How does the 1km school rule work for P1 registration?
For oversubscribed Primary 1 phases, MOE gives balloting priority by how far your home is from the school: children living within 1km get first priority, then those between 1km and 2km, then those more than 2km away. Distance is measured by MOE, and your registration address must be your child's official residence.
The full rules
How home-school distance affects P1 registration
When a Primary 1 phase is oversubscribed, places are allocated by balloting, with priority given according to how close your home is to the school.
| Priority order | Distance from school |
| 1st | Within 1km |
| 2nd | Between 1km and 2km |
| 3rd | More than 2km |
Key conditions
- Measurement: Distance is measured by MOE using its own SchoolFinder tool — not by your own estimate.
- Address: You must use the child's official residence as the registration address.
- Stay requirement: If you use an address to gain priority, there is a 30-month minimum stay condition after registration.
These rules have applied since 1 July 2022.
Worked example
Worked example
Suppose two families apply to the same oversubscribed school in the same phase:
- Family A lives 0.8km from the school — within 1km, so first priority band.
- Family B lives 1.5km from the school — between 1km and 2km, so second priority band.
If there are more applicants than places, Family A is considered for balloting before Family B. Family B is only allocated a place if spots remain after the within-1km group.
If Family A used this address to gain priority, they must stay there for at least 30 months after registration.
What this means for you
If you live very close to a popular school
Living within 1km puts you in the top priority band for oversubscribed phases. Confirm your exact distance using MOE's SchoolFinder before you register.
If you've recently moved
Your registration address must be your child's official residence. Using a new address to gain priority commits you to a 30-month minimum stay there after registration.
If you live beyond 2km
You're in the third priority band. In popular schools, places may fill before this band, so consider schools where demand is lower or distance works in your favour.
Related questions
Does the 1km rule guarantee my child a place?
No. It gives priority in the balloting order for oversubscribed phases, so within-1km families are considered first. It does not guarantee a place if demand is very high.
How is the distance measured?
MOE measures it using its own SchoolFinder tool. Your own estimate does not count, so check your distance there before registering.
What is the 30-month stay condition?
If you use an address to gain distance priority, you must live there for at least 30 months after registration. Confirm the details with MOE before relying on it.
Which address should I use?
You must use your child's official residence. It cannot be an address you don't actually live at just to gain priority.
When did these rules take effect?
The current distance-based priority approach has applied since 1 July 2022.
Sources: MOE — P1 registration: home-school distance · Last verified 2026-10-19