Secondary Schools

Secondary schools in Singapore can be government funded, government aided or independent. Students attend four or five years of secondary education under the Special, Express or Normal Course.  The Special and Express Courses prepare students for the Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education 'Ordinary' (GCE 'O') Level examination in four years.  Students in the Normal Course can opt for the Academic or Technical stream, both of which prepare students for the Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education 'Normal' (GCE 'N') Level examination after four years of study and upon satisfactory completion, the GCE 'O' Level examination in the fifth year.

Secondary education curriculum includes English, the Mother Tongue, Mathematics, Science and the Humanities.  At Secondary 3, students can opt for electives of their choice, depending on whether they are in the Arts, Science, Commerce or Technical stream.

Singapore's secondary school curriculum is recognised worldwide for its ability to develop students with critical thinking and intellectual skills. Foreign students are accepted at secondary schools subject to availability of vacancies.

For information on secondary education in Singapore, click here.

Two private academic institutions in Singapore also offer international students an unique and alternative opportunity to pursue their primary, secondary and post-secondary education. San Yu Adventist School operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Mission (Singapore), provides primary, secondary and post-secondary education to students of diverse culture and nationalities. St. Francis Methodist School is affiliated to the family of Methodist Schools in Singapore and offers secondary and post-secondary courses to local and international students. Both schools are registered with the Ministry of Education and offer their students an academic curriculum that is flexible, broad-based yet rigorous.  These schools pride themselves on offering classes beyond the usual academic requirements, incorporating elements of creative learning into their regular curriculum.