School Matters

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Nan Chiau High 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

CompareNan Chiau High SchoolSerangoon Garden Secondary School
School typeCo-Ed SchoolCo-Ed School
LevelSecondary (S1-S4)Secondary (S1-S4)
School tagsSAPNot listed
ZoneNorthSouth
Address20 Anchorvale Link21 Serangoon North Avenue 1
Nearest MRTSengkang, Renjong, TongkangSerangoon, Ang Mo Kio
Listed CCAs2318
DSA listings88

Differences to explore

CCA
The records share 9 CCA listings. Nan Chiau High School also lists Art and Crafts (Girls and Boys), Audio Visual Aid (Girls and Boys), Basketball (Girls and Boys), Chinese Calligraphy and Brush Painting (Girls and Boys) and more, which do not appear in the other school's records. Serangoon Garden Secondary School also lists Basketball (Boys), Boys' Brigade (Boys), Floorball (Girls), Football (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. Nan Chiau High School also lists Badminton (Girls and Boys), Basketball (Girls and Boys), Bilingualism (Girls and Boys), Chinese Dance (Girls) and more, which do not appear in the other school's records. Serangoon Garden Secondary School also lists Choir (Girls and Boys), Concert Band (Girls and Boys), Floorball (Girls), Football (Boys) and more, which do not appear in the other school's records. Listings may be incomplete; confirm availability with each school.
Programme tags
Nan Chiau High School: SAP; Serangoon Garden Secondary School: no IP or SAP tag listed. Check the specific programme your child would enter.
The daily journey
Nearby MRT stations listed for Nan Chiau High School: Sengkang, Renjong, Tongkang; 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

CompareNan Chiau High SchoolSerangoon Garden Secondary School
PG3 · Non-affiliated2026 · 4M–11M2026 · 12–22
PG2 · Non-affiliatedNot listed2026 · 21–25
PG1 · Non-affiliatedNot listed2026 · 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

Nan Chiau High School

Nan Chiau’s history starts with the teachers’ training school founded by Tan Kah Kee in 1941 on land donated by Lee Kong Chian. Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan converted it into Nan Chiau Girls’ High with a primary section in 1947. It became co-educational in 1984; the two sections moved to Sengkang as separate schools in 2001. The secondary school received SAP status in 2012 and introduced CLEP-Sec in 2020. This explains the institutional emphasis on bilingual and bicultural learning without confusing it with the primary school’s programmes.

The ALP page describes Sec 1 electronics lessons using Arduino, held fortnightly for 90 minutes over one semester, with pupils working in pairs. It also lists six forensic-science lessons in the second semester, from DNA and blood typing to fingerprint analysis. Sec 2 extends design thinking and programming into team projects, including healthcare devices and research on bacterial growth, with reports and presentations. Selected Sec 3 pupils can enter applied-science competitions. These are progressively different activities; the competition opportunities belong to the talent tier rather than every pupil’s timetable.

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

Nan Chiau High School

  • Art and Crafts (Girls and Boys)
  • Audio Visual Aid (Girls and Boys)
  • Badminton (Girls and Boys)
  • Basketball (Girls and Boys)
  • Chinese Calligraphy and Brush Painting (Girls and Boys)
  • Chinese Dance (Girls and Boys)
  • Chinese Drama (Girls and Boys)
  • Chinese Orchestra (Girls and Boys)
  • Choir (Girls and Boys)
  • Concert Band (Girls and Boys)
  • Debating and Public Speaking (Girls and Boys)
  • English Drama (Girls and Boys)
  • Environmental Science (Girls and Boys)
  • Infocomm Technology (Computing) (Girls and Boys)
  • Modern Dance (Girls and Boys)
  • National Cadet Corps (NCC) (Land) (Boys)
  • National Police Cadet Corps (NPCC) (Girls and Boys)
  • Red Cross Youth (Girls and Boys)
  • Robotics (Girls and Boys)
  • Student Leadership (Council) (Girls and Boys)
  • Table Tennis (Girls and Boys)
  • Track and Field (Girls and Boys)
  • Wushu (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 Nan Chiau High School

  • Badminton (Girls and Boys)
  • Basketball (Girls and Boys)
  • Bilingualism (Girls and Boys)
  • Chinese Dance (Girls)
  • Chinese Orchestra (Girls and Boys)
  • Table Tennis (Girls and Boys)
  • Visual Arts (Girls and Boys)
  • Wushu (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 Nan Chiau High 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: Nan Chiau High School 2026 · 4M–11M; Serangoon Garden Secondary School 2026 · 12–22. PG2 · Non-affiliated: Nan Chiau High School Not listed; Serangoon Garden Secondary School 2026 · 21–25. PG1 · Non-affiliated: Nan Chiau High School Not listed; 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.