Maris Stella High to be rebuilt; primary school will become co-ed from 2027

SINGAPORE — From 2027 to 2029, Maris Stella High School (MSHS) will be rebuilt to provide better facilities for both its primary and secondary school students.

The primary school section will, for the first time, take in girls in 2027 when it moves to its holding site at the former MacPherson Primary School site in Mattar Road. The school, which currently admits 270 Primary 1 pupils, will look into increasing its intake in 2027.

The secondary school section's holding site will be at the former Bedok North Secondary School site in Jalan Damai.

Maris Stella High School was founded in 1958 and moved to its current Mount Vernon site in 1966. The Catholic boys' school is known for its strong bilingual programme and counts among its alumni Health Minister Ong Ye Kung.

In a statement on May 6, the Ministry of Education said MSHS (Primary) will turn co-educational to better serve the needs of local residents.

To accommodate this larger intake, MSHS (Primary) will operate across two sessions at the holding site during the rebuilding of its permanent campus. This means that Primary 1 and 2 pupils will attend school in the afternoon sessions, while pupils in Primary 3 to 6 will attend the morning sessions.

When the rebuilding works at the permanent campus are completed, tentatively in 2030, MSHS (Primary) will revert to operating on a single-session basis.

MSHS (Secondary) will remain as an all-boys school for now.

MSHS principal Boy Eng Seng said the rebuilding works will add features that the current campus does not have like a school field and two indoor sports halls — one for each section. Under the MOE-SportSG dual use scheme, both indoor sports halls can be used by the community.

A letter sent by the school to parents of MSHS students on May 6 stated that the primary section will have redesigned classrooms and outdoor learning facilities. The secondary section will have a redesigned library, science laboratories and a canteen with flexible spaces and furniture.

It also said that the holding sites were selected according to their availability, capacity to house staff and students, and proximity to the current Mount Vernon campus.

Boy told The Straits Times that students should not have issues travelling to the holding sites as they are not far from the current campus and are situated near Mattar MRT station and Kaki Bukit MRT station. The primary school holding site in Mattar Road is 1.8km away from the Mount Vernon site. The secondary school holding site in Jalan Damai is about 3.7km away.

As for the iconic school gate at MSHS, Boy said the school hopes to retain it during the rebuilding process. "We will love to preserve it. We will work with the architect to explore its feasibility before making a decision."

An alumnus of MSHS himself, Boy said one of the factors in deciding to enrol girls into the primary school was to benefit alumni and their daughters.

"Many of the alumni hope that their daughters can also enjoy the Maris Stella school experience like we did, back in our days."

He added that another consideration was for local residents in the Bidadari area who might have young daughters.

Said Boy: "There are many new young families who are going to move in. Logistically for primary school it is more convenient.

"If you have a son and a daughter, you would want to bring them to the same primary school. Rather than the son go to Maris Stella and the daughter has to go to another school."

The permanent school site at Mount Vernon will continue to be used to determine the home-school distance for Phase 2C of the Primary One registration exercise — the open phase for those who have no links with the school and priority is given to those who live nearby.

With the rebuilding of the school, there may be changes to the school land boundary used for determining the home-school distance.

Potong Pasir MP Sitoh Yih Pin said the rebuilding of MSHS will provide refreshed facilities for a better educational experience for its students.

"Turning MSHS co-ed also brings added diversity and inclusiveness to its student population, and importantly, provides more options to our young families in the nearby Bidadari and Potong Pasir estates," he said.

"We know that a construction site will bring some disamenities to the surrounding neighbourhood. We will work with the government agencies involved to mitigate any issues."

In its release, MOE said that another school, Woodlands Ring Secondary School will have its campus fully rebuilt by December 2028.

The school was originally scheduled to be upgraded under the Programme for Rebuilding and Improving Existing Schools from January 2025 to December 2026.

It will still merge with Fuchun Secondary School from January 2025, and will hold at the Fuchun site along Woodlands Avenue One until rebuilding works are completed in December 2028.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.