Quick answer
Enter your postal code and the school finder lists primary schools by straight-line distance, grouped within 1km, 1 to 2km and beyond 2km. Those are MOE’s home-school distance bands, which decide who is drawn first if a phase is balloted. Treat the list as a shortlist: MOE’s official distance uses SLA’s method and your registration address, so confirm each school on MOE SchoolFinder.
The useful number: If a phase is balloted, citizens living within 1km of the school are drawn first, then those 1 to 2km away.
Who is this for?
Parents choosing schools before P1 registration, usually in the year before K2 ends, and families thinking about a move. It works for any Singapore address with a six-digit postal code.
What are the steps?
- Enter your six-digit postal code. Only the postal code is sent, and only to OneMap (Singapore Land Authority) to find its location. Nothing is stored.
- Read the list in three bands: within 1km, 1 to 2km, and beyond 2km. The tool always shows at least the 12 nearest schools.
- If you like, say whether your child is a boy or a girl. Boys’ and girls’ schools that would not take your child are greyed out, and you can hide them.
- Shortlist schools that suit your family, not only the nearest ones.
- Confirm the official home-school distance for each shortlisted school on MOE SchoolFinder.
- Check your phase at each school with the P1 registration phase checker.
Why do 1km and 2km matter?
MOE groups homes into three distance bands from each school: within 1km, 1 to 2km, and beyond 2km. The band only matters if a phase has more applicants than places. Then MOE holds a ballot, and citizens within 1km are drawn first, then citizens 1 to 2km away, then citizens beyond 2km, with PRs after them in the same order.
Open the School finder by distance and enter your postal code to see which schools fall in each band.
How does the finder measure distance?
It measures the straight line between your postal code and each school’s postal code. The schools come from MOE’s school list on data.gov.sg, checked against MOE SchoolFinder on 12 October 2026. MOE SchoolFinder lists 182 primary schools; 179 take P1 in the 2026 exercise and 180 in the 2027 exercise.
We follow MOE’s note on each school. A school not taking P1 that year is left out, and a school moving to a new address is measured from the address MOE uses. Schools open, merge and move, so we refresh the list each year.
Straight-line distance is an estimate for shortlisting. MOE’s official distance category is the one OneMap SchoolQuery gives for your registration address. A school near a band edge can land on either side.
What if the postal code lookup fails?
The lookup uses OneMap’s public search. OneMap has signalled that it may start asking for an access key, so the lookup could stop working. If it does, the page keeps the full school list and the link to MOE SchoolFinder, so you can still shortlist.
Next, check your phase at each shortlisted school with the P1 phase checker guide, and print the P1 registration document checklist. For the orientation day, take the P1 orientation question sheet.
Printables for this guide
P1 registration document checklist
Get Singpass, the address MOE uses, the other parent's consent and supporting documents ready before you register. Plus a page for school choices and dates.
P1 orientation question sheet
Questions to ask at Primary 1 orientation: times, recess, uniform, getting home, health and contacting the school. Plus a first-week plan to fill in.
Frequently asked questions
Is the distance here the same as MOE’s?
Not always. The finder measures straight-line distance between postal codes. MOE’s official distance uses SLA’s method and your registration address, so a school near 1km or 2km can fall on the other side. Confirm on MOE SchoolFinder.
Does distance matter if there is no ballot?
No. Distance only decides who is drawn first when a phase has more applicants than places. If everyone in your phase gets a place, the band does not change the outcome.
Is my address stored or shared?
No. Only the six-digit postal code you type is sent, and only to OneMap to find its location. Nothing is stored on our side, and the postal code never goes into a link or a share image.
Why does the list show schools beyond 2km?
The finder always shows at least the 12 nearest schools, so families in areas with fewer schools still get a useful shortlist. Try the school finder →
Keep this guide for the next big decision.
Build your own reading list and pick up where you left off with a free RaisingAngels account.
Free account · Tools stay free without an account.