School MattersRiver Valley High School vs Tanjong Katong Girls' School
Compare recorded PSLE entry ranges, CCAs, DSA programmes and location, with intake years shown alongside the data.
At a glance
| Compare | River Valley High School | Tanjong Katong Girls' School |
|---|---|---|
| School type | Co-Ed School | Girls' School |
| Level | Secondary (S1-S4) | Secondary (S1-S4) |
| School tags | IP · SAP · Autonomous | Autonomous |
| Zone | West | East |
| Address | 6 Boon Lay Avenue | 20 Dunman Lane |
| Nearest MRT | Boon Lay, Lakeside | Paya Lebar, Dakota |
| Listed CCAs | 22 | 19 |
| DSA listings | 16 | 10 |
Differences to explore
- CCA
- The records share 4 CCA listings. River Valley High School also lists Badminton (Girls and Boys), Basketball (Boys), Chinese Calligraphy and Brush Painting (Girls and Boys), Chinese Dance (Girls and Boys) and more, which do not appear in the other school's records. Tanjong Katong Girls' School also lists Art and Crafts (Girls), Badminton (Girls), Basketball (Girls), Bowling (Girls) 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. River Valley High School also lists Badminton (Girls and Boys) - IP, Basketball (Boys) - IP, Chinese Dance (Girls and Boys) - IP, Chinese Orchestra (Girls and Boys) - IP and more, which do not appear in the other school's records. Tanjong Katong Girls' School also lists Badminton (Girls), Bowling (Girls), Choir (Girls), Concert Band (Girls) and more, which do not appear in the other school's records. Listings may be incomplete; confirm availability with each school.
- Programme tags
- River Valley High School: IP / SAP; Tanjong Katong Girls' School: no IP or SAP tag listed. Check the specific programme your child would enter.
- The daily journey
- Nearby MRT stations listed for River Valley High School: Boon Lay, Lakeside; for Tanjong Katong Girls' School: Paya Lebar, Dakota. Compare the full journey from home, including transfers and the walk to school.
Recorded entry ranges
| Compare | River Valley High School | Tanjong Katong Girls' School |
|---|---|---|
| IP · Non-affiliated | 2026 · 4M–9M | Not listed |
| PG3 · Non-affiliated | Not listed | 2026 · 7–13 |
| PG2 · Non-affiliated | Not listed | 2026 · 21–23 |
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
River Valley High School
River Valley High was established in 1956 and adopted the River Valley name after moving to Jalan Kuala in 1958. MOE records SAP status from 1979, autonomous status from 1994 and the Integrated Programme from 2006. It moved to its current Boon Lay Avenue premises in 2010. Today’s six-year programme runs through A Levels in the school’s own JC section. Secondary and JC activities share one school name, so a Year 1 family needs to check which opportunities apply at the secondary stage.
The school’s FAQ says primary-school Higher Chinese is not a prerequisite for admission, but all secondary pupils take Higher Chinese in S1–4. It lists after-school Chinese support for pupils who struggle and enrichment for developing interest in the language. The FAQ also says promotion criteria apply between levels. Its description of a seamless programme should therefore not be interpreted as automatic progression regardless of attainment. Families can ask for the current criteria and the support offered when a child finds the pace or language demands difficult.
Tanjong Katong Girls' School
MOE records TKGS’s establishment in 1953 as Singapore’s first post-war government English-medium girls’ school. It began the Music Elective Programme in 1983, gained autonomous status and moved to Dunman Lane in 1995, and returned there in 2019 following PRIME upgrading at a temporary Bedok South site. Its arts identity therefore predates the current signature programmes. This history helps explain the place of music and community service in the school’s published curriculum; it should not be read as evidence of a particular child’s fit or future results.
The Music Elective Programme is for pupils with passion and aptitude, rather than a general music CCA. TKGS describes four years of in-depth study, encompassing listening, research, performance or composition, with workshops and collaborations. The school’s selection exercise includes an audition, an e-listening test and an interview. The audition calls for two unaccompanied solo pieces on an instrument or voice, totalling no more than five minutes. Interested pupils register through the Sec 1 package after a TKGS placement is confirmed. The page still uses O-Level Higher Music terminology; ask which qualification and assessment framework applies to the incoming cohort.
CCAs and programmes
River Valley High School
- Badminton (Girls and Boys)
- Basketball (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)
- English Drama (Girls and Boys)
- English Language, Drama and Debating (Girls and Boys)
- Floorball (Girls)
- Girl Guides (Girls)
- Infocomm Technology (Computing) (Girls and Boys)
- National Cadet Corps (NCC) (Land) (Girls and Boys)
- National Police Cadet Corps (NPCC) (Girls and Boys)
- Netball (Girls)
- Scouts (Boys)
- Softball (Girls)
- St John Brigade (Girls and Boys)
- Table Tennis (Girls and Boys)
- Volleyball (Girls)
- Wushu (Girls and Boys)
Tanjong Katong Girls' School
- Art and Crafts (Girls)
- Badminton (Girls)
- Basketball (Girls)
- Bowling (Girls)
- Choir (Girls)
- Community Service (Girls)
- Concert Band (Girls)
- English Drama (Girls)
- English Language, Drama and Debating (Girls)
- Floorball (Girls)
- Girl Guides (Girls)
- Infocomm Technology (Media Production) (Girls)
- Media Resource Library (Girls)
- Modern Dance (Girls)
- National Police Cadet Corps (NPCC) (Girls)
- Netball (Girls)
- Red Cross Youth (Girls)
- Softball (Girls)
- String Ensemble (Girls)
Listed DSA programmes at River Valley High School
- Badminton (Girls and Boys) - IP
- Basketball (Boys) - IP
- Chinese Dance (Girls and Boys) - IP
- Chinese Orchestra (Girls and Boys) - IP
- Chinese Painting (Girls and Boys) - IP
- Choir (Girls and Boys) - IP
- Concert Band (Girls and Boys) - IP
- Floorball (Girls) - IP
- Leadership (Girls and Boys) - IP
- Netball (Girls) - IP
- Robotics (Girls and Boys) - IP
- Scientific Investigation (Girls and Boys) - IP
- Softball (Girls) - IP
- Table Tennis (Girls and Boys) - IP
- Volleyball (Girls) - IP
- Wushu (Girls and Boys) - IP
Listed DSA programmes at Tanjong Katong Girls' School
- Badminton (Girls)
- Bowling (Girls)
- Choir (Girls)
- Concert Band (Girls)
- Floorball (Girls)
- Modern Dance (Girls)
- Music Elective Programme (Girls)
- Netball (Girls)
- Softball (Girls)
- String Ensemble (Girls)
Questions about these schools
How should I choose between River Valley High School and Tanjong Katong Girls' 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?
IP · Non-affiliated: River Valley High School 2026 · 4M–9M; Tanjong Katong Girls' School Not listed. PG3 · Non-affiliated: River Valley High School Not listed; Tanjong Katong Girls' School 2026 · 7–13. PG2 · Non-affiliated: River Valley High School Not listed; Tanjong Katong Girls' School 2026 · 21–23.
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.