IP Schools in Singapore: All 17 and How to Shortlist Them

Singapore has 17 schools offering the Integrated Programme (IP). The useful first comparison is where each programme leads: the institution your child joins for Years 5 and 6 and whether the final qualification is the A-Level, the IB Diploma or the NUS High School Diploma. The directory below gives those facts before the shortlisting advice.

This guide is for P5 and P6 families choosing schools for Secondary 1 posting or DSA-Sec. It does not rank the schools. An IP place is a six-year educational choice, and a recent cut-off point alone cannot tell you whether that programme suits your child. If you are still deciding whether the route itself is appropriate, read our separate explanation of the Integrated Programme.

All 17 IP schools and where they lead

The table records the Years 5–6 institution, not a street address: campuses and temporary sites can change. “Same institution” means the student remains within the school named in the first column for the final two years.

At eight schools, students move to a partner institution after Year 4. Students from Catholic High, CHIJ St. Nicholas and SCGS continue at Eunoia through the Joint Integrated Programme. Cedar and Victoria students continue at VJC through the Victoria-Cedar Alliance. MGS students go on to ACS(I), NYGH students continue at Hwa Chong, and RGS students join Raffles Institution for the A-Level years.

At the other nine schools, students remain in the same institution for Years 5 and 6. For example, students at ACS(I) and St. Joseph's Institution work towards the IB Diploma. Students at Dunman High, Hwa Chong, National Junior College and River Valley High take the A-Levels. The NUS High programme ends with the NUS High School Diploma.

MOE's education-system overview describes IP as a six-year route to a pre-university qualification without the O-Level examination. Across the 17 schools, thirteen programmes lead to the A-Level, three to the IB Diploma, and one to the NUS High School Diploma.

Build the shortlist around your child, not the list

Compare the schools on five points.

1. Decide whether six years without the O-Level checkpoint fits

IP gives schools room to design a broader programme because students bypass the national Secondary 4 exit examination. It also removes the national result that would ordinarily support a fresh choice between junior college, polytechnic and other routes after Secondary 4. A child who wants the continuity and can work independently may value that design. A child who is unsure about a six-year academic route may prefer to keep the national checkpoint.

That is a fit question, not a judgment of ability. Ask how your child responds to independent work, internal assessments, sustained pace and committing to one route before Secondary 1. The IP explainer treats that decision in more detail.

2. Compare the whole six-year destination

For the eight partner-school routes, shortlist the Years 1–4 school and the Years 5–6 destination together. Consider the later commute, the merged cohort and the transition to a new institution. For every school, understand the final qualification before accepting a place. The A-Level, IB Diploma and NUS High School Diploma have different subject structures and assessment demands; this directory identifies the endpoint without trying to compress those qualifications into a side-by-side syllabus guide.

3. Check what the school actually offers

Use each school's current admissions and programme pages to compare:

• subject combinations and special programmes;
• CCAs and the activities your child would genuinely pursue;
• the style and volume of independent or project work;
• financial commitments, including independent-school fees where applicable; and
• support for learning, wellbeing and transitions.

Open houses help with questions a directory cannot answer. Ask students what an ordinary week looks like, how internal assessment works and what changes in Years 3 and 4. A programme's named enrichment opportunities matter only if they match your child's interests.

4. Treat distance as a six-year cost

Travel time repeats every school day. Check the morning journey, not only the distance on a map, and then check the Years 5–6 destination separately. A partner-school route can make the later commute substantially different. If two schools are otherwise close, the option that returns several hours each week may be the better fit for sleep, CCA and independent study.

5. Make the choices realistic without turning them into a ranking

For Secondary 1 posting, use the current year's information in MOE SchoolFinder. Previous cut-off points describe the last posting exercise; they do not promise the next one. MOE's PSLE scoring and posting guide allows up to six school choices and uses choice order as a posting tie-breaker, so put schools in the order your family actually prefers and include a sensible spread rather than six versions of the same bet.

Admission through posting and DSA-Sec

Secondary 1 posting and DSA-Sec are the two admission routes families usually compare. A school may participate in one or both, so check its current admissions page rather than assuming every row uses the same route.

Secondary 1 posting uses the PSLE score, citizenship, choice order and, if needed, computerised balloting. Check the current intake and programme label in SchoolFinder because some institutions offer both IP and a four-year track.

DSA-Sec considers a student's demonstrated aptitude in a declared talent area before PSLE results. It is not a trial reservation. MOE's DSA-Sec commitment guidance explains that a successful student must honour the school commitment; for an IP place, that commitment covers the six-year programme, while participation in the selected talent area is expected through Years 1 to 4. Families should compare the talent programme and its weekly demands as carefully as the academic route.

NUS High is the important current exception to the usual two-route assumption. For Year 1 admission in 2027, its admissions page states that all places are offered through DSA-Sec and that the school does not participate in the Secondary 1 Posting Exercise. Its selection is specific to Mathematics and Science, so a PSLE cut-off copied from a general IP list would be misleading. Recheck the page for a later intake.

A practical final check

Before submitting a posting list or accepting a DSA offer, your family should be able to answer these questions for every shortlisted school:

1. Where will the student study in Years 5 and 6, and what qualification will they pursue?
2. Does the six-year route suit how this child learns and handles assessment?
3. Which school-specific programmes or activities make this choice worthwhile?
4. What are the daily travel, fee and time commitments now and later?
5. Is the admission route current for this application year?

If an answer comes from an old cut-off table, a forum post or a generic ranking, verify it on the school's site or with MOE before acting. Admissions details change more quickly than the basic programme structure.

For families whose shortlist is also being shaped by Mathematics support, our Integrated Programme Mathematics page explains how we work with school-specific schemes rather than assuming every IP classroom follows one national sequence. You can also talk to our team about the particular schools you are comparing.