Primary 1 registration in Central
3 primary schools in Central, with the scored HDB blocks inside each one’s 1 km Primary 1 priority ring — 55 distinct blocks in total.
Rules from MOE, checked 18 August 2026 · block data from snapshot 2026-11
What the 1 km column is and isn’t
Living inside a school’s 1 km ring puts you in the top distance band when a registration phase is oversubscribed — Citizens within 1 km are admitted first, then Citizens 1–2 km, then Citizens beyond 2 km, then Permanent Residents in the same order. It does nothing at a school that isn’t oversubscribed, and it never outranks citizenship. How balloting works →
Primary schools in Central
| School | Address | Blocks in 1 km | 1–2 km |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anglo-Chinese School (Junior)Boys' · Govt-aided | 16 Winstedt Road | 2 | 73 |
| River Valley Primary School | 2 River Valley Green | 35 | 80 |
| St. Margaret'S School (Primary)Girls' · Govt-aided | 136 Sophia Road | 20 | 80 |
River Valley Primary School has the largest HDB catchment here — 35 scored blocks inside 1 km — while Anglo-Chinese School (Junior) has 2. A small number usually means private housing, landed estate, water or industry inside the ring rather than a remote school.
Blocks inside the most 1 km rings
A block inside several schools’ 1 km rings gives you top-band distance priority at several schools at once — so if one ballots out of reach, the next is still a realistic Phase 2C registration. This is a housing signal, not an admissions one: it widens your options, it does not raise your odds at any single school. The best-covered block here sits inside 2 rings.
| Block | Schools within 1 km | Nearest | Young family |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blk 662 Buffalo RD | 2Anglo-Chinese School (Junior), St. Margaret'S School (Primary) | 515 m | 87.9 |
| Blk 661 Buffalo RD | 2Anglo-Chinese School (Junior), St. Margaret'S School (Primary) | 560 m | 87.5 |
| Blk 52 Havelock RD | 1River Valley Primary School | 987 m | 90.9 |
| Blk 57 Havelock RD | 1River Valley Primary School | 954 m | 90.7 |
| Blk 56 Havelock RD | 1River Valley Primary School | 909 m | 90.1 |
| Blk 55 Havelock RD | 1River Valley Primary School | 881 m | 89.8 |
| Blk 54 Havelock RD | 1River Valley Primary School | 929 m | 89.0 |
| Blk 4B Boon Tiong RD | 1River Valley Primary School | 958 m | 89.0 |
| Blk 4A Boon Tiong RD | 1River Valley Primary School | 923 m | 88.9 |
| Blk 53 Havelock RD | 1River Valley Primary School | 956 m | 88.8 |
| Blk 632 Veerasamy RD | 1St. Margaret'S School (Primary) | 980 m | 88.7 |
| Blk 2C Boon Tiong RD | 1River Valley Primary School | 888 m | 88.6 |
| Blk 2A Boon Tiong RD | 1River Valley Primary School | 908 m | 88.6 |
| Blk 6A Boon Tiong RD | 1River Valley Primary School | 968 m | 88.4 |
| Blk 663 Buffalo RD | 1St. Margaret'S School (Primary) | 580 m | 88.3 |
| Blk 672B Klang Lane | 1St. Margaret'S School (Primary) | 955 m | 87.8 |
| Blk 664 Buffalo RD | 1St. Margaret'S School (Primary) | 625 m | 87.7 |
| Blk 671B Klang Lane | 1St. Margaret'S School (Primary) | 926 m | 87.6 |
| Blk 87 Zion RD | 1River Valley Primary School | 545 m | 87.4 |
| Blk 672A Klang Lane | 1St. Margaret'S School (Primary) | 893 m | 87.3 |
| Blk 671A Klang Lane | 1St. Margaret'S School (Primary) | 872 m | 87.2 |
| Blk 269B Queen ST | 1St. Margaret'S School (Primary) | 923 m | 86.8 |
| Blk 668 Chander RD | 1St. Margaret'S School (Primary) | 738 m | 86.4 |
| Blk 271 Queen ST | 1St. Margaret'S School (Primary) | 952 m | 86.4 |
| Blk 264 Waterloo ST | 1St. Margaret'S School (Primary) | 890 m | 86.2 |
| Blk 269A Queen ST | 1St. Margaret'S School (Primary) | 952 m | 86.1 |
| Blk 269C Queen ST | 1St. Margaret'S School (Primary) | 916 m | 86.0 |
| Blk 79 Indus RD | 1River Valley Primary School | 885 m | 85.4 |
| Blk 2 Jln BT HO Swee | 1River Valley Primary School | 895 m | 84.4 |
| Blk 10 Selegie RD | 1St. Margaret'S School (Primary) | 510 m | 84.1 |
| Blk 8 Selegie RD | 1St. Margaret'S School (Primary) | 510 m | 84.1 |
| Blk 2 Delta Ave | 1River Valley Primary School | 929 m | 83.9 |
| Blk 9 Selegie RD | 1St. Margaret'S School (Primary) | 531 m | 83.4 |
| Blk 263 Waterloo ST | 1St. Margaret'S School (Primary) | 916 m | 83.4 |
| Blk 262 Waterloo ST | 1St. Margaret'S School (Primary) | 887 m | 83.2 |
| Blk 14 Taman HO Swee | 1River Valley Primary School | 817 m | 82.9 |
| Blk 10 Jln BT HO Swee | 1River Valley Primary School | 835 m | 82.9 |
| Blk 95 Havelock RD | 1River Valley Primary School | 726 m | 82.5 |
| Blk 16 Taman HO Swee | 1River Valley Primary School | 844 m | 82.3 |
| Blk 8 Jln BT HO Swee | 1River Valley Primary School | 863 m | 82.2 |
Ranked by how many of Central’s primary schools have the block within 1 km, then by the block’s young-family liveability score. Distances are measured from the school’s point location to the block, which approximates but does not replicate MOE’s boundary-to-building measurement — check any borderline block on MOE’s SchoolFinder.
Before you plan around a Central school
Distance only decides anything after the earlier phases have taken their places. Work down the ladder and register in the earliest phase you qualify for — a sibling in the school (Phase 1) beats an alumni tie (Phase 2A), which beats 40 volunteer hours (Phase 2B), which beats the open phase (Phase 2C, where 40 places per school are reserved). The 2026 windows and results dates are on the key-dates page.
Other towns in the South zone
Frequently asked questions
- How many primary schools are there in Central?
- 3 primary schools in Central appear in MOE's school directory: Anglo-Chinese School (Junior), River Valley Primary School, St. Margaret'S School (Primary).
- Which HDB blocks in Central are within 1 km of a primary school?
- 55 scored HDB blocks in Central sit inside at least one primary school's 1 km ring, and 2 of the blocks listed here sit inside more than one (snapshot 2026-11). Distance priority only applies when a phase is oversubscribed.
- Does living in Central within 1 km of a school guarantee a Primary 1 place?
- No. Home-school distance is a tiebreaker used when a phase has more applicants than places. Singapore Citizens are admitted ahead of Permanent Residents in every distance band, and the ballot runs only in the band where places run out.