School MattersNew Town Secondary School vs Riverside Secondary School
Compare recorded PSLE entry ranges, CCAs, DSA programmes and location, with intake years shown alongside the data.
At a glance
| Compare | New Town Secondary School | Riverside Secondary School |
|---|---|---|
| School type | Co-Ed School | Co-Ed School |
| Level | Secondary (S1-S4) | Secondary (S1-S4) |
| School tags | Not listed | Not listed |
| Zone | West | North |
| Address | 1020 Dover Road | 3 Woodlands Street 81 |
| Nearest MRT | Dover, Clementi | Woodlands |
| Listed CCAs | 15 | 22 |
| DSA listings | 6 | 7 |
Differences to explore
- CCA
- The records share 10 CCA listings. New Town Secondary School also lists Fencing (Girls and Boys), Girl Guides (Girls), Guzheng Ensemble (Girls and Boys), National Cadet Corps (NCC) (Land) (Boys) and more, which do not appear in the other school's records. Riverside Secondary School also lists Audio Visual Aid (Girls and Boys), Boys' Brigade (Boys), Chinese Dance (Girls and Boys), Choir (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 1 DSA programme listing. New Town Secondary School also lists Basketball (Boys), Fencing (Girls and Boys), Guzheng Ensemble (Girls), Leadership (Girls and Boys) and more, which do not appear in the other school's records. Riverside Secondary School also lists Choir (Girls and Boys), Environmental Science (Girls and Boys), Leadership and Character (Girls and Boys), Media (Girls and Boys) 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 New Town Secondary School: Dover, Clementi; for Riverside Secondary School: Woodlands. Compare the full journey from home, including transfers and the walk to school.
Recorded entry ranges
| Compare | New Town Secondary School | Riverside Secondary School |
|---|---|---|
| PG3 · Non-affiliated | 2026 · 14–20 | 2026 · 8–14 |
| PG2 · Non-affiliated | 2026 · 21–25 | 2026 · 21–23 |
| PG1 · Non-affiliated | 2026 · 26–30 | 2026 · 25–27 |
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
New Town Secondary School
New Town Secondary began on 2 January 1965 to serve Queenstown families, initially drawing pupils from several existing schools and language streams. It officially opened in September 1966. Technical education followed in 1969, when Baharuddin Vocational School merged with it. The school became single-session in 1992 and made its symbolic move to Dover Road in November 1998, with the new campus officially opened in 2000. Its current digital-communication and leadership programmes should be read as present provision, rather than assuming all earlier niches or pre-university classes still operate.
The current ALP, Digital Communicators, Change Makers, gives Sec 1 smartphone-photography workshops during curriculum time, including composition and camera basics. Sec 2 adds stop-motion animation, storytelling and storyboarding. Interest-based work through Infocomm and Art and Crafts CCAs includes photography, video and advertising, with media-literacy workshops or learning journeys for selected pupils. Digital work is linked to art and humanities and can involve community partners. This gives a specific sequence of learning without treating every pupil as enrolled in the same advanced media programme.
Riverside Secondary School
Riverside Secondary’s own history says it began in 1987 at Fuchun Secondary’s premises before moving to 3 Woodlands Street 81 that December. It became single-session in 1999 and returned to its upgraded campus in 2004 after a holding-site period. Its history records a 2020 Full Subject-Based Banding pilot and Tamil Language Elective Programme provision. Older heritage material describes an Arts for Life LLP; the present programme page instead identifies Digital Citizenship. Historical programme names should therefore be kept separate from current provision.
The ALP, Global Citizenship Education through Critical Social Inquiry, uses UN Sustainable Development Goals to explore global issues and affected communities. Its page gives a dated 2025 Riverside Model United Nations example focused on technology, sustainability and inclusion, with stakeholder perspectives and proposed resolutions. VIA separately asks pupils to understand community needs, plan, act and reflect. These descriptions show an inquiry-and-service approach; they do not establish that every pupil attends the same forum or takes the same community role.
CCAs and programmes
New Town Secondary School
- Art and Crafts (Girls and Boys)
- Badminton (Girls and Boys)
- Basketball (Girls and Boys)
- Concert Band (Girls and Boys)
- Fencing (Girls and Boys)
- Football (Boys)
- Girl Guides (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)
- Softball (Girls)
- Table Tennis (Boys)
Riverside Secondary School
- Art and Crafts (Girls and Boys)
- Audio Visual Aid (Girls and Boys)
- Badminton (Girls and Boys)
- Basketball (Girls and Boys)
- Boys' Brigade (Boys)
- Chinese Dance (Girls and Boys)
- Choir (Girls and Boys)
- Concert Band (Girls and Boys)
- English Drama (Girls and Boys)
- Environmental Science (Girls and Boys)
- Football (Boys)
- Girls' Brigade (Girls)
- 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) (Sea) (Boys)
- National Civil Defence Cadet Corps (NCDCC) (Girls and Boys)
- National Police Cadet Corps (NPCC) (Girls and Boys)
- Netball (Girls)
- Robotics (Girls and Boys)
- Softball (Girls)
Listed DSA programmes at New Town Secondary School
- Basketball (Boys)
- Concert Band (Girls and Boys)
- Fencing (Girls and Boys)
- Guzheng Ensemble (Girls)
- Leadership (Girls and Boys)
- Visual Arts (Girls and Boys)
Listed DSA programmes at Riverside Secondary School
- Choir (Girls and Boys)
- Concert Band (Girls and Boys)
- Environmental Science (Girls and Boys)
- Leadership and Character (Girls and Boys)
- Media (Girls and Boys)
- Robotics (Girls and Boys)
- Tamil Language (Girls and Boys)
Questions about these schools
How should I choose between New Town Secondary School and Riverside 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: New Town Secondary School 2026 · 14–20; Riverside Secondary School 2026 · 8–14. PG2 · Non-affiliated: New Town Secondary School 2026 · 21–25; Riverside Secondary School 2026 · 21–23. PG1 · Non-affiliated: New Town Secondary School 2026 · 26–30; Riverside Secondary School 2026 · 25–27.
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.