Singapore Education Laws & MOE Primary School Rules Guide 2026

Covered

All Singapore Citizen children born after 1 January 1996 and residing in Singapore are covered by the compulsory-education framework, subject to the statutory rules and exemptions.

School Age

MOE describes compulsory school age as above 6 years and below 15 years.

Parent Duty

Parents are responsible for ensuring that the child regularly attends a national primary school.

National Primary School

For current MOE purposes, national primary schools include mainstream government and government-aided primary schools and, for applicable children with moderate-to-severe SEN, government-funded SPED schools.

Completion

Parents are considered to have fulfilled their compulsory-education obligation when the child completes primary education.

Penalty

Where a child who is subject to compulsory education fails to attend regularly and has not been granted exemption, the CE Act provides for a fine of up to S$5,000, imprisonment for up to 12 months, or both.

Overseas Residence

Singapore Citizen children residing overseas have a separate notification/deferment process with MOE and should not simply be treated as if they were living in Singapore.

Homeschooling

Parents who want to homeschool a Singapore Citizen child subject to compulsory education must apply to MOE for exemption rather than assuming home education is automatically permitted.

Requirements

• Application to MOE's Compulsory Education Unit.
• Evidence that the proposed home-education arrangement meets MOE's exemption requirements.
• Coverage of the required national-curriculum subjects to the applicable standard.
• The child is generally required to sit for the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE), subject to the specific exemption conditions.

Deferment

A parent can apply to defer the commencement of primary education where there are valid reasons, such as medical conditions or certain developmental circumstances. Supporting professional evidence may be required.

Special Educational Needs

Since 2019, Singapore Citizen children born after 1 January 2012 with moderate-to-severe special educational needs are also within the compulsory-education framework and can fulfil the obligation through government-funded SPED schools unless exempted.

Important

Exemption and deferment are different. Exemption removes the compulsory-education requirement under the approved conditions; deferment delays commencement of primary education.

Phases

International Students

International students are admitted only where places are available after the earlier P1 registration phases. Phase 3 is therefore not a guaranteed school-placement route.

2026 Portal

MOE's 2026 P1 registration portal is the official online registration platform for the current exercise.

Timing

P1 registration normally runs in stages during the year before the child starts Primary 1. Families should use MOE's current-year schedule rather than relying on a fixed historical month range.

Priority

Singapore Citizen and Permanent Resident priority rules apply in the earlier phases. International students are placed only after these phases and subject to vacancy.

P1

Later Primary

Secondary

Passport And Pass

MOE requires immigration and identity information for international-student applications. The exact pass and supporting-document requirements depend on the student's circumstances and should be checked in the current admission exercise.

Placement

Passing AEIS does not itself guarantee a preferred school. Placement depends on test performance, vacancies and MOE's allocation process.

Student Pass

An international student who requires a Student's Pass must separately satisfy ICA requirements. A child who already holds an eligible immigration status such as a Dependant's Pass does not necessarily need a Student's Pass solely because of school admission.

Purpose

AEIS is MOE's central admissions exercise for international students seeking admission to primary and secondary mainstream schools at specified levels.

Levels

• Primary 2
• Primary 3
• Primary 4
• Primary 5
• Secondary 1
• Secondary 2
• Secondary 3

S A E O I S

S-AEIS provides an additional admission exercise for the applicable levels and school-year intake where MOE offers it.

Assessment

Applicants sit the appropriate Mathematics and English assessments, subject to the current AEIS rules for the target level.

Eligibility

Age and prior-education requirements apply and can vary by intake. Applicants must check the current AEIS candidate rules before registering.

Application

Applications are submitted through the MOE AEIS online system during the published registration period.

Important

AEIS should not be described as an annual test that guarantees a government-school seat. It is an admissions exercise subject to MOE's eligibility, test performance and placement rules.

Rule

MOE school fees vary by nationality and school level. The monthly amount includes school fees and miscellaneous fees, and the international-student amount is inclusive of GST.

Nationality Groups

• Singapore Citizens
• Singapore Permanent Residents
• ASEAN international students
• Non-ASEAN international students

2026 Point

MOE publishes the current fee structure through its fees checker. Because rates can change by year and education level, the exact 2026 international-student amount should be taken from the live MOE fee checker rather than embedded as an unsupported universal figure.

Payment

MOE provides the payment arrangements for primary, secondary, junior-college and Millennia Institute fees through its official financial-matters pages.