School MattersCommonwealth Secondary School vs Naval Base 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 | Naval Base Secondary School |
|---|---|---|
| School type | Co-Ed School | Co-Ed School |
| Level | Secondary (S1-S4) | Secondary (S1-S4) |
| School tags | Autonomous | Not listed |
| Zone | West | North |
| Address | 698 West Coast Road | 901 Yishun Ring Road |
| Nearest MRT | Jurong East, Clementi | Khatib |
| Listed CCAs | 20 | 14 |
| DSA listings | 13 | 7 |
Differences to explore
- CCA
- The records share 9 CCA listings. Commonwealth Secondary School also lists Badminton (Girls and Boys), Basketball (Boys), Broadcasting (Girls and Boys), Cross Country (Girls and Boys) and more, which do not appear in the other school's records. Naval Base Secondary School also lists Art and Crafts (Girls and Boys), Basketball (Girls), Football (Girls and Boys), St John Brigade (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 4 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. Naval Base Secondary School also lists Leadership (Girls and Boys), Table Tennis (Girls and Boys), Visual Arts (Girls and Boys), 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 Naval Base Secondary School: Khatib. Compare the full journey from home, including transfers and the walk to school.
Recorded entry ranges
| Compare | Commonwealth Secondary School | Naval Base Secondary School |
|---|---|---|
| PG3 · Non-affiliated | 2026 · 8–13 | 2026 · 13–19 |
| 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.
Naval Base Secondary School
Naval Base Secondary traces its beginnings to 1957, when the British Navy provided land at Bah Tan Road for children of naval-base employees. It was initially a full school; the primary section moved to Canberra School in 1968 and it adopted its secondary-school name. It moved to Yishun Ring Road in July 1988. After a temporary holding site during upgrading, it returned in December 2009 to a campus designed as a garden and giant art gallery. The current art curriculum gives that historical emphasis a practical teaching context.
Lower-secondary pupils have the General Art Programme. Upper-secondary pupils taking art receive the two-year Enhanced Art Programme during curriculum time, with art offered at G1, G2 or G3. The school describes artist mentorship, talks, two art studios, ceramics space and an in-house gallery. Its wider learning framework separates broad experiences from interest-based development and selected advanced opportunities, while also identifying pupils who need structured intervention. EAP access should be read as provision for upper-secondary art students, rather than an extra specialist subject automatically taken by the entire 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)
Naval Base Secondary School
- Art and Crafts (Girls and Boys)
- Basketball (Girls)
- Choir (Girls and Boys)
- Concert Band (Girls and Boys)
- English Drama (Girls and Boys)
- Football (Girls and Boys)
- Girl Guides (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)
- St John Brigade (Girls and Boys)
- Table Tennis (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 Naval Base Secondary School
- Choir (Girls and Boys)
- Concert Band (Girls and Boys)
- Indian Dance (Girls and Boys)
- Leadership (Girls and Boys)
- Modern Dance (Girls and Boys)
- Table Tennis (Girls and Boys)
- Visual Arts (Girls and Boys)
Questions about these schools
How should I choose between Commonwealth Secondary School and Naval Base 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; Naval Base Secondary School 2026 · 13–19. PG2 · Non-affiliated: Commonwealth Secondary School 2026 · 21–23; Naval Base Secondary School 2026 · 21–24. PG1 · Non-affiliated: Commonwealth Secondary School 2026 · 25–28; Naval Base 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.