When does the P1 ballot happen, and what are the rules?
A ballot can occur at any phase from Phase 2A through 2C Supplementary — whenever registrations within a priority group exceed the remaining vacancies. Within the same phase, priority is fixed by a combination of citizenship/PR status and home-school distance: citizens (within 1km → 1–2km → beyond 2km) are placed ahead of PR applicants at the equivalent distance band. A ballot only happens when a priority group is still oversubscribed after that ordering.
Context
The ballot is often the part of P1 registration families worry about most — it is worth understanding exactly when it applies and what it does not decide.
What this means for your family
What this means for your family: the ballot is not a free-for-all draw — it is a fair draw within the same priority group. MOE states this is a computerised ballot with an equal chance for everyone in that group. If your distance to the target school can move you into an earlier priority group, that is usually more reliable than counting on ballot luck.
Steps you can take now
- Use OneMap School Query to check your actual home-school distance (HSD) band for the target school.
- Confirm your specific position in the priority order based on your citizenship or PR status.
- Check whether the school has repeatedly gone to ballot at your priority band in recent years (past results are for reference only — they do not predict this year).
- If your position is further back, shortlist 1–2 similar schools as alternatives in advance, rather than relying on just one.
How to know you’re done
You know your position in the priority order, whether the school has a history of balloting at that position, and you already have a backup plan.
Sources and check dates
- SRC-MOE-P1-BALLOTING-2026 · checked 2026-07-24