RGPS’s First Phase 2C(S) Opening Since at Least 2009
This is the Phase 2C result almost nobody saw coming: Raffles Girls’ Primary School did not need a ballot.
After being oversubscribed every year in our records from 2009 to 2025, RGPS received just 128 applications for 137 vacancies. That leaves an apparent nine places for Phase 2C(S), subject to the official vacancy update on 11 August.
One of the most closely watched schools in P1 registration has gone from an annual ballot to spare vacancies. It is easily one of the biggest Phase 2C surprises of 2026.
RGPS’s long balloting history
RGPS has required Phase 2C balloting every year covered by our records from 2009 to 2025.
| Year | Vacancy | Applicants | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 123 | 172 | SC outside 2km ballot |
| 2020 | 77 | 176 | SC within 1km ballot |
| 2021 | 97 | 116 | SC outside 2km ballot |
| 2022 | 90 | 125 | SC within 1km ballot |
| 2023 | 113 | 130 | SC outside 2km ballot |
| 2024 | 135 | 183 | SC outside 2km ballot |
| 2025 | 115 | 143 | SC outside 2km ballot |
| 2026 | 137 | 128 | No ballot |
You can explore its complete registration history on the RGPS school page and compare it with other schools in our Phase 2C past-year comparison.
A 37-place swing in one year
RGPS’s total intake remained at 270 places. What changed was the balance between vacancies and applications.
| Year | Phase 2C vacancy | Applicants | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 115 | 143 | 28 over |
| 2026 | 137 | 128 | 9 under |
RGPS had 22 more vacancies and 15 fewer applicants than last year. Together, that produced a 37-place swing from oversubscribed to undersubscribed.
This was not a collapse in interest. The 128 applications this year were almost identical to the 130 received in 2023. The decisive difference was that more places reached Phase 2C.
A smaller and more cautious applicant pool
The wider 2026 numbers also helped.
Our Phase 2C(S) area analysis counted 34,656 children this year, down from 36,201 in 2025. After Phase 2C, 2,793 children remained without a place, compared with 3,709 last year.
Among children who had applied to schools in Bukit Timah, the number still without a place fell from 155 to 86.
Parents may also have been reacting to RGPS’s history. In four of the previous five years, applicants living outside 2km had to ballot. Some families in that distance group probably chose a safer school instead of testing RGPS again.
That combination matters: a smaller cohort, more Phase 2C vacancies and enough parents choosing not to take the historical risk.
Phase 2C(S) could still be very competitive
Avoiding a Phase 2C ballot does not make RGPS an easy Phase 2C(S) choice.
The current figures point to just nine remaining places. Ten applications would already make the phase oversubscribed, while a small concentration of applicants in the same priority group could produce a tight ballot.
Parents considering RGPS should check their address using our home-school distance guide and primary school boundary map, rather than looking only at the overall vacancy.
Phase 2C(S) registration runs from 17 to 18 August, with results on 27 August. The full schedule is in our 2026 P1 registration key dates, while live vacancies will appear on the 2026 P1 registration page.
There is also a competing pressure. Phase 2C(S) is the final mainstream phase, so families without a place may prefer schools with larger vacancy buffers. RGPS will attract attention, but those nine places may still look too risky for parents who cannot afford another ballot.
This could be one of Phase 2C(S)’s most heated contests
The twist is that RGPS’s no-ballot result may now increase demand. Families who considered it too risky during Phase 2C have unexpectedly been given a second chance.
If the nine places are confirmed, it won’t take a flood of applications to fill them. A small group of nearby applicants could take every place and push the same distance group into balloting.
RGPS was the surprise of Phase 2C. It could become one of the most heated contests of Phase 2C(S).
