Public Schools

Hong Kong’s public schools are renowned for their students’ academic achievements thanks to a rigorous approach to learning. An international study ranked Hong Kong students among the world’s best, singling out their cognitive understanding, knowledge, and skills in the Global Competence (GC) domain in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018.

Public school students follow the internationally recognised Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE), which enables them to enter top universities in Hong Kong and overseas. This qualification is widely accepted by universities and institutions in the United Kingdom (UK), Australia, New Zealand, the US, Canada, and continental Europe.

If you’re looking for an affordable alternative to international schools but want English to be the main language of instruction, then the public school system is certainly worth considering. Around 100 local secondary schools are adopting English as the medium of instruction in Hong Kong. This accounts for about 30 per cent of the total number of schools in the city.

If your child wants to study in Mainland China, they would also be in a strong position if they went through the local education system. The Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China launched the Scheme for Admission of Hong Kong Students to Mainland Higher Education Institutions back in 2011, and the number of participating institutions currently stands at 132 for 2023/24.