What this page answers
The Secondary School Places Allocation (SSPA) system has two stages: Discretionary Places and Central Allocation. Students now in Primary 6 (September 2026) are in the 2025/2027 cycle, with Secondary 1 entry in September 2027. This cohort is still scored 999632. After this page you should know the quotas, limits and dates of each stage, how the 31 March successful-applicant notice differs from the 6 July results, and why those notified families still return a Central Allocation form. Last cycle (2024/2026) the Discretionary Places window was 2 to 16 January 2026 and results came out on 7 July 2026. This cycle’s dates are below; the full calendar is on theSSPA timeline.
Discretionary Places
Participating secondary schools may reserve up to 30% of Secondary 1 places as Discretionary Places; participating Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) schools may reserve more than 30%. Applications are not restricted by district. A student may apply to a maximum of two participating schools; applying to more voids the Discretionary Places application. Once submitted, an application cannot be withdrawn, cancelled or re-ordered.
The Education Bureau issues two paper Secondary One Discretionary Places application forms, marked choice order 1 and 2, printed in random order on the pair. Parents tear off and keep the fourth copy, which shows the ranking; schools do not see whether the parent ranked them first or second. Schools must pre-publish their criteria and weightings. Interviews are allowed; no written test of any form is allowed, including computer or questionnaire tests of subject knowledge. Missing the interview does not cancel the application; the student may still be listed as successful (正取) or reserve (備取) under the school’s published criteria. Participating schools do not need the Primary 6 Student Record Form. That form is used only as proof when applying to Jockey Club Ti-I College (賽馬會體藝中學) or to a non-participating DSS school.
This cycle’s application window is 4 to 18 January 2027, on the e-platform or on paper handed in person to the school. Interviews take place on or before the end of March 2027. Participating schools notify successful applicants’ parents in writing and by phone on 31 March 2027; e-platform users can view the notice from 10:00 that morning. Reserve and unsuccessful families are not notified, and parents need not reply. Last cycle the notice date was also 31 March (2026); the window was 2 to 16 January.
正取 means the school has listed the student as successful and issued a notice. 備取 is the school’s reserve list; the Bureau does not notify reserve families on 31 March. The Bureau then matches the parents’ order with each school’s successful and reserve lists:
| Match | Outcome |
|---|---|
| Both schools list the student | Allocated the first-choice school |
| Only the second-choice school lists the student | Allocated the second choice, or the first choice as a reserve if a place opens |
| No notice on 31 March | May still receive a Discretionary Places offer as a reserve, or none |
Non-participating DSS schools
Non-participating DSS schools set their own application dates, are not restricted by district, admit on school-based criteria, and place no limit on how many a student applies to. Accepting a place means the parent signs a parental undertaking and hands over the original Primary 6 Student Record Form, giving up any government-subsidised Secondary 1 place through SSPA.
If a parent holds both a non-participating DSS offer and a Discretionary Places successful notice, they must decide by 8 April 2027. Keeping the DSS place needs no further action. Giving up the DSS place to keep the Discretionary Places offer means notifying that DSS school by 8 April 2027 and retrieving the signed undertaking and the original record form. When several offers exist, the order of priority is: non-participating DSS, then Jockey Club Ti-I College, then Discretionary Places.
Central Allocation
After deducting repeaters’ places and Discretionary Places, the remaining Secondary 1 places are allocated by computer: 10% in Part A (unrestricted by school net), up to 3 choices in any net including the student’s own; 90% in Part B (by school net), up to 30 choices in the student’s own net. There are 18 secondary school nets, matching the 18 administrative districts (Central and Western, Wan Chai, Eastern, Southern, Yau Tsim Mong, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon City, Wong Tai Sin, Kwun Tong, Tsuen Wan, Tuen Mun, Yuen Long, North, Tai Po, Sai Kung, Sha Tin, Kwai Tsing, Islands). In principle a student’s net is the district where their primary school stands. Each net includes that district’s participating schools plus some other-district schools that offer places into the net; the number varies by year.
Allocation uses three factors: band, the parents’ choice order, and a random number. The random number is generated before the run. It only orders students in the same band when a school is over-subscribed (smaller number first). It is unrelated to the student number or personal data.
The computer processes Part A first: all territory Band 1 students’ choices in order, then Band 2, then Band 3. Anyone placed in Part A is not processed in Part B. Then Part B: net Band 1 in choice order. A Band 1 student whose 30 choices are all full is assigned a place from the net’s remaining places; then net Band 2, then Band 3.
Own-net schools may be repeated in both parts; the same school must not be repeated within one part. The Education Bureau warns that listing only a few favourite schools in Part B does not raise the chance of getting them. The e-platform prompts when Part B has fewer than 20 choices. Fill as many of the 30 as possible. Whether or not Discretionary Places was applied for, the Central Allocation form must be submitted, including by successful (正取) families, who only tick the box, strike out the choices section and sign. Filling choices anyway does not change the outcome. The Notes for Parents on Central Allocation are uploaded on 8 April 2027; the Secondary One Choice of Schools form and the secondary-school list (《中學一覽表》) are issued in early April 2027. The e-platform window is 8 April to 5 May 2027; paper forms go back to the primary school in early May.
How banding is decided
The computer first standardises each student’s Primary 5 second-term and Primary 6 first- and second-term internal marks, then adjusts them by the average of the school’s two most recent Pre-Secondary One Hong Kong Attainment Test (Pre-S1 HKAT) samples. For the 2025/2027 cycle those samples are 2024 and 2026; the previous cycle (2024/2026) used 2018 and 2024. Adjusted scores are ranked and split into three equal thirds: a territory band for Part A, and a net band, cut inside each of the 18 nets, for Part B.
Bands are computed only when the allocation programme runs, after the final participant counts are fixed. Individual bands are never released to parents. The Education Bureau states that even with past cohort profiles plus a student’s internal marks or rank, a school cannot precisely predict an individual’s band; the actual band may differ from what a school or parent expects. This site’sbanding estimatoris an estimate, not the Bureau’s cut. The Pre-S1 HKAT does not directly affect the sitting student’s own allocation; this cycle’s test date is 13 July 2027.
Feeder, nominated and through-train schools
After repeaters and Discretionary Places, a feeder secondary reserves 85% of the remainder for its feeder primary; a nominated secondary reserves 25% for its nominated primary. Eligible students are those in net Band 1 or 2 who put that feeder or nominated school as their Part B first choice. Over-subscription is settled by net band, then the random number. Unfilled reserved places go into open allocation. Cross-net approval forfeits reserved-place eligibility.
Primary 6 students on a through-train may proceed directly to the linked secondary. Applying for Discretionary Places at a participating school, or applying to a non-participating DSS school (whether admitted or not), or joining Central Allocation, forfeits that right. A through-train secondary reserves at least 15% of Secondary 1 places for outside students through Discretionary Places or Central Allocation.
Cross-net allocation
Cross-net allocation is for genuine need, such as moving house. Paper applications go through the primary school by the end of February 2027. The e-platform runs in two batches: 3 December 2026 to 4 January 2027, and 25 January to 1 March 2027. Approved students join Part B in the new net. Their net band is re-derived by comparing their adjusted marks with students in the new net; their territory band is unchanged.
Accepted address proof must show the parent’s name and address: a stamped tenancy, a rates or government rent demand, a public-housing tenancy, a home broadband bill, a residential fixed-line bill, or a gas, electricity or water bill. Bank statements, mobile-phone bills, court summonses and tax demand notes are not accepted.
A worked example: from the first submission to registration
A fictional Primary 6 student, Man (小敏), walks through the 2025/2027 cycle. School names are omitted. She is in Primary 6 in 2026/27. Her first submission (呈一) was in the Primary 5 second term; the second (呈二) in the Primary 6 first term; the third (呈三) is submitted in the Primary 6 second term on the school’s own exam dates. In mid-November 2026 her parents register an eSSPA account with iAM Smart+. In early December the primary issues two Discretionary Places forms.
From 4 to 18 January 2027 she applies to two participating schools and keeps the fourth copy that shows the order. She attends interviews in February and March. On 31 March her first-choice school notifies her in writing and by phone that she is 正取; her parents need not reply. She has no non-participating DSS offer, so the 8 April decision deadline does not apply. In early April the primary issues the Central Allocation form. Because she is 正取, her parents only tick the box, strike out the choices section and sign, and return it on the e-platform between 8 April and 5 May or via the primary in early May.
On 6 July 2027 Discretionary Places and Central Allocation results are announced together. Man confirms at the primary or on the e-platform that she has the Discretionary Places offer at her first-choice school. She registers there on 8 or 9 July. On 13 July she sits the Pre-S1 HKAT at that secondary; it does not change her allocation. Had she received no notice on 31 March, she would have filled up to 3 Part A choices (any net) and up to 30 Part B own-net choices, and waited until 6 July for the result.
Common misunderstandings
“Schools know whether I ranked them first or second.” They do not. Parents keep the fourth copy that shows the order; schools do not see the ranking.
“Listing fewer Part B choices makes a favourite school more likely.” It does not. The Education Bureau warns that this does not raise the odds; the e-platform prompts below 20 Part B choices.
“Band is a property of the school.” It is not. The Bureau bands students. “Band 1 school” is folk usage for a secondary whose intake is mostly Band 1 students, not an official label.
“A 31 March 正取 notice is the final result.” It is not. Discretionary Places results are announced with Central Allocation on 6 July 2027. Successful families still return the form with the box ticked, the choices struck out and a signature.
“The Pre-S1 HKAT affects my child’s allocation.” It does not affect that sitting student. The scores adjust later cohorts’ internal assessment at the school.
After results day
Results are announced on 6 July 2027; students collect them at the primary school or on the e-platform. Successful students register at the allocated secondary on 8 and 9 July. If typhoon signal 8 or above, a red or black rainstorm warning, or “extreme conditions” is in force on results or registration day, follow radio and television announcements.
This section is general guidance, not an Education Bureau rule. The Bureau has no rule or date for Secondary 1 leftover-place approaches (叩門). After results on 6 July 2027, each school decides whether and when to consider late enquiries. A common practice is to bring school reports, award records and a short letter when asking a school that still has places. That is a common practice, not a rule. This site does not state any leftover-place quota.
Next steps
For every date in this cycle, see theSSPA timeline. To weight internal marks under 999632, see theSSPA calculator. For an estimate of banding (not an actual band), see thebanding estimator.
FAQ
Can a school see whether I ranked it first or second?
No. The two paper forms are marked choice order 1 and 2, printed in random order on the pair. Parents tear off and keep the fourth copy, which shows the ranking. Schools do not see the parents’ order.
Does listing only a few Part B favourites raise the chance of getting them?
No. The Education Bureau warns that listing only a few favourite schools in Part B does not raise the chance of getting them. The e-platform prompts when Part B has fewer than 20 choices. Fill as many of the 30 own-net choices as possible.
Does missing the interview cancel the Discretionary Places application?
No. Missing the interview does not cancel the application. The student may still be listed as a successful (正取) or reserve (備取) applicant under the school’s published criteria.
If we are notified as 正取 on 31 March, must we still return the Central Allocation form?
Yes. Every family must submit the Central Allocation form, whether or not they applied for Discretionary Places. Successful (正取) families only tick the box, strike out the choices section and sign. Filling choices anyway does not change the outcome. A student allocated a Discretionary Places offer receives no Central Allocation place.
Does the Pre-S1 HKAT affect my child’s own allocation?
Not that child’s. For the 2025/2027 cycle the test is on 13 July 2027. The scores adjust later cohorts’ internal assessment at that school. This cycle’s school adjustment uses the average of the school’s 2024 and 2026 samples.
If both schools list my child, which place do we get?
The Education Bureau matches the parents’ order with each school’s successful and reserve lists. If both schools list the student, the first-choice school is allocated.