How the system works
Hong Kong school types: government, aided, DSS and private schools
School operation, funding, fees, curricula and admissions are separate aspects. Consult official records when researching an individual school.
Compare school categories
“Not verified” means we have not captured sufficient information for this category. Check the official record for each school.
| Category | Operator | Funding | Tuition fees | Curriculum | 收生 | 统一派位 | School net | 插班 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Government | Government | Government-operated | Primary records in this project show HK$0 or no published fee; secondary fees are unverified | Primary curriculum fields are not recorded in this project; verify each school | Primary One Admission System; enquire with individual schools for other grades | Government primary schools participate in P1 admission; check current documents for S1 rules | P1 Central Allocation uses primary school nets; secondary allocation has separate nets | Enquire with schools that have vacancies; admission is not guaranteed | |
| Aided | School sponsoring body; verify each school | Government-funded | Primary records in this project show HK$0 or no published fee; secondary fees are unverified | Primary curriculum fields are not recorded in this project; verify each school | Primary One Admission System; enquire with individual schools for other grades | Aided primary schools participate in P1 admission; check current documents for S1 rules | P1 Central Allocation uses primary school nets; secondary allocation has separate nets | Enquire with schools that have vacancies; admission is not guaranteed | |
| Direct Subsidy Scheme | Verify the operator of each school | Direct Subsidy Scheme | Primary records show varying fees or no published fee; verify each school | Some recorded primary schools have British or IB curricula; verify each school | Apply through the school's published procedure | Verify each school's S1 allocation participation; P1 government and aided school procedures do not apply automatically | School-based admission is not determined directly by Central Allocation nets | Ask each school about grade vacancies and conditions | |
| Private | Verify the operator of each school | Not verified by this project | Verify each school; fees cannot be inferred from its category | Verify each school; this does not imply an international curriculum | Check each school's published information | Individual school participation is not verified by this project | Applicable arrangements for individual schools are not verified by this project | Ask each school about grade vacancies and conditions | |
| International school | Verify the operator of each school | Not verified by this project | Primary records show varying fees or no published fee; verify each school | Primary records include IB, British, American and other frameworks; verify each school | Check each school's published information | Individual school participation is not verified by this project | Applicable arrangements for individual schools are not verified by this project | Ask each school about grade vacancies and conditions | |
| ESF | English Schools Foundation | Individual school funding arrangements are not verified by this project | ESF publishes 2026/27 fees; check the amount for the relevant school level | Primary records include IB curricula; verify each school | ESF publishes application information; verify each school | Not verified by this project | Not verified by this project | ESF provides Year 7 transfer information; enquire with each school about other grades | |
| Private independent | Verify the operator of each school | The Education Bureau lists private independent schools separately; specific funding is unverified | All seven schools recorded here have published fee ranges. Amounts vary by school, academic year, grade or curriculum; check the applicable official school profile | Primary records include IB, British, American and other frameworks; verify each school | Check each school's published information | Not verified by this project | Not verified by this project | Ask each school about grade vacancies and conditions | |
| Caput | Not verified by this project | A secondary school category; specific funding rules are unverified | Not verified by this project | Not verified by this project | Not verified by this project | Not verified by this project | Not verified by this project | Ask each school about vacancies; category-specific rules are unverified by this project |
Categories in the local school system
Government schools are operated by the government. Aided schools are operated by sponsoring bodies with government funding. Check the relevant school level and current system documents for admission and allocation arrangements.
DSS schools participate in the Direct Subsidy Scheme and admit pupils through their published procedures. Consult each school's formal information for that year to confirm participation in S1 places allocation.
Private schools are operated by private organisations. Check their published admission and fee information. A private school does not necessarily offer an international curriculum.
Caput is a funding category for some secondary schools. It must not be conflated with DSS or ordinary aided schools. Verify individual schools through Education Bureau records.
Curricula and sponsoring bodies
The Education Bureau provides a separate international-school search. International-school status concerns both category and curriculum and cannot be inferred from an English school name.
The Education Bureau maintains a specific list of private independent schools. This differs from the general private-school grouping.
ESF refers to the English Schools Foundation's school network. Check each school's level, curriculum and admissions information.
The ESF filter on this site is a platform grouping. It is not an Education Bureau funding category equivalent to government or aided schools.
For easier filtering, this site uses groupings such as local/international curricula and ESF. Official categories remain those in Education Bureau records and formal school publications.
Verify each school when comparing
Verify fees, curricula and admission procedures against each school's formal information. Schools in the same category need not have the same fees or curricula.
For transfer vacancies, contact schools directly or seek Education Bureau placement assistance. School category alone does not establish whether applications are accepted.