School MattersCommonwealth Secondary School vs Nan Chiau 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 | Nan Chiau High School |
|---|---|---|
| School type | Co-Ed School | Co-Ed School |
| Level | Secondary (S1-S4) | Secondary (S1-S4) |
| School tags | Autonomous | SAP |
| Zone | West | North |
| Address | 698 West Coast Road | 20 Anchorvale Link |
| Nearest MRT | Jurong East, Clementi | Sengkang, Renjong, Tongkang |
| Listed CCAs | 20 | 23 |
| DSA listings | 13 | 8 |
Differences to explore
- CCA
- The records share 10 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. Nan Chiau High School also lists Art and Crafts (Girls and Boys), Audio Visual Aid (Girls and Boys), Basketball (Girls and Boys), Chinese Calligraphy and Brush Painting (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. Commonwealth Secondary School also lists Basketball (Boys), Choir (Girls and Boys), Coding (Girls and Boys), Concert Band (Girls and Boys) and more, which do not appear in the other school's records. Nan Chiau High School also lists Basketball (Girls and Boys), Bilingualism (Girls and Boys), Chinese Dance (Girls), Chinese Orchestra (Girls and Boys) 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; Nan Chiau High School: SAP. Check the specific programme your child would enter.
- The daily journey
- Nearby MRT stations listed for Commonwealth Secondary School: Jurong East, Clementi; for Nan Chiau High School: Sengkang, Renjong, Tongkang. Compare the full journey from home, including transfers and the walk to school.
Recorded entry ranges
| Compare | Commonwealth Secondary School | Nan Chiau High School |
|---|---|---|
| PG3 · Non-affiliated | 2026 · 8–13 | 2026 · 4M–11M |
| 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.
Nan Chiau High School
Nan Chiau’s history starts with the teachers’ training school founded by Tan Kah Kee in 1941 on land donated by Lee Kong Chian. Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan converted it into Nan Chiau Girls’ High with a primary section in 1947. It became co-educational in 1984; the two sections moved to Sengkang as separate schools in 2001. The secondary school received SAP status in 2012 and introduced CLEP-Sec in 2020. This explains the institutional emphasis on bilingual and bicultural learning without confusing it with the primary school’s programmes.
The ALP page describes Sec 1 electronics lessons using Arduino, held fortnightly for 90 minutes over one semester, with pupils working in pairs. It also lists six forensic-science lessons in the second semester, from DNA and blood typing to fingerprint analysis. Sec 2 extends design thinking and programming into team projects, including healthcare devices and research on bacterial growth, with reports and presentations. Selected Sec 3 pupils can enter applied-science competitions. These are progressively different activities; the competition opportunities belong to the talent tier rather than every pupil’s timetable.
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)
Nan Chiau High School
- Art and Crafts (Girls and Boys)
- Audio Visual Aid (Girls and Boys)
- Badminton (Girls and Boys)
- Basketball (Girls and 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)
- Debating and Public Speaking (Girls and Boys)
- English Drama (Girls and Boys)
- Environmental Science (Girls and Boys)
- Infocomm Technology (Computing) (Girls and Boys)
- Modern Dance (Girls and Boys)
- National Cadet Corps (NCC) (Land) (Boys)
- National Police Cadet Corps (NPCC) (Girls and Boys)
- Red Cross Youth (Girls and Boys)
- Robotics (Girls and Boys)
- Student Leadership (Council) (Girls and Boys)
- Table Tennis (Girls and Boys)
- Track and Field (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 Nan Chiau High School
- Badminton (Girls and Boys)
- Basketball (Girls and Boys)
- Bilingualism (Girls and Boys)
- Chinese Dance (Girls)
- Chinese Orchestra (Girls and Boys)
- Table Tennis (Girls and Boys)
- Visual Arts (Girls and Boys)
- Wushu (Girls and Boys)
Questions about these schools
How should I choose between Commonwealth Secondary School and Nan Chiau 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?
PG3 · Non-affiliated: Commonwealth Secondary School 2026 · 8–13; Nan Chiau High School 2026 · 4M–11M. PG2 · Non-affiliated: Commonwealth Secondary School 2026 · 21–23; Nan Chiau High School Not listed. PG1 · Non-affiliated: Commonwealth Secondary School 2026 · 25–28; Nan Chiau 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.