School MattersCommonwealth Secondary School vs Ngee Ann 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 | Ngee Ann Secondary School |
|---|---|---|
| School type | Co-Ed School | Co-Ed School |
| Level | Secondary (S1-S4) | Secondary (S1-S4) |
| School tags | Autonomous | Autonomous |
| Zone | West | East |
| Address | 698 West Coast Road | 1 Tampines Street 32 |
| Nearest MRT | Jurong East, Clementi | Tampines, Simei, Tampines East |
| Listed CCAs | 20 | 18 |
| DSA listings | 13 | 6 |
Differences to explore
- CCA
- The records share 11 CCA listings. Commonwealth Secondary School also lists Broadcasting (Girls and Boys), Cross Country (Girls and Boys), Dragon Boat (Boys), Environmental Science (Girls and Boys) and more, which do not appear in the other school's records. Ngee Ann Secondary School also lists Art and Crafts (Girls and Boys), Chinese Orchestra (Girls and Boys), Photography (Girls and Boys), Pop and Jazz (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 3 DSA programme listings. Commonwealth Secondary School also lists Choir (Girls and Boys), Concert Band (Girls and Boys), Cross Country (Girls and Boys), English Drama (Girls and Boys) and more, which do not appear in the other school's records. Ngee Ann Secondary School also lists Chinese Orchestra (Girls and Boys), Volleyball (Girls), Wushu (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 Ngee Ann Secondary School: Tampines, Simei, Tampines East. Compare the full journey from home, including transfers and the walk to school.
Recorded entry ranges
| Compare | Commonwealth Secondary School | Ngee Ann Secondary School |
|---|---|---|
| PG3 · Non-affiliated | 2026 · 8–13 | 2026 · 6–12 |
| PG3 · Affiliated | Not listed | 2026 · 12–16 |
| PG2 · Non-affiliated | 2026 · 21–23 | 2026 · 21 |
| PG2 · Affiliated | Not listed | 2026 · 21–25 |
| PG1 · Non-affiliated | 2026 · 25–28 | 2026 · 25–26 |
| PG1 · Affiliated | Not listed | 2026 · 25–28 |
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.
Ngee Ann Secondary School
Ngee Ann Kongsi proposed the school in 1991. It began operating in 1994 with about 600 students in 15 Secondary 1 classes, temporarily at Springfield Secondary, before moving to its own premises that June. Its official opening followed on 3 August 1996. The school links its founding to the closure of Tuan Mong High and the Kongsi’s continuing education work. Its technology emphasis also has a history: it became the East Zone ICT Centre of Excellence in 2007. The heritage record gives conflicting autonomous-status years, so no precise year is assigned here.
YouNG Academy @ NAS, or YANAS, coordinates Skills Discovery Electives and Applied Learning Modules. Secondary 1–3 students choose electives consisting of five weekly sessions, across areas such as aesthetics, business and finance, languages, digital skills, STEM and sport. ApLM@Poly offers a taste of applied learning at a polytechnic to support later education choices. The published description gives a useful distinction between short exploratory electives and deeper pathways; it does not establish that every student attends every external module.
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)
Ngee Ann Secondary School
- Art and Crafts (Girls and Boys)
- Badminton (Girls and Boys)
- Basketball (Boys)
- Chinese Orchestra (Girls and Boys)
- Choir (Girls and Boys)
- Concert Band (Girls and Boys)
- English Drama (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)
- Photography (Girls and Boys)
- Pop and Jazz (Girls and Boys)
- Robotics (Girls and Boys)
- Scouts (Boys)
- Volleyball (Girls)
- 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 Ngee Ann Secondary School
- Badminton (Girls and Boys)
- Basketball (Boys)
- Chinese Orchestra (Girls and Boys)
- Coding (Girls and Boys)
- Volleyball (Girls)
- Wushu (Girls and Boys)
Questions about these schools
How should I choose between Commonwealth Secondary School and Ngee Ann 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; Ngee Ann Secondary School 2026 · 6–12. PG3 · Affiliated: Commonwealth Secondary School Not listed; Ngee Ann Secondary School 2026 · 12–16. PG2 · Non-affiliated: Commonwealth Secondary School 2026 · 21–23; Ngee Ann Secondary School 2026 · 21. PG2 · Affiliated: Commonwealth Secondary School Not listed; Ngee Ann Secondary School 2026 · 21–25. PG1 · Non-affiliated: Commonwealth Secondary School 2026 · 25–28; Ngee Ann Secondary School 2026 · 25–26. PG1 · Affiliated: Commonwealth Secondary School Not listed; Ngee Ann Secondary School 2026 · 25–28.
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.