School MattersCommonwealth Secondary School vs Dunman High School
Compare recorded PSLE entry ranges, CCAs, DSA programmes and location, with intake years shown alongside the data.
At a glance
| Compare | Commonwealth Secondary School | Dunman High School |
|---|---|---|
| School type | Co-Ed School | Co-Ed School |
| Level | Secondary (S1-S4) | Secondary (S1-S4) |
| School tags | Autonomous | IP · SAP · Autonomous |
| Zone | West | East |
| Address | 698 West Coast Road | 10 Tanjong Rhu Road |
| Nearest MRT | Jurong East, Clementi | Katong Park, Aljunied, Kallang, Mountbatten |
| Listed CCAs | 20 | 29 |
| DSA listings | 13 | 18 |
Differences to explore
- CCA
- The records share 7 CCA listings. Commonwealth Secondary School also lists Basketball (Boys), Broadcasting (Girls and Boys), Cross Country (Girls and Boys), Dragon Boat (Boys) and more, which do not appear in the other school's records. Dunman High School also lists Art and Crafts (Girls and Boys), Basketball (Girls and Boys), Chinese Dance (Girls), Chinese 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.
- DSA programme
- The records share 0 DSA programme listings. 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. Dunman High School also lists Badminton (Girls and Boys) - IP, Basketball (Girls and Boys) - IP, Bilingualism (Girls and Boys) - IP, Chinese Dance (Girls) - IP and more, which do not appear in the other school's records. Listings may be incomplete; confirm availability with each school.
- Programme tags
- Commonwealth Secondary School: no IP or SAP tag listed; Dunman High School: IP / SAP. Check the specific programme your child would enter.
- The daily journey
- Nearby MRT stations listed for Commonwealth Secondary School: Jurong East, Clementi; for Dunman High School: Katong Park, Aljunied, Kallang, Mountbatten. Compare the full journey from home, including transfers and the walk to school.
Recorded entry ranges
| Compare | Commonwealth Secondary School | Dunman High School |
|---|---|---|
| IP · Non-affiliated | Not listed | 2026 · 4D–8M |
| PG3 · Non-affiliated | 2026 · 8–13 | Not listed |
| PG2 · Non-affiliated | 2026 · 21–23 | 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
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.
Dunman High School
Dunman High was established in 1956 as Kallang West Government Chinese Middle School, renamed after moving to Dunman Road in 1957, and became a SAP school in 1979. It moved to Tanjong Rhu in 1995 and began its Integrated Programme in 2005. The current structure has four Junior High years and two Senior High years leading to A levels. This review concerns the secondary stage; Senior High subject offers, scholarships and JC-entry experiences need to be read separately.
The Junior High English page describes oral presentations, multimodal-text analysis, group discussion and Socratic seminars. Literature in English is taken by all lower-secondary pupils; in Years 3 and 4, pupils with an interest may choose it as a Humanities subject. Literature work includes close reading, role play, scriptwriting, research and multimedia presentations. These are specific classroom approaches, rather than evidence that one language dominates all school interactions. Current subject combinations and any requirements for choosing upper-secondary Literature should be confirmed for the relevant cohort.
CCAs and programmes
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)
Dunman High School
- Art and Crafts (Girls and Boys)
- Badminton (Girls and Boys)
- Basketball (Girls and Boys)
- Chinese Dance (Girls)
- 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)
- Girl Guides (Girls)
- Infocomm Technology (Computing) (Girls and Boys)
- Lion and Dragon Dance (Boys)
- Media Resource Library (Girls and Boys)
- Modern Dance (Girls)
- National Police Cadet Corps (NPCC) (Girls and Boys)
- Robotics (Girls and Boys)
- Sailing (Girls and Boys)
- Scouts (Boys)
- Shooting (Girls and Boys)
- Singapore National Youth Chinese Orchestra (Girls and Boys)
- Singapore National Youth Orchestra (Girls and Boys)
- Softball (Girls)
- St John Brigade (Girls and Boys)
- String Ensemble (Girls and Boys)
- Table Tennis (Girls and Boys)
- Track and Field (Girls and Boys)
- Volleyball (Girls and Boys)
- Wushu (Girls and Boys)
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)
Listed DSA programmes at Dunman High School
- Badminton (Girls and Boys) - IP
- Basketball (Girls and Boys) - IP
- Bilingualism (Girls and Boys) - IP
- Chinese Dance (Girls) - IP
- Chinese Orchestra (Girls and Boys) - IP
- Choir (Girls and Boys) - IP
- Concert Band (Girls and Boys) - IP
- Leadership (Girls and Boys) - IP
- Modern Dance (Girls) - IP
- Music Elective Programme (Girls and Boys) - IP
- Sailing (Girls and Boys) - IP
- Softball (Girls) - IP
- Steam (Science, Technology, Engineering, Aesthetics and Mathematics) (Girls and Boys) - IP
- String Ensemble (Girls and Boys) - IP
- Table Tennis (Girls and Boys) - IP
- Track and Field (Girls and Boys) - IP
- Volleyball (Girls and Boys) - IP
- Wushu (Girls and Boys) - IP
Questions about these schools
How should I choose between Commonwealth Secondary School and Dunman 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: Commonwealth Secondary School Not listed; Dunman High School 2026 · 4D–8M. PG3 · Non-affiliated: Commonwealth Secondary School 2026 · 8–13; Dunman High School Not listed. PG2 · Non-affiliated: Commonwealth Secondary School 2026 · 21–23; Dunman High School Not listed. PG1 · Non-affiliated: Commonwealth Secondary School 2026 · 25–28; Dunman 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.