Primary 1 registration in Novena
3 primary schools in Novena, with the scored HDB blocks inside each one’s 1 km Primary 1 priority ring — 27 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 Novena
| School | Address | Blocks in 1 km | 1–2 km |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anglo-Chinese School (Primary)Boys' · GEP · Govt-aided | 50 Barker Road | 0 | 48 |
| Singapore Chinese Girls' Primary SchoolGirls' · Govt-aided | 190 Dunearn Road | 0 | 8 |
| St. Joseph'S Institution JuniorBoys' · Govt-aided | 3 Essex Road | 27 | 80 |
St. Joseph'S Institution Junior has the largest HDB catchment here — 27 scored blocks inside 1 km — while Anglo-Chinese School (Primary) has 0. 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.
| Block | Schools within 1 km | Nearest | Young family |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blk 11 Farrer PK RD | 1St. Joseph'S Institution Junior | 941 m | 87.8 |
| Blk 9 Gloucester RD | 1St. Joseph'S Institution Junior | 822 m | 85.7 |
| Blk 12 Farrer PK RD | 1St. Joseph'S Institution Junior | 931 m | 85.5 |
| Blk 50 Dorset RD | 1St. Joseph'S Institution Junior | 783 m | 85.3 |
| Blk 10 Gloucester RD | 1St. Joseph'S Institution Junior | 850 m | 85.2 |
| Blk 13 Farrer PK RD | 1St. Joseph'S Institution Junior | 943 m | 85.1 |
| Blk 48A Dorset RD | 1St. Joseph'S Institution Junior | 709 m | 84.9 |
| Blk 48 Dorset RD | 1St. Joseph'S Institution Junior | 682 m | 84.6 |
| Blk 49 Dorset RD | 1St. Joseph'S Institution Junior | 738 m | 84.4 |
| Blk 104 Whampoa DR | 1St. Joseph'S Institution Junior | 917 m | 83.5 |
| Blk 54 Kent RD | 1St. Joseph'S Institution Junior | 779 m | 82.6 |
| Blk 47 Owen RD | 1St. Joseph'S Institution Junior | 598 m | 81.8 |
| Blk 46 Owen RD | 1St. Joseph'S Institution Junior | 647 m | 81.5 |
| Blk 99 Whampoa DR | 1St. Joseph'S Institution Junior | 968 m | 81.5 |
| Blk 51 Kent RD | 1St. Joseph'S Institution Junior | 620 m | 81.4 |
| Blk 52 Kent RD | 1St. Joseph'S Institution Junior | 671 m | 81.3 |
| Blk 41 Cambridge RD | 1St. Joseph'S Institution Junior | 535 m | 81.0 |
| Blk 53 Kent RD | 1St. Joseph'S Institution Junior | 732 m | 80.9 |
| Blk 44 Owen RD | 1St. Joseph'S Institution Junior | 586 m | 80.6 |
| Blk 101 Whampoa DR | 1St. Joseph'S Institution Junior | 954 m | 80.6 |
| Blk 43 Cambridge RD | 1St. Joseph'S Institution Junior | 503 m | 80.1 |
| Blk 37 Cambridge RD | 1St. Joseph'S Institution Junior | 428 m | 80.0 |
| Blk 40 Cambridge RD | 1St. Joseph'S Institution Junior | 354 m | 79.3 |
| Blk 39 Cambridge RD | 1St. Joseph'S Institution Junior | 355 m | 79.1 |
| Blk 38 Cambridge RD | 1St. Joseph'S Institution Junior | 389 m | 79.0 |
| Blk 42 Cambridge RD | 1St. Joseph'S Institution Junior | 504 m | 78.6 |
| Blk 1 Thomson RD | 1St. Joseph'S Institution Junior | 930 m | 77.0 |
Ranked by how many of Novena’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 Novena 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 Novena?
- 3 primary schools in Novena appear in MOE's school directory: Anglo-Chinese School (Primary), Singapore Chinese Girls' Primary School, St. Joseph'S Institution Junior.
- Which HDB blocks in Novena are within 1 km of a primary school?
- 27 scored HDB blocks in Novena sit inside at least one primary school's 1 km ring (snapshot 2026-11). Distance priority only applies when a phase is oversubscribed.
- Does living in Novena 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.