School MattersCommonwealth Secondary School vs Temasek 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 | Temasek 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 | 600 Upper East Coast Road |
| Nearest MRT | Jurong East, Clementi | Bedok, Tanah Merah |
| Listed CCAs | 20 | 17 |
| DSA listings | 13 | 5 |
Differences to explore
- CCA
- The records share 10 CCA listings. Commonwealth Secondary School also lists Badminton (Girls and 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. Temasek Secondary School also lists Bowling (Girls and Boys), Canoeing (Girls and Boys), National Civil Defence Cadet Corps (NCDCC) (Girls and Boys), Shooting (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 Badminton (Girls and Boys), Basketball (Boys), Coding (Girls and Boys), Concert Band (Girls and Boys) and more, which do not appear in the other school's records. Temasek Secondary School also lists Leadership (Girls and Boys), Shooting (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 Temasek Secondary School: Bedok, Tanah Merah. Compare the full journey from home, including transfers and the walk to school.
Recorded entry ranges
| Compare | Commonwealth Secondary School | Temasek Secondary School |
|---|---|---|
| PG3 · Non-affiliated | 2026 · 8–13 | 2026 · 8–11 |
| PG2 · Non-affiliated | 2026 · 21–23 | 2026 · 21–22 |
| PG1 · Non-affiliated | 2026 · 25–28 | 2026 · 25–26 |
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.
Temasek Secondary School
Temasek Secondary began in 1980, briefly sharing Bedok South Secondary’s premises before moving to its own Upper Changi Road campus that May. It officially opened in April 1982. Autonomous status and its Higher Malay Language centre followed in 1995; the move to 600 Upper East Coast Road came in 1999. MOE records student leadership as a hallmark from 2001, Cross-Cultural Awareness from 2014 and the Temasek Ignis Programme from 2016. These are the school’s own strands, distinct from Temasek JC’s Integrated Programme.
In S1 Project Culture, pupils work in groups to investigate a nationality living in Singapore, compare cultural practices and give an oral presentation. S2 Camp Culture is non-residential, combining visits and facilitated reflection; the page describes its broader Singapore-history and multicultural focus from 2018. Overseas school exchanges resumed after 2023, with examples in Thailand, Malaysia and other ASEAN countries. The local curriculum and overseas opportunities should be distinguished: families should ask which trips run for the coming cohort, how places are allocated and what participation costs.
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)
Temasek Secondary School
- Basketball (Boys)
- Bowling (Girls and Boys)
- Canoeing (Girls and Boys)
- Choir (Girls and Boys)
- Concert Band (Girls and Boys)
- English Drama (Girls and Boys)
- Environmental Science (Girls and Boys)
- Infocomm Technology (Media Production) (Girls and Boys)
- Modern Dance (Girls and Boys)
- National Cadet Corps (NCC) (Land) (Boys)
- National Civil Defence Cadet Corps (NCDCC) (Girls and Boys)
- Netball (Girls)
- Robotics (Girls and Boys)
- Shooting (Girls and Boys)
- Softball (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 Temasek Secondary School
- Choir (Girls and Boys)
- English Drama (Girls and Boys)
- Leadership (Girls and Boys)
- Modern Dance (Girls and Boys)
- Shooting (Girls and Boys)
Questions about these schools
How should I choose between Commonwealth Secondary School and Temasek 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; Temasek Secondary School 2026 · 8–11. PG2 · Non-affiliated: Commonwealth Secondary School 2026 · 21–23; Temasek Secondary School 2026 · 21–22. PG1 · Non-affiliated: Commonwealth Secondary School 2026 · 25–28; Temasek Secondary School 2026 · 25–26.
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.