School Matters

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Commonwealth Secondary School vs Serangoon Garden Secondary School

Compare recorded PSLE entry ranges, CCAs, DSA programmes and location, with intake years shown alongside the data.

At a glance

CompareCommonwealth Secondary SchoolSerangoon Garden Secondary School
School typeCo-Ed SchoolCo-Ed School
LevelSecondary (S1-S4)Secondary (S1-S4)
School tagsAutonomousNot listed
ZoneWestSouth
Address698 West Coast Road21 Serangoon North Avenue 1
Nearest MRTJurong East, ClementiSerangoon, Ang Mo Kio
Listed CCAs2018
DSA listings138

Differences to explore

CCA
The records share 13 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. Serangoon Garden Secondary School also lists Boys' Brigade (Boys), Floorball (Girls), Girls' Brigade (Girls), 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 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. Serangoon Garden Secondary School also lists Floorball (Girls), Guzheng Ensemble (Girls and Boys), Robotics (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 Serangoon Garden Secondary School: Serangoon, Ang Mo Kio. Compare the full journey from home, including transfers and the walk to school.

Recorded entry ranges

CompareCommonwealth Secondary SchoolSerangoon Garden Secondary School
PG3 · Non-affiliated2026 · 8–132026 · 12–22
PG2 · Non-affiliated2026 · 21–232026 · 21–25
PG1 · Non-affiliated2026 · 25–282026 · 26–30

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.

Serangoon Garden Secondary School

Serangoon Garden Secondary began as Lichfield Secondary in 1959, became Serangoon Garden Government High in 1960, and merged with Hwi Yoh Vocational School in 1969. A further merger with Serangoon Garden Technical School in 2003 formed the present school, which moved to Serangoon North Avenue 1 in March 2004. Its history includes English and Chinese streams, technical education and periods of pre-university teaching. Those earlier offerings explain its development; they are not a description of the courses available to today’s secondary pupils.

The ALP, Researching Society through Media Literacy, uses Design Thinking to investigate societal issues. Its first tier covers all lower-secondary and Sec 3 pupils. Sec 1 includes checking information across sources and basic photography; Sec 2 develops videography and ethical use of varied media. The extension tier is for pupils with higher aptitude and interest, through talent development, Earth Club and Media Club. Selected pupils attend master classes and learning journeys. The published progression separates broad participation from extra opportunities, rather than promising identical access for everyone.

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)

Serangoon Garden Secondary School

  • Badminton (Girls and Boys)
  • Basketball (Boys)
  • Boys' Brigade (Boys)
  • Choir (Girls and Boys)
  • Concert Band (Girls and Boys)
  • English Drama (Girls and Boys)
  • Floorball (Girls)
  • Football (Boys)
  • Girls' Brigade (Girls)
  • Guzheng Ensemble (Girls and Boys)
  • 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)
  • Red Cross Youth (Girls and Boys)
  • Robotics (Girls and Boys)
  • Table Tennis (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 Serangoon Garden Secondary School

  • Choir (Girls and Boys)
  • Concert Band (Girls and Boys)
  • Floorball (Girls)
  • Football (Boys)
  • Guzheng Ensemble (Girls and Boys)
  • Modern Dance (Girls and Boys)
  • Netball (Girls)
  • Robotics (Girls and Boys)

Questions about these schools

How should I choose between Commonwealth Secondary School and Serangoon Garden 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; Serangoon Garden Secondary School 2026 · 12–22. PG2 · Non-affiliated: Commonwealth Secondary School 2026 · 21–23; Serangoon Garden Secondary School 2026 · 21–25. PG1 · Non-affiliated: Commonwealth Secondary School 2026 · 25–28; Serangoon Garden Secondary School 2026 · 26–30.

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.