Primary school 1 km and 2 km rules: how MOE measures distance

At a glance

How the 1 km and 2 km distance is measured

MOE uses the home-school distance computed by the Singapore Land Authority. It is based on the building outline in the building plan submitted by the Qualified Person of the development, and it is the shortest distance from any point on the boundary around the school to the registered home address.

Three practical consequences:

1. A block or house that is partly within 1 km is in the within-1 km category, because the shortest distance is used.
2. Two homes the same distance from the school gate can fall in different categories, because the measurement starts at the school’s boundary, not its entrance.
3. The category can change from year to year when building plans or school boundaries change. MOE asks parents to check OneMap School Query in the year of the child’s registration exercise.

Sources: MOE, Address used for registration; OneMap School Query disclaimer (both read 10 Oct 2026).

When distance decides anything

Registration runs in phases, and which phases a child can use depends on connections to the school, for example: a sibling studying there (Phase 1); a parent or sibling who studied there, or a parent on its staff or advisory committee (Phase 2A); a parent who volunteers at the school, is endorsed by a church or clan connected with it, or is an endorsed active community leader (Phase 2B). Any child not yet registered in a primary school can register in Phase 2C.

Distance only orders applicants when a phase has more applicants than places, which can happen in any phase from 2A to 2C Supplementary. Then MOE gives priority in this order:

1. Singapore Citizens living within 1 km of the school
2. Singapore Citizens living between 1 km and 2 km
3. Singapore Citizens living outside 2 km
4. Permanent Residents living within 1 km
5. Permanent Residents living between 1 km and 2 km
6. Permanent Residents living outside 2 km

If a group has more applicants than the places left, MOE ballots within that group. Living within 1 km does not guarantee a place.

Sources: MOE, Registration phases and key dates; Understand how balloting works; How distance affects priority admission (read 10 Oct 2026).

What changes from the 2027 exercise

MOE announced the changes on 10 September 2026. They apply from the 2027 P1 Registration Exercise, for children starting P1 in 2028.

Also from the 2027 exercise, most schools reserve 60 places for Phase 2C instead of 40 (schools with a smaller intake excepted), and Phase 2B stays at 20.

From the 2027 P1 Registration Exercise (for children starting P1 in 2028), MOE runs a Two-Track Scheme in Phase 2C at 12 schools where public housing is under 40% of dwelling units within 2 km. All Phase 2C places at these schools, including places left over from earlier phases, are split equally between Phase 2C (≤2km) and Phase 2C (>2km), and an odd extra place goes to Phase 2C (≤2km). There is no home-school distance priority inside a track: if a track has more Singapore Citizen applicants than places, they ballot. Places left in one track go to Singapore Citizen applicants in the other track, and Permanent Residents are considered only after every Singapore Citizen applicant in both tracks is admitted, with any remaining places split equally between the two tracks.

The 12 schools (MOE, Annex A):

Source: MOE press release, 10 Sep 2026, and its Annex A (read 10 Oct 2026).

The 30-month stay requirement

A child who gains priority admission through the distance category must live at the address used for registration, which remains the registering parent’s NRIC address, for at least 30 months. MOE sets the start of the 30 months by the type of address:

• Existing address: from the start of the registration exercise. For the 2026 exercise that was 30 June 2026.
• New property: from when the family moves in.
• Resale property: from the start of the child’s P1 school term.

If a caregiver’s address is used, the same childcare arrangement at that address must continue for at least 30 months from the start of the exercise. A child admitted because a parent is an endorsed active grassroots leader, to a school within 2 km of the registered address, must also live there for at least 30 months from the start of the exercise.

If the requirement is not met, or parents cannot show MOE that it is, MOE will transfer the child to a school of its choosing, and parents have no say in which school.

Source: MOE, How distance affects priority admission (read 10 Oct 2026).

Is your school moving?

Only moves MOE itself has published are listed here.

• Kranji Primary School stopped taking P1 students from 2025 (no registration in the 2024 to 2026 exercises). Its new Tengah campus opens in 2028, and P1 registration for it opens in the 2027 exercise (for P1 in 2028). MOE publishes an indicative home-school distance map for the Tengah campus; check the confirmed category on OneMap School Query in June 2027. (MOE press release, 16 Jan 2024, paras 4–6; MOE, Address used for registration)
• Townsville Primary School has no P1 registration in the 2025 to 2027 exercises. It moves from Ang Mo Kio to East Canberra (Sembawang) in 2029, and its first P1 cohort at the new campus registers in the 2028 exercise (for P1 in 2029). (MOE press release, 14 May 2025, para 7)
• Damai Primary School has no P1 registration in the 2025 to 2027 exercises. It moves from Bedok to Tampines North in 2029, and its first P1 cohort at the new campus registers in the 2028 exercise (for P1 in 2029). (MOE press release, 14 May 2025, para 7)
• Bukit View Primary School moves from Bukit Batok East to Bukit Batok West (101 Bukit Batok West Avenue 8, 659778) in 2027. For the 2026 exercise (for P1 in 2027), OneMap School Query measures distance from the new site. (MOE parliamentary reply, 22 Feb 2023; OneMap School Query (2026 data))

Before you rely on a distance to one of these schools, check on OneMap School Query which site MOE uses for your exercise.

How to check an address

Open OneMap School Query, choose Primary School, then Find Schools Near a Building to see the schools within 1 km and 2 km of an address, or Find Buildings Near a School to see the buildings around one school.

Before you buy or rent: a checklist

1. Check the exact building on OneMap School Query, not the street or the development.
2. Confirm the registration exercise year, and the school site MOE uses for that exercise.
3. Check which phases your child can register in, and your citizenship. Both come before distance.
4. Read MOE’s address and residence rules, including the 30-month stay when an address is used for priority, before you sign.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• MOE, How distance affects priority admission — read 10 Oct 2026
• MOE, Address used for registration — read 10 Oct 2026
• MOE, Understand how balloting works — read 10 Oct 2026
• MOE, Registration phases and key dates — read 10 Oct 2026
• MOE press release, Enhancing the Primary One Registration Framework (10 Sep 2026), with Annex A — read 10 Oct 2026
• MOE press release, Meeting Shifting Demand for School and Preschool Places (16 Jan 2024) — read 10 Oct 2026
• MOE press release, 2025 Primary One Registration Exercise (14 May 2025) — read 10 Oct 2026
• MOE parliamentary reply, Impact of Relocating Bukit View Primary School (22 Feb 2023) — read 10 Oct 2026
• SLA, OneMap School Query (Primary School disclaimer) — read 10 Oct 2026

Sources checked 10 Oct 2026 · Content updated 10 Oct 2026

Prepared by Straits Intelligence Pte. Ltd. This guide summarises MOE and SLA information as published on the dates shown. It is not advice on admission. Always confirm with MOE and OneMap School Query · All guides