School nets and home search: how your address counts in Primary One allocation
The Primary One Admission System has two stages: Discretionary Places Admission and Central Allocation. Only Part B of Central Allocation allocates places by the school net of the home address, so the address mainly affects that part. Before searching for a home by school net, understand how allocation works and the rules on declaring an address.
At which stage does the address matter?
At the Discretionary Places Admission stage, parents can apply to any one government or aided primary school, with no restriction by school net. At the Central Allocation stage, school choices are split into Part A and Part B: in Part A you can choose schools in any school net, and in Part B only schools in the school net of your home address.
| Stage | Restricted by school net |
|---|---|
| Discretionary Places Admission | No restriction |
| Central Allocation Part A | No restriction |
| Central Allocation Part B | Only the school net of the home address |
Rules on declaring an address
The address declared in the application must be where the applicant child actually lives. The Education Bureau carries out random checks on proof of address. Using a false address will invalidate the allocation result and may involve criminal liability.
Families who rent can use a stamped tenancy agreement as proof of address, so the start date of the tenancy needs to fit the application timetable.
Steps for searching by school net
First confirm on the Education Bureau's website which school net your target school belongs to and the areas that net covers, then compare homes within that area. School net boundaries may change each year, and different streets in the same district may belong to different school nets.
- Verify with the Education Bureau which school net a particular address belongs to.
- Compare rents and prices in the different areas within the school net.
- Work out the actual walking or travel time from home to school.
- Allow time for the tenancy agreement, stamp duty and proof of address.
Common questions
Does moving into a sought-after school net guarantee a place at a school in that district?
No. Part B of Central Allocation allocates places by the parents' order of school choices and a computer-generated random number. Living in a school net only means you can choose schools in that net in Part B. It does not guarantee a place at any particular school.
Is the school net shown on a listing page reliable?
The school net on a listing is entered by the lister and is for reference only. School net boundaries are as published by the Education Bureau. Verify with the Education Bureau which school net a particular address belongs to before you decide.