How To Compare Condos Within 1km Of Popular Primary Schools — And Avoid Overpaying For The Wrong One

Whether you’re a seasoned property investor, or buying a home for the first time, you’re likely aware that the Home-School Distance (HSD) category used by the Ministry of Education (MOE) can be a major factor in the property decision making process.

Finding a home that is within one kilometre of a Primary school provides priority enrolment, after other factors like siblings and parent volunteerism are taken into account. This means that the HSD category doesn’t just mean a home that is a short trip from school, it could be a significant contributor to the value of the property.

The problem is you also can’t reduce this to something as simple as: “near school = higher gains”.

Not all properties see uniform benefits from being within 1km of a primary school, and when there are multiple condos within this distance, comparisons get tricky. Other considerations, such as walking distance or whether the available units are suited to families, start to matter more.

Over the coming weeks, our new Stacked Pro series will explore two- and three-bedder units near some of the most well-known primary schools. We hope that the articles in this series will give readers specific insights like how much is worth paying, as well as comparisons down to the level of specific floor plans.

To kick things off, here’s a quick rundown on how schools generally affect your property or property choices.

A Quick Summary Of The HSD

Under the prevailing Primary 1 Registration framework, HSD matters when a school is oversubscribed and has to resort to balloting. Singapore Citizens who live in a property within one kilometre of the school are given priority over those who live between 1km and 2km away.

Remember that this only applies to primary schools, enrolment to secondary and tertiary schools are often determined by academic results and other related factors. This is why you rarely see secondary schools or tertiary institutes being brought up as a selling point, unless the seller knows it’s relevant to the prospective buyer.

A property that sits within 1km of a primary school continues to enjoy the proximity benefits even after your children leave the school, or even if you don’t have children. Properties near desirable schools tend to see a consistent buying and leasing demand, compared to others further away.

Some investors capitalise on this, since some families may rent a property that is within the 1km radius just to have the right address to ensure that their children can enrol at the school of their choice. Thus, it influences property values regardless of whether you’ve any interest in the school.

However, MOE recently announced a change in the HSD with regards to 12 specific schools. We covered this in detail here.

In short, for these 12 schools, places will be split equally between children living within 2km and those living beyond 2km. In the linked article, we explain how significant even such a small change can be on overarching property decisions.

The Complications Of Identifying The Effects Of HSD

We’ve consistently shared that generalised concepts seldom translate cleanly into practical reality. The same goes for HSD and how much it really impacts the value, or perceived value, of a property.

One problem is that property prices move for a variety of reasons. For example, a property purchase when the sentiment in the market is relatively weak - and thus translates to a lower selling price - could eventually reap stronger gains, compared to another property that was purchased at the peak of market sentiment when prices are elevated.

Likewise, condos with low transaction volumes - perhaps just one or two sales a year - may not properly reflect “true” demand or growth from the school. Other factors may also influence the performance of a development, such as a 99-year leasehold versus freehold tenure, or a unit mix not catered to families (meaning, a condo may be near a school, but if the bulk of units are two-bedders that are too small for families, that may mitigate the advantage).

So what’s the best we can do?

How To Properly Compare Condos Within The HSD

The starting point is to avoid treating every condo within a one-kilometre circle as interchangeable, and this is how we have opted to do it:

1. Check the Postal Code

This is the first thing to do because in some developments, only certain blocks may fall within the qualifying distance. An example of this is Jadescape, where only two of the seven blocks in the condo fall within the HSD to Ai Tong School.

In some situations, this can also explain performance discrepancies between certain stacks in the same project. Basically, units within the HSD may see stronger gains or more resale transactions, versus other similar layouts and sizes in the same project.

For buyers, it’s also a good idea to check this using the postal code on OneMap.sg, rather than solely relying on sales pitches or marketing materials. For new launch projects, buyers may have to wait for actual confirmation of the one-kilometre distance.

2. Compare like for like.

Prices, sizes, and layouts need to be assessed separately for each unit type. This is especially true with regard to family-oriented condos within the HSD. Even if the two-bedroom units are much cheaper than the three-bedroom units, that doesn’t mean it’s the right product for families.

Conversely, the two-bedders may sometimes see strong buying demand because, in the case of older projects, this unit type may match the average size of new three-bedroom units.

The age of a development is also a factor, especially for leasehold projects. Sometimes, a larger three-bedder is cheaper despite being within the HSD, but this is because it’s a much older development than the surrounding alternatives.

3. Consider transaction volumes, not just prices

This is especially challenging for smaller condo projects, where sales may be infrequent. Projects with very few transactions can produce misleading averages. For example, if there are just two transactions recorded that year, it is difficult to tell if the transacted price reflects the proximity to the school, or is an outlier.

We usually suggest comparing between projects with at least five recorded transactions. By this, we also mean recent transactions, within the past 12 months. This should be done with URA transaction records, once you’ve shortlisted the appropriate properties.

4. Review the actual floor plans. 

The units at most older projects may have a higher square footage, but there’s a good chance that this includes balconies, air-con ledges, or enclosed outdoor spaces. Conversely, newer projects may seem smaller but the square footage may more accurately reflect the usable space, and more efficient layouts (like dumbbell layouts) could actually mean more room.

The design of a unit can sometimes explain differences in terms of resale performance, between two or three projects that are close to the same school. Remember that, since they’re all within the HSD, the differences will then come down to fine details such as the unit itself.

Over The Next Few Weeks, We’ll Apply These Methods For You Across Several Stacked Pro Articles

We’ll be applying the methods above to two- and three-bedder units, for condos that are within the HSD of well-known schools. This includes projects near Ai Tong School, Methodist Girls' School, and more. So if you’re in the market for a home close to these schools, or own a home nearby and want a sense of current prices, be sure to follow this upcoming series.

In the meantime, here’s a more general snapshot of prices around popular schools from 2025. Our upcoming series will update these numbers and go into deeper detail, but those still provide useful clues on where to begin your search.