School Matters

Getting things ready

CHIJ St. Joseph's Convent vs River Valley High School

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

At a glance

CompareCHIJ St. Joseph's ConventRiver Valley High School
School typeGirls' SchoolCo-Ed School
LevelSecondary (S1-S4)Secondary (S1-S4)
School tagsNot listedIP · SAP · Autonomous
ZoneNorthWest
Address62 Sengkang East Way6 Boon Lay Avenue
Nearest MRTSengkangBoon Lay, Lakeside
Listed CCAs1922
DSA listings716

Differences to explore

CCA
The records share 3 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. River Valley High School also lists Badminton (Girls and Boys), Basketball (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 0 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. River Valley High School also lists Badminton (Girls and Boys) - IP, Basketball (Boys) - IP, Chinese Dance (Girls and Boys) - IP, Chinese Orchestra (Girls and Boys) - IP and more, which do not appear in the other school's records. Listings may be incomplete; confirm availability with each school.
Programme tags
CHIJ St. Joseph's Convent: no IP or SAP tag listed; River Valley High School: IP / SAP. Check the specific programme your child would enter.
The daily journey
Nearby MRT stations listed for CHIJ St. Joseph's Convent: Sengkang; for River Valley High School: Boon Lay, Lakeside. Compare the full journey from home, including transfers and the walk to school.

Recorded entry ranges

CompareCHIJ St. Joseph's ConventRiver Valley High School
IP · Non-affiliatedNot listed2026 · 4M–9M
PG3 · Non-affiliated2026 · 8–14Not listed
PG3 · Affiliated2026 · 11–20Not listed
PG2 · Non-affiliated2026 · 21–23Not listed
PG2 · Affiliated2026 · 21–25Not listed
PG1 · Non-affiliated2026 · 25–28Not listed
PG1 · Affiliated2026 · 25–28Not 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.

River Valley High School

River Valley High was established in 1956 and adopted the River Valley name after moving to Jalan Kuala in 1958. MOE records SAP status from 1979, autonomous status from 1994 and the Integrated Programme from 2006. It moved to its current Boon Lay Avenue premises in 2010. Today’s six-year programme runs through A Levels in the school’s own JC section. Secondary and JC activities share one school name, so a Year 1 family needs to check which opportunities apply at the secondary stage.

The school’s FAQ says primary-school Higher Chinese is not a prerequisite for admission, but all secondary pupils take Higher Chinese in S1–4. It lists after-school Chinese support for pupils who struggle and enrichment for developing interest in the language. The FAQ also says promotion criteria apply between levels. Its description of a seamless programme should therefore not be interpreted as automatic progression regardless of attainment. Families can ask for the current criteria and the support offered when a child finds the pace or language demands difficult.

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)

River Valley High School

  • Badminton (Girls and Boys)
  • Basketball (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)
  • English Drama (Girls and Boys)
  • English Language, Drama and Debating (Girls and Boys)
  • Floorball (Girls)
  • Girl Guides (Girls)
  • Infocomm Technology (Computing) (Girls and Boys)
  • National Cadet Corps (NCC) (Land) (Girls and Boys)
  • National Police Cadet Corps (NPCC) (Girls and Boys)
  • Netball (Girls)
  • Scouts (Boys)
  • Softball (Girls)
  • St John Brigade (Girls and Boys)
  • Table Tennis (Girls and Boys)
  • Volleyball (Girls)
  • Wushu (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)

Listed DSA programmes at River Valley High School

  • Badminton (Girls and Boys) - IP
  • Basketball (Boys) - IP
  • Chinese Dance (Girls and Boys) - IP
  • Chinese Orchestra (Girls and Boys) - IP
  • Chinese Painting (Girls and Boys) - IP
  • Choir (Girls and Boys) - IP
  • Concert Band (Girls and Boys) - IP
  • Floorball (Girls) - IP
  • Leadership (Girls and Boys) - IP
  • Netball (Girls) - IP
  • Robotics (Girls and Boys) - IP
  • Scientific Investigation (Girls and Boys) - IP
  • Softball (Girls) - IP
  • Table Tennis (Girls and Boys) - IP
  • Volleyball (Girls) - IP
  • Wushu (Girls and Boys) - IP

Questions about these schools

How should I choose between CHIJ St. Joseph's Convent and River Valley 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?

IP · Non-affiliated: CHIJ St. Joseph's Convent Not listed; River Valley High School 2026 · 4M–9M. PG3 · Non-affiliated: CHIJ St. Joseph's Convent 2026 · 8–14; River Valley High School Not listed. PG3 · Affiliated: CHIJ St. Joseph's Convent 2026 · 11–20; River Valley High School Not listed. PG2 · Non-affiliated: CHIJ St. Joseph's Convent 2026 · 21–23; River Valley High School Not listed. PG2 · Affiliated: CHIJ St. Joseph's Convent 2026 · 21–25; River Valley High School Not listed. PG1 · Non-affiliated: CHIJ St. Joseph's Convent 2026 · 25–28; River Valley High School Not listed. PG1 · Affiliated: CHIJ St. Joseph's Convent 2026 · 25–28; River Valley 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.