Twelve secondary schools sit in Hougang and Serangoon, within easy reach of Kovan, and another eleven are in Sengkang and Punggol. For the 2026 Secondary 1 intake, the Posting Group 3 cut-off points for the twelve closest schools ran from 10 at Paya Lebar Methodist Girls’ School to 22 at Montfort, Serangoon Garden and Yuying, where students scoring 21 or 22 chose Posting Group 3. Xinmin (13), Holy Innocents’ High (14) and St. Gabriel’s (15) sit in the middle. The full table is below, with Posting Group 2 and 1 figures for every school.

All figures are from MOE SchoolFinder for the 2026 Sec 1 intake, the same data behind our cut-off points checker for all 147 schools. To see every school your child’s PSLE score would have reached, enter their four ALs there.

Cut-off points for secondary schools near Hougang and Kovan (2026 Sec 1 intake)

The bold number is the cut-off point: the PSLE score of the last student posted to the school in that posting group. A lower PSLE score is better, so any score at or below the cut-off point was within reach last year. The smaller figure is the best score among the students admitted, for context only; it is not a minimum.

* Nan Chiau High School is a Special Assistance Plan school and published a Posting Group 3 cut-off only. Its cut-off of 11 also carried a Higher Chinese grade condition. Affiliated figures apply to students from the affiliated primary school.

Which nearby schools fit a Posting Group 3 score

Schools grouped by their 2026 Posting Group 3 cut-off point. A score at or below the cut-off would have been in range last year, but it was not a guaranteed place.

• Cut-off 12 or better: Paya Lebar Methodist Girls’ School (10), Nan Chiau High School (11), Zhonghua Secondary School (12)
• Cut-off 13 to 16: Xinmin Secondary School (13), CHIJ St. Joseph’s Convent (14), Edgefield Secondary School (14), Holy Innocents’ High School (14), Pei Hwa Secondary School (14), St. Gabriel’s Secondary School (15), Yusof Ishak Secondary School (15), Bowen Secondary School (16), Greendale Secondary School (16)
• Cut-off 17 to 20: Outram Secondary School (17), Compassvale Secondary School (18), North Vista Secondary School (18), Punggol Secondary School (19), Seng Kang Secondary School (19), Hougang Secondary School (20), Peicai Secondary School (20), Serangoon Secondary School (20)
• Cut-off 21 or 22 (students in the 21 to 22 overlap band who chose Posting Group 3): Montfort Secondary School (22), Serangoon Garden Secondary School (22), Yuying Secondary School (22)

How to read these numbers

A cut-off point is not an entry requirement. It is simply where last year’s posting ended for that school, and MOE notes that it moves by a few points each year depending on how the cohort performs and where students place their choices. Meeting a cut-off point does not guarantee a place, because students who tie on score are separated by tie-breakers such as citizenship and the order of choice.

Posting groups follow the PSLE score. A score of 4 to 20 is Posting Group 3, 21 to 22 can choose Posting Group 2 or 3, 23 to 24 is Posting Group 2, 25 can choose Posting Group 1 or 2, and 26 to 30 is Posting Group 1. Our guide to PSLE AL scores and posting groups explains how the four ALs add up and what each band means.

Getting ready for Sec 1 in these schools

Arche Academy is at Blk 208 Hougang Street 21, #04-215, a short walk from Kovan MRT. Our current secondary students come from schools including North Vista, Holy Innocents’ High, Hougang, Xinmin, Yuying, Peicai, St. Gabriel’s and St. Andrew’s. Every class is capped at five students. If you want to see what the first year looks like, start with what Sec 1 maths covers and lower secondary science.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which secondary schools are in Hougang?

MOE SchoolFinder lists eight secondary schools in the Hougang area: Bowen, Holy Innocents’ High, Hougang, Montfort, Paya Lebar Methodist Girls’ School (Secondary), Serangoon Secondary, Xinmin and Yuying. Peicai, Serangoon Garden, St. Gabriel’s and Zhonghua are in neighbouring Serangoon, also close to Kovan.

Which Hougang secondary school has the lowest cut-off point?

For the 2026 Sec 1 intake, Paya Lebar Methodist Girls’ School (Secondary) had the lowest Posting Group 3 cut-off point in Hougang at 10, followed by Xinmin at 13 and Holy Innocents’ High at 14. In neighbouring Serangoon, Zhonghua’s was 12.

What PSLE score do I need for Xinmin, Holy Innocents’ or Yuying?

For the 2026 intake, the Posting Group 3 cut-off points were 13 for Xinmin, 14 for Holy Innocents’ High (22 for affiliated students) and 22 for Yuying. A score at or below those figures would have been in range last year, but cut-off points move each year and are not guarantees.

Will the cut-off points be the same for the 2027 Sec 1 intake?

Not necessarily. A cut-off point is only known once that year’s posting ends, so the figures for the 2027 intake will come out after the December 2026 posting exercise. When families list their choices after the PSLE results (tentatively due on 24 to 25 November 2026), the most recent figures they have are the 2026 ones on this page, and they usually move by a few points.

Is a lower or higher cut-off point better?

A lower PSLE score is better, so a school with a lower cut-off point was harder to get into. If your child’s score is at or below a school’s cut-off point, it was within reach last year. For example, a score of 14 was within reach of Hougang Secondary (cut-off 20) and Holy Innocents’ High (cut-off 14), but just above Xinmin’s cut-off of 13.

Source: MOE SchoolFinder, cut-off points for the 2026 Secondary 1 intake. Figures are shown as published and should be checked against SchoolFinder before listing school choices. Arche Academy is not affiliated with MOE.