For Primary 6 students and their parents, the 2026 COP (Cut-off Point) provides a useful reference when thinking about secondary school choices. But beyond looking at individual schools, comparing the 2025 and 2026 data can reveal broader trends in secondary school admissions.
In our earlier guide, we looked at the 2026 COP for individual secondary schools. In this article, we take a closer look at what changed between the two years, which Posting Groups saw the biggest movements, and what these changes actually mean for parents.
2025 vs 2026 COP: What Does the Overall Picture Show?
Looking across the schools in our dataset, most schools retained the same COP as the previous year. However, among schools where both years could be compared, more schools recorded an increase in COP than a decrease.
| Posting Group | Schools Compared | COP Increased | No Change | COP Decreased |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IP | 17 | 7 | 10 | 0 |
| PG3 | 156 | 53 | 94 | 9 |
| PG2 | 137 | 22 | 104 | 11 |
| PG1 | 134 | 36 | 72 | 26 |
This gives us an important overall takeaway: The 2026 COP landscape remained largely stable, with more schools recording higher rather than lower COPs.
This does not mean that secondary schools across Singapore became universally easier to enter. Instead, the data suggests that there was no broad-based increase in competitiveness across schools. The individual school movements are where things become more interesting.
Posting Group 3 (PG3): More Schools Saw Their COP Increase
Among the four Posting Groups analysed, PG3 shows one of the clearest movements towards higher COPs.
Out of 156 PG3 schools compared:
- 53 schools recorded a higher COP
- 94 schools remained unchanged
- 9 schools recorded a lower COP
The average COP increased from approximately 16.70 in 2025 to 16.97 in 2026. In other words, substantially more PG3 schools saw their COP increase than decrease.
Schools With the Biggest Posting Group 3 (PG3) Increases
The largest increase in the dataset was recorded by Crescent Girls’ School, where the 2026 COP rose from 10 to 13, a three-point increase. Other notable increases included:
| School | 2025 COP | 2026 COP | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crescent Girls' School | 10 | 13 | +3 |
| Admiralty Secondary School | 20 | 22 | +2 |
| Jurongville Secondary School | 20 | 22 | +2 |
| Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary School | 17 | 18 | +1 |
| Anglican High School | 11 | 12 | +1 |
| Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) | 7 | 8 | +1 |
| Beatty Secondary School | 17 | 18 | +1 |
| Bukit Batok Secondary School | 14 | 15 | +1 |
A higher COP generally means that the school was comparatively less competitive in that particular admission exercise, because students with higher PSLE Scores were among the last students admitted.
However, parents should avoid interpreting a higher COP as proof that a school has suddenly become less popular. COPs are influenced by the overall applicant pool, students’ school choices, available places and how students are ultimately distributed across schools.
Outram Secondary School Stands Out
The most notable exception within PG3 was Outram Secondary School, where the 2026 COP fell from 22 to 17, a five-point decrease. This was the largest PG3 decrease in our dataset. Serangoon Secondary School also recorded a notable decrease, from 22 to 20, while most other schools with lower COPs moved by just one point.
Outram’s movement is particularly interesting because the school relocated from York Hill to a new campus in Sengkang in 2026. The move was intended to cater to higher demand for secondary school places in the north-east, while the school stopped admitting new Secondary 1 students in 2025 during the transition.
As a result, Outram’s five-point movement should be viewed as a significant individual change rather than as evidence of a general PG3 trend.
Should Parents Be Worried If a School’s COP Falls?
Not necessarily. A lower COP means that the last student admitted had a better PSLE Score than the last student admitted in the previous admission exercise. This suggests that the school was more competitive that year. But a one-point decrease does not necessarily mean that the school has suddenly become much more popular. Likewise, a one-point increase does not necessarily mean that demand for the school has fallen dramatically.
There are several factors that can influence a school’s COP from one year to another, including:
- The PSLE results of the cohort
- Students’ secondary school choices
- The number of places available
- How students are distributed across schools
- Posting Group and affiliation considerations
This is why MOE describes published PSLE score ranges as a reference based on the previous year’s cohort and school choice patterns. The actual COP for a cohort is only determined after the Secondary 1 posting process.
A more useful way to think about COP changes is:
A lower COP indicates greater competitiveness in that admission exercise, while a higher COP indicates comparatively less competition.
The change itself, however, should always be considered in context.
What Does the 2026 COP Data Tell Us?
The biggest takeaway from the 2026 COP data is that Singapore’s secondary school COPs remained relatively stable overall. Most schools did not change their COP from the previous year. Where changes did occur, more schools recorded increases than decreases across all four categories analysed.
The clearest trends are:
- IP remained stable. Among the 17 comparable IP schools in our dataset, seven recorded an increase, 10 remained unchanged and none recorded a decrease.
- PG3 generally moved towards higher COPs. Fifty-three schools recorded an increase compared with only nine recording a decrease.
- PG2 was the most stable Posting Group. A total of 104 out of 137 comparable schools recorded no change.
- PG1 saw more schools reach a COP of 30. The number increased from 19 schools in 2025 to 30 schools in 2026.
At the same time, there were notable exceptions, particularly Outram Secondary School, which recorded substantial decreases across PG1, PG2 and PG3.
What Should Parents Do With the 2026 COP Data?
The most important thing is to use COP as a reference point, not a prediction. If your child is preparing for the PSLE, it can be tempting to look at a school’s COP and treat it as a fixed entry requirement. But COPs can change from one admission exercise to another. Instead, parents can use the 2026 data to understand the recent competitiveness of different schools and build a more balanced school shortlist.
The 2026 COP data gives parents a valuable starting point. By looking at the trends rather than focusing on a single number, families can make more informed choices and shortlist schools where their children can learn, grow and thrive.
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