School Matters

Getting things ready

Dunearn 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

CompareDunearn Secondary SchoolNorthland Secondary School
School typeCo-Ed SchoolCo-Ed School
LevelSecondary (S1-S4)Secondary (S1-S4)
School tagsNot listedNot listed
ZoneWestNorth
Address21 Bukit Batok West Avenue 23 Yishun Street 22
Nearest MRTBukit Batok, Bukit GombakYishun
Listed CCAs1316
DSA listings15

Differences to explore

CCA
The records share 4 CCA listings. Dunearn Secondary School also lists Choir (Girls and Boys), English Drama (Girls and Boys), Football (Boys), Media Resource Library (Girls and Boys) and more, which do not appear in the other school's records. Northland Secondary School also lists Design and Innovation (Girls and Boys), Floorball (Boys), Girl Guides (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 0 DSA programme listings. Dunearn Secondary School also lists Community Youth Leadership (Girls and Boys), which do not appear in the other school's records. Northland Secondary School also lists Basketball (Boys), Floorball (Girls and Boys), Hockey (Girls and Boys), Netball (Girls) and more, 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 Dunearn Secondary School: Bukit Batok, Bukit Gombak; for Northland Secondary School: Yishun. Compare the full journey from home, including transfers and the walk to school.

Recorded entry ranges

CompareDunearn Secondary SchoolNorthland Secondary School
PG3 · Non-affiliated2026 · 11–222026 · 15–22
PG2 · Non-affiliated2026 · 22–252026 · 22–25
PG1 · Non-affiliated2026 · 25–292026 · 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

Dunearn Secondary School

Dunearn began as Dunearn Government Chinese Middle School at Hillcrest Avenue in 1962. It merged with Dunearn Vocational School in 1969, bringing Chinese- and English-medium education and academic and technical courses together. The school moved to Bukit Batok West Avenue 2 in 1993. Its former pre-university course was phased out in 1994. PRIME rebuilding involved a temporary Jalan Boon Lay site in 2016 and a return to Bukit Batok in 2018; older campus and pre-university memories need that context.

The current ApLM page says pupils have an opportunity to take an Applied Learning Module in Secondary 3. Its 2025 examples include Singapore Polytechnic food innovation, Python and machine-learning work that recognises food items, and game-character design using Wacom tablets and Photoshop. Food activities involved sensory analysis and recipes such as ice cream and croissants. These are dated examples of different modules, not a promise that one pupil takes all three. Families should ask which modules will be offered and how preferences are allocated for their cohort.

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

Dunearn Secondary School

  • Basketball (Girls and Boys)
  • Choir (Girls and Boys)
  • Concert Band (Girls and Boys)
  • English Drama (Girls and Boys)
  • Football (Boys)
  • Infocomm Technology (Media Production) (Girls and Boys)
  • Media Resource Library (Girls and Boys)
  • Modern Dance (Girls and Boys)
  • National Cadet Corps (NCC) (Land) (Boys)
  • National Police Cadet Corps (NPCC) (Girls and Boys)
  • Scouts (Boys)
  • St John Brigade (Girls and Boys)
  • Table Tennis (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 Dunearn Secondary School

  • Community Youth Leadership (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 Dunearn 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: Dunearn Secondary School 2026 · 11–22; Northland Secondary School 2026 · 15–22. PG2 · Non-affiliated: Dunearn Secondary School 2026 · 22–25; Northland Secondary School 2026 · 22–25. PG1 · Non-affiliated: Dunearn Secondary School 2026 · 25–29; 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.