More parents have been caught providing false residential addresses in the past five years to secure spots for their children in popular primary schools.
While the Ministry of Education (MOE) used to investigate an average of around one case a year between 2008 and 2018, this figure jumped to about nine cases annually from 2020 to 2024. There were no cases reported in 2019.
A 41-year-old woman was charged on June 5 with lying about her home address to enrol her daughter in a primary school.
According to court documents, the woman gave false information to the principal and vice-principal of the school between June and September 2024, during a Primary 1 registration exercise.
“The MOE takes a serious view of parents providing false information for the purpose of enrolling their child in a particular school under the Primary 1 registration exercise,” said the ministry on June 13, in response to queries from The Straits Times.
It added that the increase in cases of non-compliance in the past five years could be due to a “combination of factors” including public awareness, checks by schools and whistle-blower feedback.
MOE said it investigates all reported cases of non-compliance, including cases where parents rent properties and use the rental address for P1 registration but did not reside there for at least 30 months.
Under the P1 registration exercise, MOE uses a home-school distance priority system to allocate places when demand exceeds vacancies. Priority is given first to Singapore citizens living within 1km of the school, then those between 1km and 2km, and lastly those outside 2km.
The 30-month stay requirement applies to children securing a place using a new address that offers more priority. The new address must be reflected on both parents’ NRICs during the P1 registration, and families must live at that address for at least 30 months from move-in.
MOE said: “When wrongdoings are found, or where parents are unable to provide evidence that information provided during the P1 registration exercise was true and accurate, the child will be transferred to a school with vacancies near where the family and child are residing, and parents will have no say in the choice of the school.”
Parents caught providing false information are also referred to police for investigation, the ministry added.
Motivation that moves the property market
Ms Grace Cheong, a property agent, has witnessed how the annual P1 registration exercises have long influenced Singapore’s real estate market.
“This is the kind of motivation that moves the market,” said Ms Cheong, who has been in the industry since 2009. The demand for homes within 1km of sought-after schools, she added, “transcends uncertainty”, whether it is economic downturns or pandemics.
Every year, home buyers flock to neighbourhoods like Newton and Bukit Timah, drawn by their proximity to schools such as Anglo-Chinese School (Junior) and Singapore Chinese Girls’ School.
The District 15 area of East Coast and Marine Parade is also highly sought-after due to its proximity to schools like Tao Nan Primary School and CHIJ Katong Primary School.
“It’s a constant, stable source of demand,” said Ms Cheong. “Parents with children heading to primary school are the movers and shakers of the property market.”
Other property agents whom ST spoke to said that while the demand is stable, younger couples are starting to plan for their child’s schooling needs much earlier ahead of when their child turns six and needs to register for P1.
Ms Tammy Sim said demand has remained consistent for housing around popular primary schools like Raffles Girls’ Primary School and Methodist Girls’ School, be it for lease or purchase.
“What we have seen that’s being done differently would be younger couples starting to plan for schooling needs much earlier,” she said. “From as young as when the child is one or two years old, parents start to look into the location for a unit to purchase.”
Ms Wendeline Goh, a property agent since 2012, said that she has had clients who started looking from as early as when their child turned three, and who began financial planning for the sale of their current property and purchase of their next home.
“As their next residence can entail a high jump in pricing due to good schools being located in more prime areas, planning ahead is crucial.”
One of her clients moved from Choa Chu Kang to one-north to secure a spot in a school in Dover, while another moved from Compassvale to Mount Sinai.
The motivation for children to excel and get into the “best school” is still high, said Ms Sim, adding that parents want to give their children a good head start. “This translates into the natural demand for properties around specific schools.”
Some parents are even prepared to live with the trade-offs. Ms Cheong said some compromise on layout or room size just to secure a unit within the radius of their preferred school.
“This momentum – uprooting from where you are and moving near a school – is created by the system,” she said. “As long as that policy’s in place, it’ll continue to fuel demand.”
Finding the best fit for their child
A 40-year-old civil servant, who wanted to be known only as Mrs Cheng, said she downsized from a five-room HDB flat in Serangoon North to a 2.5 room condo in Newton to be within 1km of Anglo-Chinese School (Junior).
“We chose ACSJ because we heard it’s more accommodating to neurodivergent kids,” said the mother of a Primary 2 boy, who has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. “We also hoped that he can be brought up in a Christian environment, especially during his formative years.”
Mrs Cheng and her husband began house-hunting two years before the P1 registration window.
“Previously, the school in our old neighbourhood was too academically focused, and we felt that it will be unsuitable for our son,” she said.
The move was motivated by the school’s values and fit for her son, and not social pressure or academic prestige, Mrs Cheng added.
While the move was worth it, as her son got into the choice school, she said she missed her old neighbourhood and the friendly neighbours, as well as living in a bigger home.
A 49-year-old homemaker, who wanted to be known only as Madam Chong, had planned her move early for the sake of her sons’ primary school education.
The family had its sights set on ACSJ for its Methodist roots and emphasis on character building. “ACSJ naturally was our top pick,” she said.
While cost was a major concern, early preparation paid off. “There were many competitors… but we had time to wait it out for something suitable,” she said. The unit they eventually bought was “ideal” in terms of cost, size and walkability to school.
“I have two boys, so the move would guarantee at least 10 years of education in the school per kid, and future grandsons,” she said. “There’s also potential upside when we sell the unit too, so I’ll say (the move) was worth it.”
Another parent, who declined to be named, said he moved from Sengkang to Ulu Pandan in 2024 to prepare for the 2025 P1 registration exercise.
The 39-year-old, who works in the finance industry, wanted to live within 1km of a school with a “good reputation and long history”, and one that was not too competitive in the ballot.
After researching historical ballot results for Phase 2C, the family landed on Henry Park Primary School.
With the move and his qualification as a parent volunteer, he hopes to secure a spot in the school for his child in 2026.
“We had low expectations of the move, as Ulu Pandan had no nearby MRT, but we were pleasantly surprised and appreciate the serenity of the area,” he said, given that their previous home was near an expressway.
False address cases rise over past five years as P1 registration exercise fuels housing demand
