Types of Hong Kong Local Schools
Hong Kong offers four distinct types of local schools, each with its unique features and educational philosophies. Crucially, they vary in terms of their academic curricula and application processes, so it is of upmost importance to understand their differences to choose the best fit for your child’s needs. Other than local schools, Ampla also provides services for admissions to Hong Kong international schools.
1. Government schools
As the name suggests, government schools are operated by the Education Bureau (EDB), with the teaching staff consisting of civil servants from the EDB. They provide free education, at the expense of larger class size, fewer resources and a more limited range of extracurricular activities. Managed by the government, government schools follow the local Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (DSE) with less freedom in developing the curriculum. Applications are made through the Secondary School Places Application (SSPA) organised by the government. Examples of prestigious schools in this category include: Queen’s College and King’s College.
2. Aided schools
Aided schools are operated by sponsoring bodies approved by the EDB, which are usually charitable or religious organisations. They share great similarities with government schools, offering free education following the DSE curriculum and usually are more limited in resources. However, most aided schools are religious and offer religious education classes. Like government schools, applications are made through the SSPA. Examples of prestigious schools in this category include: La Salle College, St. Mary’s Canossian College, Ying Wa Girls’ School and Maryknoll Convent School, Marymount Secondary School.
3. Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) schools
DSS schools are schools that receive partial funding from the EDB. They are allowed to charge tuition fees, and hence usually provide more resources and extra-curricular activities. They also have more autonomy in making curricular choices and setting entrance requirements. Some DSS schools provide international curricula in addition to the DSE; for example, St. Paul’s Co-educational College and Diocesan Boys’ School provide the International Baccalaureate programme (IB), while Diocesan Girls’ School provides the A-level programme. Often places in these international programmes are limited, so students wishing to partake in these programmes have to be academically strong and pass through interviews. Unlike government and aided schools, most DSS schools have their own application procedures and do not participate in the SSPA. Examples of prestigious schools in this category include: St. Paul’s Co-educational College, Diocesan Boys’ School, Diocesan Girls’ School, St. Paul’s College, St. Paul’s Convent School, Heep Yunn School and Ying Wa College.
4. Private schools
Private schools are not subsidised by the EDB and usually charge higher tuition fees than schools in the other categories. As such, they usually provide more resources and extra-curricular activities. Contrasting with other local schools, private schools generally follow international curricula as opposed to the DSE. Overall, they are very similar to international schools, and only differ in the aspect that their student base must be 70% local students and they do not give admissions priority to international students. Application procedures differ for each school and are done privately. Examples of prestigious schools in this category include: Po Leung Kuk Choi Kai Yau School, Renaissance College, and Victoria Shanghai Academy.
Schools Comparison Chart
| Government | Aided | Direct Subsidy | Private |
Management | Education Bureau (EDB)
| Charitable or religious organisations approved by the EDB | Organisations funded by the EDB | Independent organisations without government subsidies |
Tuition fees | None | Required | ||
Description | Follows the local DSE curriculum, less freedom in developing the curriculum Larger class sizes and limited resources | More autonomy in making curricular choices, setting entrance requirements and changing tuition fees More resources and extra-curricular activities | ||
Non-religious and mostly co-educational
| May include religious education | Provides the local DSE curriculum, but may also offer international curricula | Offers international curricula | |
No. of schools (% of total schools) | 30 (6%) | 358 (77%) | 58 (13%) | 20 (4%) |
Examples | Queen’s College King’s College
| La Salle College St. Mary’s Canossian College Ying Wa Girls’ School Maryknoll Convent School Marymount Secondary School | St. Paul’s Co-educational College Diocesan Boys’ School Diocesan Girls’ School St. Paul’s College St. Paul’s Convent School Heep Yunn School Ying Wa College | Po Leung Kuk Choi Kai Yau School Renaissance College Victoria Shanghai Academy |
Application process | Through the | Mostly through private applications, but some are processed through the Secondary School Places Application | Through private applications | |
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