The competition rate for grade 10 in Ho Chi Minh City has changed unexpectedly. Should I change my wishes?

A literature lesson of grade 9/5 students at Lac Hong Secondary School (District 10, HCMC) - Photo: NHU HUNG

Not only the top high schools but also many lower-ranking high schools have high competition rates. This is one of the surprising points in the 10th grade admission season in Ho Chi Minh City this year.

Highest and lowest

Based on the enrollment quota and the number of candidates registering for the 10th grade public entrance exam for the 2025-2026 school year, the ten high schools with the highest competition rates in Ho Chi Minh City are Tran Dai Nghia (District 1), Nguyen Huu Huan (Thu Duc City), Vinh Loc (Binh Tan District), Pham Van Sang (Hoc Mon District), Le Quy Don, Nguyen Thi Minh Khai (District 3), Vo Truong Toan (District 12), Ngo Quyen (District 7), Nguyen Huu Cau (Hoc Mon District) and Thu Duc (Thu Duc City).

So not only famous high schools, this year many high schools in the lower ranks also have a lot of candidates registering for the first choice exam.

Ms. Mai Phuong - a literature teacher in Hoc Mon district - said: "Parents and students often think that less famous schools are easier to get into. However, this year the competition ratio for Pham Van Sang School is 1 to 2.1. This ratio is even higher than the most famous school in Hoc Mon district, which is also the top school in the city - Nguyen Huu Cau School with 1 to 1.73".

In addition, many other schools are in the following group but the competition ratio is also very high such as Ho Thi Bi (Hoc Mon district, 1 vs 1.65), Binh Phu (district 6, 1 vs 1.64), Thanh Loc (district 12, 1 vs 1.63), Tay Thanh (Tan Phu district, 1 vs 1.61) and Tan Thong Hoi (Cu Chi district, 1 vs 1.55)...

Meanwhile, the ten high schools with the lowest competition ratio in the city are not only located in the suburbs but also in the inner city. They are Ngo Gia Tu (District 8), Dien Hong (District 10), Nguyen Van Linh (District 8), Phong Phu (Binh Chanh District), Long Truong, Nguyen Van Tang (Thu Duc City), Nguyen Thi Dieu, Le Thi Hong Gam (District 3), Tran Huu Trang (District 5)... These are schools with a competition ratio of 0.25 to 0.43.

Worry about increasing 10th grade benchmark scores

"Le Quy Don High School has a very high competition rate compared to last year, I'm so worried. With the current competition rate, it is predicted that this year Le Quy Don School will increase the admission score for grade 10" - Ms. Ho Nguyen, a parent in District 3, shared.

Ms. Nguyen said: "My child has excellent academic performance in grade 9. His homeroom teacher advised him to put his first choice in a school with a lower admission score than Le Quy Don to be sure. My child wanted to try his luck, so last time he decided to put his first choice in Le Quy Don. But with the current situation, I had to advise him to change his choice."

According to an official from the Department of Education and Training, parents often choose their children's 10th grade admission preferences according to two trends: Trend 1 is to choose preference 1 at a school with a benchmark score equivalent to the student's academic ability, preference 2 at a school with a benchmark score 1 - 2.5 points lower than preference 1, and preference 3 at a school with a benchmark score 1 - 2.5 points lower than preference 2. This is the safest way to choose.

The second trend is to choose the first choice to a school with a higher admission score than the student's academic ability, the second choice to a school with a lower admission score than the first choice by 0.5 - 1 point, and the third choice to a school with a lower admission score than the second choice by 0.5 - 1 point. This is a more "adventurous" choice, but many candidates like this choice because they want to try their hand.

"To answer the question of whether or not to change your wishes, I think parents need to base it on their children's academic performance. In addition, they also need to consider other factors such as competition ratio, geographical distance from home to high school, the combination of subjects chosen that the high school will teach..." - the Department of Education and Training official affirmed.

Change your wishes until 5pm on May 19

According to the Department of Education and Training, based on the number of candidates taking the 10th grade entrance exam of each high school, parents and students will consider and, if necessary, change their 10th grade admission wishes. The time to change wishes is from now until 5:00 p.m. on May 19 online.

Each candidate is allowed to register 3 wishes for regular grade 10, 2 wishes for specialized grade 10, and 3 wishes for integrated grade 10 in the 2025-2026 school year.

More than 11,000 students do not take the 10th grade exam

According to the Department of Education and Training, 76,435 candidates registered to take the 10th grade entrance exam for public schools in the 2025-2026 school year. Meanwhile, the number of students expected to graduate from junior high school this year is 88,210. Thus, 11,775 students dropped out of the 10th grade entrance exam.

In previous years, the number of students who dropped out of the 10th grade entrance exam was more than 16,000. The reason was that they chose other educational paths such as studying abroad, vocational training, high school at private schools, international schools, continuingeducation centers, etc.

In the 2025-2026 school year, the total enrollment target for grade 10 of public high schools in Ho Chi Minh City is 70,070 students. Thus, only more than 6,000 students failed the exam this year.

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HOANG HUONG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ti-le-choi-vao-lop-10-tp-hcm-dien-bien-bat-ngo-co-nen-doi-nguyen-vong-20250515083609342.htm