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Primary schools · Central

St. Margaret's School (Primary): P1 balloting, and buying a home nearby

For parents thinking of moving so their child can apply as a near-school resident. Below: how many places there were, how many children applied and who had to ballot in the last three registration exercises, then what MOE requires before you can register from a home you've just bought.

Address136 Sophia RoadSingapore 228197 · girls' school
P1 places192in the 2025 and 2026 exercises
Phase 2CNo ballotin 2025 and 2026
Who got Phase 2C placesCitizens onlyin 2026, with no ballot needed

The last three years

Places, applicants and balloting by phase

Each cell shows the places available in that phase and the number of children who applied. "Balloted" means there were more applicants than places. Where MOE published which group had to ballot, it's shown.

Swipe the table sideways for 2025 and 2024 →

Phase202620252024
Phase 1A brother or sister is studying at the school 132 places · 39 appliedEveryone admitted132 placesEveryone admittedNot published
Phase 2AA parent or sibling studied there; parent is on the school's advisory or management committee, or works there; child is in the school's MOE Kindergarten 93 places · 27 appliedNo ballot91 places · 24 appliedNo ballot95 places · 32 appliedNo ballot
Phase 2BParent volunteers (40 hours), parents endorsed by a church or clan connected with the school, or active grassroots leaders 42 places · 11 appliedNo ballot42 places · 15 appliedNo ballot41 places · 14 appliedNo ballot
Phase 2CEvery child not yet registered: this is where buying near the school counts 117 places · 122 appliedNo ballot: places went only to Singapore Citizens113 places · 125 appliedNo ballot: places went only to Singapore Citizens111 places · 119 appliedBalloted
Phase 2C SupplementaryChildren still without a place after Phase 2C Not held: no places leftNot held: all places filled in Phase 2CNot held: no places left

2025: MOE's published vacancies and balloting data. 2026: MOE's final figures for the exercise (July–August 2026), from SGSchoolKaki's tracker; MOE adds 2026 to its own archive in January 2027. 2024: MOE's figures from SGSchoolKaki's ballot history; the group that balloted wasn't available for 2024. Phase 1 applicant numbers are shown where they were published.

What this means if you're moving for St. Margaret's School (Primary). Phase 2C was balloted in 4 of the 8 years from 2019 to 2026. In 2025, 125 children applied for 113 places. Every Singapore Citizen who applied got a place, but no Permanent Resident did. In 2026, 122 children applied for 117 places. Every Singapore Citizen who applied got a place, but no Permanent Resident did. Every Singapore Citizen who applied in Phase 2C got a place in both years.

For Singapore Citizens, the 1 km and 2 km priority hasn't decided Phase 2C here recently. Demand can change from year to year, especially as new homes are completed nearby, so check the latest figures in your registration year.

That changes from the 2027 exercise. St. Margaret's School (Primary) is one of the 12 schools in MOE's new Two-Track Scheme. Its Phase 2C places will be split equally between children living within 2 km and those living further away, with no distance priority inside each track, so a family 1.9 km away is in the same pool as one next door to the school. Citizens still come before Permanent Residents. What the Two-Track Scheme means for property.

From the 2027 exercise (for children starting P1 in 2028), MOE reserves 60 places for Phase 2C at schools with a P1 intake of 180 or more, and St. Margaret's School (Primary) took 192 in 2026. As one of the 12 Two-Track schools, those places are 30 for children living within 2 km and 30 for those beyond 2 km, with no distance priority inside each track; places one track doesn't use go to the other. More on the 2027 changes.

Phase 2C since 2019

The phase where living near the school counts, year by year. More than one applicant per place means a ballot.

YearPlacesAppliedApplicants per placeResult
20261171221.0No ballot: places went only to Singapore Citizens
20251131251.1No ballot: places went only to Singapore Citizens
20241111191.1Balloted
2023122780.6No ballot
20221011221.2Balloted
2021911101.2Balloted
202097981.0Balloted
2019108820.8No ballot

2026: MOE's final figures, from SGSchoolKaki's tracker. 2025: MOE's published data. 2019–2024: MOE's figures from SGSchoolKaki's ballot history (which group balloted wasn't published for those years).

About the school

St. Margaret's School (Primary) at a glance

The school

Type
Government-aided school
Students
Girls only
Mother tongue
Chinese, Malay and Tamil
Levels
Primary 1 to 6
Fees
Singapore Citizens pay no school fees, only $13 a month in miscellaneous fees. Permanent Residents and international students also pay school fees: see MOE's fee checker.

Contact & getting there

Address
136 Sophia Road, Singapore 228197 · Map
MRT / LRT
Little India MRT Station (NE7/DT12), Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station (NS24/NE6/CC1)
Phone
6339 4247
Email
stmargaretps@moe.edu.sg
Website
stmargaretspri.moe.edu.sg

CCAs (15)

Sports

Bowling · Modular CCA (Sports) · Netball · Tennis · Volleyball

Performing and visual arts

Brass Band · Choir · Guitar Ensemble · Modern Dance

Uniformed groups

Girl Guides (Brownies) · Girls' Brigade

Clubs and societies

Art and Crafts · Environmental Science · Infocomm Technology (Media Production) · Media Resource Library

Signature programmes

Every primary school runs an Applied Learning Programme (hands-on learning, often in science or technology) and a Learning for Life Programme (character and life skills, through sport, the arts or community work).

Applied Learning Programme

The H.E.A.R.T of Communication (Heart, Head and Hands and Ears through Application in Real-life situations and Tiered)

Languages

Learning for Life Programme

Sports A. C’. E: Sports for All; Sports for Continuity & Character; Sports for Excellence

Sports & Outdoor Education

School details, CCAs and programmes from MOE's school directory on data.gov.sg (updated by MOE in April 2026). Schools add and change CCAs from time to time, so check the school's website for the latest.

Buying near the school

Registering from a home you've just bought

MOE uses the parents' NRIC address to place a child in a distance category. It also accepts the address of a home you've bought but haven't moved into yet, under these conditions.

A new launch (not yet completed)

  • The home's vacant possession date in your sale and purchase agreement must be within two years of your child starting P1. MOE doesn't accept the probable completion date.
  • You undertake to move in within two years of your child starting P1, and send the school a copy of the sale and purchase agreement during the phase.
  • If the address gets your child priority, you must live there for at least 30 months from the day you move in.

A completed home (resale)

  • You can register while the purchase is going through: for a private home, send the exercised option to purchase and the buyer's stamp duty certificate; for an HDB flat, the resale application status from HDB.
  • You undertake to live there from the start of your child's P1 school term.
  • You must then live there for at least 30 months from the start of P1.

If the 30-month stay isn't met, MOE transfers the child to another school of its choosing. MOE also checks for addresses used only for registration. Rules from MOE as at October 2026; always check moe.gov.sg in your registration year.

Which registration year can use a new launch address?

Worked out from MOE's own example (children registering in 2026 need a vacant possession date no later than 31 December 2028).

P1 registrationChild bornStarts P1Vacant possession by
20272 Jan 2021 – 1 Jan 2022January 202831 Dec 2029
20282 Jan 2022 – 1 Jan 2023January 202931 Dec 2030
20292 Jan 2023 – 1 Jan 2024January 203031 Dec 2031
20302 Jan 2024 – 1 Jan 2025January 203131 Dec 2032

Homes within 2 km

New and upcoming launches near St. Margaret's School (Primary)

Zyon Grand's two 62-storey towersArtist's impression 1 to 2 km from St. Margaret's School (Primary)

Zyon Grand

3 and 5 Kim Seng Road, within 2 km of St. Margaret's, a Two-Track girls' school from the 2027 exercise. It launched in October 2025 and units are still available.
  • Vacant possession: expected by 30 September 2032 (developer's information)
  • So its address can be used from the 2030 registration if the date in your sale and purchase agreement is by 31 December 2032: children born 2 Jan 2024 to 1 Jan 2025, and younger
  • As a Two-Track school, half of St. Margaret's Phase 2C places go to girls living within 2 km, with no distance priority inside that half
Zyon Grand location & schools → River Modern's two towers above the Singapore RiverArtist's impression 1 to 2 km from St. Margaret's School (Primary)

River Modern

5 and 7 River Valley Green, about 1.7 km from St. Margaret's in a straight line on the map, a Two-Track girls' school from the 2027 exercise. It launched in March 2026 and units are still available.
  • Vacant possession: expected by 31 December 2032 (developer's information)
  • So its address can be used from the 2030 registration if the date in your sale and purchase agreement is by 31 December 2032: children born 2 Jan 2024 to 1 Jan 2025, and younger
  • As a Two-Track school, half of St. Margaret's Phase 2C places go to girls living within 2 km, with no distance priority inside that half
River Modern location & schools → River Green's 50 m Stardust Pool and clubhouse at duskArtist's impression 1 to 2 km from St. Margaret's School (Primary)

River Green

11 River Valley Green, about 1.7 km from the school in a straight line on the map; a Two-Track girls' school from the 2027 exercise. It launched in August 2025 and units are still available.
  • Expected TOP: by 30 June 2030 (developer's fact sheet); ask me for the vacant possession date in the sale and purchase agreement, which decides the first registration year that can use the address
  • As a Two-Track school, half of its Phase 2C places go to children living within 2 km, with no distance priority inside that half
River Green location & schools → The Robertson Opus: its towers above the Robertson Walk shops on Unity StreetArtist's impression 1 to 2 km from St. Margaret's School (Primary)

The Robertson Opus

7 to 15 Unity Street, Robertson Quay, about 1.4 km from the school in a straight line on the map; a Two-Track girls' school from the 2027 exercise. It launched in July 2025 and units are still available.
  • Expected TOP: Q4 2028 (developer's information); ask me for the vacant possession date in the sale and purchase agreement, which decides the first registration year that can use the address
  • As a Two-Track school, half of its Phase 2C places go to children living within 2 km, with no distance priority inside that half
The Robertson Opus location & schools → Promenade Peak: the 50 m lap pool and the base of the towerArtist's impression 1 to 2 km from St. Margaret's School (Primary)

Promenade Peak

1 Zion Promenade, about 1.9 km from the school on the map: within 2 km, the band that counts at a Two-Track school from the 2027 exercise. It launched in August 2025 and units are still available.
  • Vacant possession: expected by 6 February 2031 (developer's fact sheet)
  • So its address can be used from the 2029 registration if the date in your sale and purchase agreement is by 31 December 2031: children born 2 Jan 2023 to 1 Jan 2024, and younger
Promenade Peak location & schools → Union Square by the Singapore River at nightArtist's impression 1 to 2 km from St. Margaret's School (Primary)

Union Square Residences

28 Havelock Road, about 1.7 km from the school on the map: within 2 km, the band that counts at a Two-Track school from the 2027 exercise. It launched in November 2024 and units are still available.
  • Vacant possession: expected by 15 March 2031 (developer's fact sheet)
  • So its address can be used from the 2029 registration if the date in your sale and purchase agreement is by 31 December 2031: children born 2 Jan 2023 to 1 Jan 2024, and younger
Union Square Residences location & schools → Map of the Peck Hay Road (Newton) site, with the plot outlinedSite map 1 to 2 km from St. Margaret's School (Primary)

Peck Hay Road (Newton)

Upcoming condo at Peck Hay Road, Newton, by City Developments (CDL) and Garden Estates (Hong Leong Group): about 315 homes. The site is about 1.2 to 1.3 km from the school in a straight line on OneMap, within 2 km of a Two-Track girls' school from the 2027 exercise.
  • Not launched yet: no launch date yet. The name, size and dates can still change, and each block's distance is only known once the addresses are out
  • Every citizen got a Phase 2C place in 2025 and 2026. A Two-Track school from 2027.
Peck Hay Road: what we know so far → Map of the Bukit Timah Road (Newton) site, with the plot outlinedSite map 1 to 2 km from St. Margaret's School (Primary)

Bukit Timah Road (Newton)

Upcoming condo at Bukit Timah Road, Newton, by HH Investment (Huang Hsiang Construction): about 340 homes. The site is about 1.4 to 1.5 km from the school in a straight line on OneMap, within 2 km of a Two-Track girls' school from the 2027 exercise.
  • Not launched yet: no launch date yet. The name, size and dates can still change, and each block's distance is only known once the addresses are out
  • Every citizen got a Phase 2C place in 2025 and 2026. A Two-Track school from 2027.
Bukit Timah Road: what we know so far → Map of the Dorset Gardens site, with the plot outlinedSite map 1 to 2 km from St. Margaret's School (Primary)

Dorset Gardens

Upcoming condo at Dorset Road, Farrer Park, by UOL Group, Singapore Land Group and Kheng Leong: about 428 homes. The site is about 1.4 to 1.5 km from the school in a straight line on OneMap, within 2 km of a Two-Track girls' school from the 2027 exercise.
  • Not launched yet: PropNex's calendar targets a preview in March 2027. The name, size and dates can still change, and each block's distance is only known once the addresses are out
  • Every citizen got a Phase 2C place in 2025 and 2026. A Two-Track school from 2027.
Dorset Gardens: what we know so far → Map of the River Valley Green (Parcel C) site, with the plot outlinedSite map 1 to 2 km from St. Margaret's School (Primary)

River Valley Green (Parcel C)

Upcoming condo at River Valley Green, River Valley, by Sunway MCL and CSC Land Group: about 470 homes. The site is about 1.6 to 1.7 km from the school in a straight line on OneMap, within 2 km of a Two-Track girls' school from the 2027 exercise.
  • Not launched yet: expected to launch in 2027–2028. The name, size and dates can still change, and each block's distance is only known once the addresses are out
  • Every citizen got a Phase 2C place in 2025 and 2026. A Two-Track school from 2027.
River Valley Green Parcel C: what we know so far →

Within 1 km of River Modern: River Valley Primary School. Within 1 km of River Green: River Valley Primary School and Alexandra Primary School. Within 1 km of The Robertson Opus: River Valley Primary School. Within 1 km of Zyon Grand: River Valley Primary School. Within 1 km of Promenade Peak: River Valley Primary School and Alexandra Primary School. Within 1 km of Union Square Residences: River Valley Primary School. MOE's official distance category is measured from the school's boundary to the building's outline on OneMap, and can change from year to year. Check it with the unit's postal code on onemap.gov.sg/school in your registration year. The vacant possession date that counts is the one in your sale and purchase agreement.

WhatsApp me about homes near St. Margaret's School (Primary) How P1 registration works

Questions people ask me

How hard is it to get into St. Margaret's School (Primary)?

In 2025, 125 children applied for 113 places. Every Singapore Citizen who applied got a place, but no Permanent Resident did. In 2026, 122 children applied for 117 places. Every Singapore Citizen who applied got a place, but no Permanent Resident did.

Does living within 1 km of St. Margaret's School (Primary) guarantee a place?

In 2026, every Singapore Citizen who applied in Phase 2C got a place, wherever they lived. That can change from year to year with the number of applicants. From the 2027 exercise, St. Margaret's School (Primary) is one of the 12 Two-Track schools: its Phase 2C places are split between children living within 2 km and those beyond 2 km, with no priority for living closer inside each track.

How many Primary 1 places does St. Margaret's School (Primary) have?

192 in the 2026 exercise. 117 of them were left for Phase 2C, the phase where living near the school counts.

Other primary schools nearby

Sources. Ministry of Education: P1 registration (phases, distance priority, balloting, home address and 30-month stay requirement, and the changes from the 2027 exercise) and its 2025 vacancies and balloting data. SGSchoolKaki for 2024, the earlier years and the 2026 figures. School details, CCAs and programmes from MOE's school directory on data.gov.sg. This page is general information, not advice on your child's eligibility: check your phase and distance category with MOE and OneMap.