This page explains Discretionary Places scoring for September 2027 Primary One entry: the two phases of about half the places each, the difference between Category A must-admit and Category B points, how the eight criteria add up, and what Central Allocation does if Discretionary Places fail. The tool above uses the same choose-one rules. Tick a Category A box and it shows must-admit; the points are then only a Category B illustration.
How Primary One Discretionary Places work
Primary One Admission has two phases, each about half of the places: Discretionary Places and Central Allocation. For Discretionary Places a child may apply to only one government or aided primary school, in any school net. Applying to more than one school, or submitting both the e-platform and a paper form, voids the application. Direct Subsidy Scheme and private schools (including international schools and ESF) sit outside POA and take their own applications.
Discretionary Places then split into two categories. Category A is must-admit (often called “hereditary”): a brother or sister already attending that primary school, or a parent employed there. These places are about 30% of the Primary 1 provision. If Category A applications exceed 30%, the overflow is taken from the Central Allocation quota. Category B is allocated by the points criteria below, and is not less than 20% of places. Schools may not run any test or interview at this stage.
Do not mix the two. A sibling at that primary school, or a parent on that primary’s staff, is Category A and does not use points. A sibling at the secondary section on the same campus, or a parent working full-time at the kindergarten or secondary section on the same campus, is Category B item 2 or item 1 (20 points each), not must-admit.
The points criteria, item by item
Category B is scored out of 35. Claim only one item from items 1 to 5 and only one from items 6 to 7. Item 8 (age) is computed automatically from the date of birth on the electronic platform; you do not claim it. Every item you claim must be documentable. How a school defines “same religion” or “member of the sponsoring organisation” is a school-level matter. Ask the school.
| Item | Criterion | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parent works full-time at the kindergarten or secondary section on the same campus | 20 |
| 2 | Brother or sister attends the secondary section on the same campus | 20 |
| 3 | Parent is a manager of the primary school | 20 |
| 4 | Parent or sibling is an alumnus of the primary school | 10 |
| 5 | First-born child (eldest of the family’s children) | 5 |
| 6 | Same religion as the sponsoring body | 5 |
| 7 | Parent is a member of the sponsoring organisation | 5 |
| 8 | Age-appropriate child (5 years 8 months to 7 years in the September of entry) | 10 |
The tool above puts items 1 to 5 in one radio group and items 6 to 7 in another, with age ticked by default. That matches the Bureau’s choose-one rule: you cannot take two 20-point items, and you cannot claim both religion and sponsoring-body membership.
Age points: who gets 10
For September 2027 entry the eligibility floor is birth on or before 31 December 2021 (5 years 8 months when school starts). The child must also be a Hong Kong resident, not yet attending a primary school, and never allocated a Primary One place. A child born on or after 1 January 2022 is under age and cannot join.
The 10 age points go only to children who will be 5 years 8 months to 7 years old in September of entry. For 2027 that means birth from 1 September 2020 to 31 December 2021. A child born before 1 September 2020 may still be eligible if they meet the floor, but they do not receive these 10 points. The Education Bureau computes this from the date of birth automatically; you do not claim it on the form. The checkbox in the tool is for the estimate: untick it if the child is outside that band.
Three worked examples
The three families below are fictional. They show how the choose-one rules add up. They are not any school’s admission record.
The Chan family: 25 points
The father is an alumnus of the primary school (item 4, 10 points), the family shares the sponsoring body’s religion (item 6, 5 points), and the child is in the age band (item 8, 10 points). Total: 25. Even if the child is also the eldest, you cannot add item 5’s 5 points, because items 1 to 5 are choose-one. The alumnus 10 points beat first-born 5, so claim item 4.
The Lee family: 15 points
The child is the eldest (item 5, 5 points) and age-appropriate (10 points). Nothing from items 6 or 7. Total: 15. This is the usual basic combination when there is no alumnus, manager or same-campus secondary link.
The Wong family: 30 points
An elder brother attends the secondary section on the same campus (item 2, 20 points) and the child is age-appropriate (10 points). Total: 30. This is not Category A must-admit: the brother is not at the primary school. If the family also meets item 6 or 7 (5 points), the score reaches the theoretical maximum of 35. Thirty-five requires a 20-point item, a 5-point item and the 10 age points together.
Ties and lots
When applicants on the same score outnumber the remaining places, the school draws lots fairly, or asks the Education Bureau to draw centrally at random. The points themselves do not break the tie.
How to read a score, in general
- 15 points: usually age plus first-born or religion. At a competitive school this is a weak Category B score, and a tie may still go to lots. At a less-subscribed school it can still enter the comparison.
- 20 points: often a single 20-point criterion, or a 10-plus-5 mix without treating age as extra. At a competitive school this is a common comparison band; ties are often settled by lottery.
- 25 points: typically alumnus 10 plus religion or sponsoring-body 5 plus age. Clearly stronger than 15, though a popular school may still draw lots.
- 30 points or more: usually a 20-point item plus age; item 6 or 7 takes it to 35. This sits at the stronger end of Category B at most schools, still subject to that year’s field.
The tier note under the tool uses the same general reading. It is not an Education Bureau rule either.
After Discretionary Places: Central Allocation
Children without a Discretionary Places offer (or who never applied) go to Central Allocation. Discretionary Places points do not carry over. Central Allocation has no points and no secondary-style banding. It uses a computer-assigned random number plus the parents’ choices.
Central Allocation has two parts. Part A is about 10% of Central Allocation places: up to 3 schools in any Primary One net. Part B is 90% and must be schools on the list the Bureau supplies for the net of the child’s residential address. An own-net school chosen in Part A may be repeated in Part B. Siblings who apply together and want the same school must submit identical choice lists.
Residential address means the child’s sole or main home. A false address voids the application, cancels any place already allocated, and can lead to prosecution under the Crimes Ordinance: forgery up to 14 years’ imprisonment; a false statutory declaration up to 2 years plus a fine. The Bureau may check documents, require statutory declarations and make home visits. The report hotline is 2832 7700.
Accepting a Direct Subsidy Scheme Primary One place means the child cannot obtain a government or aided place through POA, including a Discretionary Places waiting-list place. Any POA place already allocated is cancelled. DSS schools require a signed undertaking; retrieving it later does not restore the place.
Common misunderstandings
Myth: Discretionary Places points carry over to Central Allocation.
They do not. Central Allocation does not use these eight items and does not band pupils. It uses a random number and choices. After a failed Discretionary Places application, look at the timetable and the address-based net, not at a rescore.
Myth: I can claim two 20-point items.
You cannot. Items 1 to 5 are choose-one. A parent who is a manager and a sibling at the same-campus secondary still yield only one 20-point claim, not 40.
Myth: The school can interview or test at this stage.
It cannot. The Education Bureau forbids any test or interview during Primary One Discretionary Places. That differs from Secondary Discretionary Places, where interviews are allowed but written tests are not.
Myth: 15 points is “enough”.
The Bureau has no “enough” rule. Fifteen is a common basic combination and is often weak at a competitive school. The tiers above are general guidance, not a cut-off.
Myth: The school net is where the school stands, not where you live.
Discretionary Places ignore nets: one government or aided primary, anywhere. At Central Allocation Part B the net follows the child’s residential address, not the school you applied to. Treating “where the school is” as “which net we belong to” is one of the common errors the Education Bureau itself lists.
Next steps
Dates, registration and the choice windows are on thePrimary One timeline. Secondary scoring is years away. The current Primary 6 cohort still uses 999632; Primary 5 from 2026/27 uses 88844222. When that time comes, put the school’s actual term marks into theSSPA calculator.
FAQ
What is the difference between ‘must-admit’ and the points system?
Category A covers a sibling already at the school or a parent on the staff. The school must admit those children. They take about 30% of Primary 1 places; any overflow is taken from the Central Allocation quota. Category B — at least 20% of places — is allocated strictly by the points criteria.
Can I pick which 20-, 10- or 5-point item to claim?
You may claim only one item from items 1–5 and only one from items 6–7, and only if you can prove it. Claim the highest item that actually applies and that you can document.
Is 15 points enough?
It depends on the school. Fifteen is a typical basic combination (age points plus first-born or religion) and is weakly competitive at popular schools, where even that score may go to a lottery. The tier notes on this page are guidance, not an Education Bureau rule.
Do Discretionary Places points carry over to Central Allocation?
No. Primary One Central Allocation does not use these points, and it does not use secondary-school banding either. Places are assigned from a random number plus the parents’ choices.
May schools interview or test at this stage?
No. The Education Bureau does not allow any test or interview during Discretionary Places.
What happens if we tie?
When applicants on the same score outnumber the remaining places, the school draws lots — or asks the Education Bureau to select at random.
Do I need to claim the age points on the form?
No. Item 8 is computed automatically from the date of birth on the electronic platform. For September 2027 entry the 10-point age band is birth from 1 September 2020 to 31 December 2021. The eligibility floor is birth on or before 31 December 2021; a child born before the age band may still be eligible but does not receive these 10 points.
If we accept a DSS primary place, can we still get a government or aided place through POA?
No. Accepting a Direct Subsidy Scheme Primary One place means the child cannot obtain a government or aided place through POA, including a Discretionary Places waiting-list place. Any POA place already allocated is cancelled. Retrieving the signed undertaking later does not restore it.