School Matters

Getting things ready

Commonwealth Secondary School vs Woodgrove Secondary School

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

At a glance

CompareCommonwealth Secondary SchoolWoodgrove Secondary School
School typeCo-Ed SchoolCo-Ed School
LevelSecondary (S1-S4)Secondary (S1-S4)
School tagsAutonomousNot listed
ZoneWestNorth
Address698 West Coast Road3 Woodlands Avenue 6
Nearest MRTJurong East, ClementiWoodlands, Woodlands South
Listed CCAs2015
DSA listings132

Differences to explore

CCA
The records share 12 CCA listings. Commonwealth Secondary School also lists Basketball (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. Woodgrove Secondary School also lists Basketball (Girls and Boys), Chinese Orchestra (Girls and Boys), Singapore Youth Flying Club (Girls and Boys), which do not appear in the other school's records. Listings may be incomplete; confirm availability with each school.
DSA programme
The records share 0 DSA programme listings. Commonwealth Secondary School also lists Badminton (Girls and Boys), Basketball (Boys), Choir (Girls and Boys), Coding (Girls and Boys) and more, which do not appear in the other school's records. Woodgrove Secondary School also lists Community Youth Leadership (Girls and Boys), Science for Sustainable Development (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 Woodgrove Secondary School: Woodlands, Woodlands South. Compare the full journey from home, including transfers and the walk to school.

Recorded entry ranges

CompareCommonwealth Secondary SchoolWoodgrove Secondary School
PG3 · Non-affiliated2026 · 8–132026 · 14–19
PG2 · Non-affiliated2026 · 21–232026 · 21–24
PG1 · Non-affiliated2026 · 25–282026 · 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.

Woodgrove Secondary School

Woodgrove Secondary was established in 2000 at 3 Woodlands Avenue 6 and officially opened on 5 July 2002. The MOE history records its designation as the North Zone Centre of Excellence for Design and Technology in 2005, environmental niche status in 2012, a Community and Youth Leadership LLP in 2014 and a Materials Science for Sustainable Living ALP in 2015. The current ALP’s sustainability emphasis therefore has a documented background. These milestones describe development over time, rather than confirm that every earlier facility or programme remains unchanged for an incoming cohort.

The current STEM for Sustainable Living in the Community ALP has two tiers. Tier 1 introduces sustainability issues through related subjects and encourages sustainable practices in the community. All pupils are described as receiving hands-on Design Thinking and Coding learning. Tier 2 is for those with interest or aptitude, offering examples such as workshops, webinars, pupil-initiated projects, Environment Ambassador roles and exchanges with South Korea or Taiwan. These extensions are opportunities, not a promise that every pupil travels abroad. Ask which projects run for the relevant cohort and how participation in the deeper tier is decided.

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)

Woodgrove Secondary School

  • Badminton (Girls and Boys)
  • Basketball (Girls and Boys)
  • Chinese Orchestra (Girls and Boys)
  • Choir (Girls and Boys)
  • Concert Band (Girls and Boys)
  • English Drama (Girls and Boys)
  • Environmental Science (Girls and Boys)
  • Football (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)
  • Robotics (Girls and Boys)
  • Singapore Youth Flying Club (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 Woodgrove Secondary School

  • Community Youth Leadership (Girls and Boys)
  • Science for Sustainable Development (Girls and Boys)

Questions about these schools

How should I choose between Commonwealth Secondary School and Woodgrove 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; Woodgrove Secondary School 2026 · 14–19. PG2 · Non-affiliated: Commonwealth Secondary School 2026 · 21–23; Woodgrove Secondary School 2026 · 21–24. PG1 · Non-affiliated: Commonwealth Secondary School 2026 · 25–28; Woodgrove 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.