School in Singapore: the state school via an admission test, or the international school
Compulsory education applies only to Singaporean children, but the state schools are open to foreign children: via a registration exercise for Primary 1 and via the AEIS admission test in September for the higher years, with no guarantee of a place. A non-ASEAN child pays S$ 1,049 a month at primary school in 2026 and S$ 2,212 at secondary school. International schools run their own admissions.
Singapore's compulsory education applies, according to the Ministry of Education, only to Singapore citizens born after 1 January 1996. Your child may therefore stay home, but that is rarely the plan. The choice is twofold: the state school, in English, cheaper, but with an admission test and no guarantee of a place, or an international school, which sets its own admissions and prices and in which the government does not get involved. The answer to the cost question for the state school is precise: a non-ASEAN child pays S$ 1,049.17 a month at primary school in 2026 and S$ 2,211.80 at secondary school. The trap is the calendar: the test is in September, school starts in January, and whoever misses that waits a year.
How do you get into a state school?
Your child needs a Dependant's Pass, and for that you must earn at least S$ 6,000 a month; with that pass, according to the ICA, no Student's Pass is needed. Then the route depends on the age on 1 January of the school year.
| Age on 1 January | Route | When |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Primary 1 registration for international students | indicate interest in May, outcome by end October |
| 7 to 10 | AEIS test for Primary 2 to 5 | apply from July, test in early September, start in January |
| 12 to 14 | AEIS test for Secondary 1 to 3 | idem |
| 16 | apply directly to a junior college | in December |
For Primary 1 you indicate your interest in 2026 between 19 and 25 May; MOE adds that admission is not guaranteed, because citizens and permanent residents have priority. If your child gets no place, MOE refers you to private schools or to the AEIS for Primary 2 a year later.
The AEIS is a test of English and mathematics at the level of the year below, taken in English in Singapore; in 2026 on 1, 2 and 3 September. The application costs S$ 340 for primary and S$ 630 for secondary, plus GST, non-refundable, and for primary your child must first have passed a Cambridge English Qualifications test with a minimum score. If your child passes, MOE places them at a school with vacancies, where possible near your declared residential address. Whoever passes starts in January. Your child may be at most two years older than the usual age for the year; in Primary 6 and Secondary 4 no new students are admitted.
One test a year, and school starts in January. The AEIS runs from July to September and places for the following school year. Whoever arrives in Singapore in October has missed the round and bridges a year, or chooses the international school. So plan the move with children around the test date, not around the start date of your contract.
What does the state school cost?
MOE publishes the monthly school fees by nationality and school type; the amounts for international students include GST. On top come small miscellaneous fees.
| Monthly fees 2026, state school | Singaporean | Permanent resident | International, non-ASEAN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary school | S$ 0 + S$ 13 misc | S$ 330 + S$ 13 | S$ 1,035 + S$ 14.17 |
| Secondary school | S$ 5 + S$ 20 | S$ 680 + S$ 20 | S$ 2,190 + S$ 21.80 |
| Junior college | S$ 6 + S$ 27 | S$ 760 + S$ 27 | S$ 2,540 + S$ 29.43 |
For a child from an ASEAN country it is about half; the Netherlands is not among them. At the state school English is the language of instruction, but every child also takes a mother tongue, Chinese, Malay or Tamil; exemption you request from the principal after admission, case by case. Every foreign child at primary school sits the PSLE exam at the end, the gateway to secondary school. Children up to and including 12 must show proof of vaccination against diphtheria and measles.
And the international school?
The government says little about that, and that is the answer. MOE writes that for private schools you approach the school directly: they hold their own admissions and set their own fees. An official fee list does not exist, so whoever calculates here calculates with the school's own quote. The advantage is the calendar: international schools are not bound to the January start and the September test. The disadvantage is above: no subsidy whatsoever, and a price the government does not cap. How to negotiate that into your package is in working in Singapore; the rules for the family in the visa routes.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 2 of 5 of the journey, step 2.5: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Singapore or go straight to step 2.5 in the open plan.
What this rests on
The facts in this article come from these official pages. Rules change — when in doubt the source is leading, not this article.
- MOE — compulsory education, only for Singapore citizens — moe.gov.sg
- MOE — admission of international students to the state schools — moe.gov.sg
- MOE — considerations before you apply (age, Student's Pass, PSLE, mother tongue) — moe.gov.sg
- MOE — Primary 1 registration for international students — moe.gov.sg
- MOE — the Admissions Exercise for International Students (AEIS) — moe.gov.sg
- MOE — applying for AEIS, the documents and the test fees — moe.gov.sg
- MOE — school fees by nationality and school type — moe.gov.sg
- ICA — no Student's Pass needed with a Dependant's Pass — ica.gov.sg
- MOM — Dependant's Pass for children under 21 (salary from S$ 6,000) — mom.gov.sg
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