School MattersCommonwealth Secondary School vs Northland 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 | Northland 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 | 3 Yishun Street 22 |
| Nearest MRT | Jurong East, Clementi | Yishun |
| Listed CCAs | 20 | 16 |
| DSA listings | 13 | 5 |
Differences to explore
- CCA
- The records share 5 CCA listings. Commonwealth Secondary School also lists Badminton (Girls and Boys), Basketball (Boys), Broadcasting (Girls and Boys), Choir (Girls and Boys) and more, which do not appear in the other school's records. Northland Secondary School also lists Basketball (Girls and Boys), Design and Innovation (Girls and Boys), Floorball (Boys), Guzheng Ensemble (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 2 DSA programme listings. Commonwealth Secondary School also lists Badminton (Girls and 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. Northland Secondary School also lists Floorball (Girls and Boys), Hockey (Girls and Boys), 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 Northland Secondary School: Yishun. Compare the full journey from home, including transfers and the walk to school.
Recorded entry ranges
| Compare | Commonwealth Secondary School | Northland Secondary School |
|---|---|---|
| PG3 · Non-affiliated | 2026 · 8–13 | 2026 · 15–22 |
| PG2 · Non-affiliated | 2026 · 21–23 | 2026 · 22–25 |
| PG1 · Non-affiliated | 2026 · 25–28 | 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.
Northland Secondary School
Northland Secondary was established in 1994 at Yishun Street 22. It merged with North View Secondary in 2017, retaining the Northland English name and adopting North View’s Chinese name, 德贤中学. MOE records hockey as a niche from 2005, the Game for Life LLP from 2014 and an eldercare ALP from 2016. The current Eldertech page shows how that last programme has developed towards technology for adaptive ageing. Alumni memories should therefore be read with their attendance years and the merger in mind.
Eldertech uses simulators to recreate difficulties such as deteriorating eyesight and hand tremors before pupils develop technological solutions and assistive devices. The school connects that design work with understanding older people’s needs. This is a more concrete learning description than a claim that pupils simply develop empathy: it identifies the experience and the design task. The published text does not provide a year-by-year timetable or evidence that a pupil prototype became a deployed healthcare product. Families can ask for examples of recent projects and how feedback from older users is incorporated.
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)
Northland Secondary School
- Basketball (Girls and Boys)
- Concert Band (Girls and Boys)
- Design and Innovation (Girls and Boys)
- Floorball (Boys)
- Girl Guides (Girls)
- Guzheng Ensemble (Girls and Boys)
- Hockey (Boys)
- Indian Dance (Girls and Boys)
- Infocomm Technology (Media Production) (Girls and Boys)
- Malay Dance (Girls and Boys)
- Modern Dance (Girls and Boys)
- National Cadet Corps (NCC) (Air) (Girls and Boys)
- National Police Cadet Corps (NPCC) (Boys)
- Netball (Girls)
- Pipe Band (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 Northland Secondary School
- Basketball (Boys)
- Floorball (Girls and Boys)
- Hockey (Girls and Boys)
- Netball (Girls)
- Wushu (Girls and Boys)
Questions about these schools
How should I choose between Commonwealth Secondary School and Northland 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; Northland Secondary School 2026 · 15–22. PG2 · Non-affiliated: Commonwealth Secondary School 2026 · 21–23; Northland Secondary School 2026 · 22–25. PG1 · Non-affiliated: Commonwealth Secondary School 2026 · 25–28; Northland 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.