Primary One Admission, Explained: Discretionary Places, Central Allocation & Points

Places at Hong Kong's government and aided primary schools are distributed through the Education Bureau's Primary One Admission (POA) System, in two stages: Discretionary Places Admission and Central Allocation. Direct Subsidy (DSS), private and international schools run their own admissions outside this system.

Stage 1: Discretionary Places (about half the places)

Starting in the year before entry (around September), you may apply directly to one government or aided primary school — with no school-net restriction, so you can pick any school in Hong Kong. Schools admit on the EDB's points system.

"Category A" applicants are guaranteed admission (about 30% of the school's P1 places):

• A sibling already studying at that primary school; or
• A parent employed at that school.

Everyone else falls in "Category B", ranked by points on objective criteria (at least 20% of places; schools may not test or interview the child). The main items and their points:

• A parent is a manager (school board member): 20 points;
• A parent or sibling is an alumnus: 10 points;
• Same sponsoring body, or same religion, as the school: 5 points each;
• The child is a first-born: 5 points.

Each applicant can only claim some of these (e.g. one item per group) — see The P1 points system, explained for the full method.

Results are usually released in November. Children admitted at this stage do not take part in Central Allocation.

Stage 2: Central Allocation (the remaining places)

Children not admitted in Stage 1 move automatically to Central Allocation. You complete a choice form and a computer allocates places by your ranked choices plus a random number. There are two parts:

Part A (unrestricted, about 10% of central places)

You may list any three primary schools in Hong Kong, regardless of your home net. It's open to everyone, so use it to aim for a sought-after school.

Part B (net-restricted, the remaining places)

You may only choose schools within your own school net (determined by home address). Rank several, ordered by how popular each school is and your child's fit.

To see which schools sit in a net, browse all primary schools and pick a net, or jump straight to one such as School Net 41.

Timeline (rough yearly cycle)

Exact dates are published by the EDB each year — always confirm against the official announcement.

Strategy tips

• Discretionary stage: pick one school you genuinely want and where your points give you a real chance — don't waste it on a long shot.
• Part A: you can be ambitious, but three big names can all miss, so look at actual allocation patterns.
• Part B: play it safe — know which net schools are most contested and which are steadier. Through-train, nominated and feeder links also shape secondary progression, so check each school's linkages.

Planning all three stages together is what raises your odds of landing a place you actually want.