School MattersCHIJ St. Theresa's Convent 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 | CHIJ St. Theresa's Convent | Commonwealth Secondary School |
|---|---|---|
| School type | Girls' School | Co-Ed School |
| Level | Secondary (S1-S4) | Secondary (S1-S4) |
| School tags | Not listed | Autonomous |
| Zone | South | West |
| Address | 160 Lower Delta Road | 698 West Coast Road |
| Nearest MRT | Harbourfront, Tiong Bahru | Jurong East, Clementi |
| Listed CCAs | 17 | 20 |
| DSA listings | 7 | 13 |
Differences to explore
- CCA
- The records share 2 CCA listings. CHIJ St. Theresa's Convent also lists Angklung/kulintang Ensemble (Girls), Bowling (Girls), Choir (Girls), Community Service (Girls) 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), Choir (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. CHIJ St. Theresa's Convent also lists English Drama (Girls), Floorball (Girls), Hockey (Girls), Modern Dance (Girls) and more, which do not appear in the other school's records. Commonwealth Secondary School also lists Badminton (Girls and Boys), Basketball (Boys), Choir (Girls and Boys), Coding (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. Theresa's Convent: Harbourfront, Tiong Bahru; for Commonwealth Secondary School: Jurong East, Clementi. Compare the full journey from home, including transfers and the walk to school.
Recorded entry ranges
| Compare | CHIJ St. Theresa's Convent | Commonwealth Secondary School |
|---|---|---|
| PG3 · Non-affiliated | 2026 · 11–13 | 2026 · 8–13 |
| PG3 · Affiliated | 2026 · 9–20 | Not listed |
| PG2 · Non-affiliated | 2026 · 21–24 | 2026 · 21–23 |
| PG2 · Affiliated | 2026 · 21–25 | Not listed |
| PG1 · Non-affiliated | 2026 · 25–30 | 2026 · 25–28 |
| PG1 · Affiliated | 2026 · 26–28 | 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. Theresa's Convent
MOE traces the beginnings to the Church of St Teresa’s efforts to educate poor children around Kampong Bahru in 1929. The school took the name CHIJ St Theresa’s Convent at Hood Lodge in 1933, with 25 pupils learning English and Tamil. Its primary section was phased out by 1992. It returned to its upgraded premises in 2011, with the campus officially opened in 2013. These dates distinguish the school’s early primary history from the secondary school families are considering now.
The Applied Learning Programme builds on Education for Life, which began in 1992. Its current theme is Portable Skills and Real-World Problem Solving. Secondary 1 examples include MacRitchie water testing, Science Centre learning and connections between the environment, poetry and community history. Secondary 2 explores sustainability through the Sustainable Singapore Gallery, coding and prototypes. Secondary 3 investigates how Khatib Central can be more inclusive. The published sequence is concrete, but does not itself establish how every pupil’s project is assessed or what individual fieldwork adjustments are available.
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
CHIJ St. Theresa's Convent
- Angklung/kulintang Ensemble (Girls)
- Bowling (Girls)
- Choir (Girls)
- Community Service (Girls)
- Concert Band (Girls)
- Debating and Public Speaking (Girls)
- English Drama (Girls)
- Floorball (Girls)
- Girl Guides (Girls)
- Guitar Ensemble (Girls)
- Hockey (Girls)
- Infocomm Technology (Media Production) (Girls)
- Modern Dance (Girls)
- National Police Cadet Corps (NPCC) (Girls)
- Netball (Girls)
- Softball (Girls)
- Track and Field (Girls)
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 CHIJ St. Theresa's Convent
- English Drama (Girls)
- Floorball (Girls)
- Hockey (Girls)
- Modern Dance (Girls)
- Netball (Girls)
- Softball (Girls)
- Track and Field (Girls)
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 CHIJ St. Theresa's Convent 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: CHIJ St. Theresa's Convent 2026 · 11–13; Commonwealth Secondary School 2026 · 8–13. PG3 · Affiliated: CHIJ St. Theresa's Convent 2026 · 9–20; Commonwealth Secondary School Not listed. PG2 · Non-affiliated: CHIJ St. Theresa's Convent 2026 · 21–24; Commonwealth Secondary School 2026 · 21–23. PG2 · Affiliated: CHIJ St. Theresa's Convent 2026 · 21–25; Commonwealth Secondary School Not listed. PG1 · Non-affiliated: CHIJ St. Theresa's Convent 2026 · 25–30; Commonwealth Secondary School 2026 · 25–28. PG1 · Affiliated: CHIJ St. Theresa's Convent 2026 · 26–28; Commonwealth 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.