2026 · 21–25; Hillgrove Secondary School Not listed. PG1 · Non-affiliated: CHIJ St. Joseph's Convent 2026 · 25–28; Hillgrove Secondary School 2026 · 25–27. PG1 · Affiliated: CHIJ St. Joseph's Convent 2026 · 25–28; Hillgrove Secondary 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.