School MattersCommonwealth Secondary School 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 | Commonwealth Secondary School | Hillgrove Secondary School |
|---|---|---|
| School type | Co-Ed School | Co-Ed School |
| Level | Secondary (S1-S4) | Secondary (S1-S4) |
| School tags | Autonomous | Not listed |
| Zone | West | West |
| Address | 698 West Coast Road | 10 Bukit Batok Street 52 |
| Nearest MRT | Jurong East, Clementi | Bukit Batok, Bukit Gombak |
| Listed CCAs | 20 | 18 |
| DSA listings | 13 | 11 |
Differences to explore
- CCA
- The records share 6 CCA listings. Commonwealth Secondary School also lists Badminton (Girls and Boys), Basketball (Boys), Broadcasting (Girls and Boys), Concert Band (Girls and Boys) 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 5 DSA programme listings. Commonwealth Secondary School also lists Badminton (Girls and Boys), Basketball (Boys), Coding (Girls and Boys), Cross Country (Girls and Boys) and more, which do not appear in the other school's records. Hillgrove Secondary School also lists Badminton (Boys), Floorball (Boys), Malay Dance (Girls and Boys), Stem (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 Commonwealth Secondary School: Jurong East, Clementi; 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 | Commonwealth Secondary School | Hillgrove Secondary School |
|---|---|---|
| PG3 · Non-affiliated | 2026 · 8–13 | 2026 · 13–18 |
| PG2 · Non-affiliated | 2026 · 21–23 | 2026 · 21–24 |
| PG1 · Non-affiliated | 2026 · 25–28 | 2026 · 25–27 |
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.
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
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)
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 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 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 Commonwealth Secondary School 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: Commonwealth Secondary School 2026 · 8–13; Hillgrove Secondary School 2026 · 13–18. PG2 · Non-affiliated: Commonwealth Secondary School 2026 · 21–23; Hillgrove Secondary School 2026 · 21–24. PG1 · Non-affiliated: Commonwealth Secondary School 2026 · 25–28; Hillgrove Secondary School 2026 · 25–27.
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.