10th Grade Admissions: Top and bottom schools are both lacking students

Candidates admitted to public grade 10 schools in Ho Chi Minh City have completed the confirmation and submitted their applications to high schools in Ho Chi Minh City. According to Thanh Nien reporters, all schools, whether top or bottom, are short of students compared to the initial quota.

Currently, schools are reviewing and reporting the actual situation to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training so that they can develop a plan for supplementary recruitment if necessary.

TOP- RANKING SCHOOLS HAVE A LACK OF STUDENTS THAN LOWER-RANKING SCHOOLS.

According to observations at Linh Trung High School (Linh Xuan Ward, former Thu Duc City), with a target of 810 students for the 10th grade in the 2025-2026 school year, the school has received approximately 790 enrollment applications from successful candidates. Mr. Le Thanh Hieu, Principal of Linh Trung High School, said the school is awaiting information from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training to implement its supplementary enrollment plan. If allowed to recruit additional students, the school would only propose about 20. "This year, many schools will fall short of their planned enrollment targets. However, how to allocate the supplementary enrollment quota appropriately, for the benefit of the students, depends on the official plan from the Department of Education and Training," Mr. Hieu stated.

Meanwhile, at Binh Tan High School (formerly Tan Tao Ward, Binh Tan District), Principal Nguyen Thi Kim Hue reported that out of 670 students admitted, 646 had submitted enrollment applications, meaning there were still 24 students missing. According to regulations from the Department of Education and Training, the school will report the number of students and propose a plan for supplementary admissions.

At Nguyen Thi Dieu High School (formerly Xuan Hoa Ward, District 3), the school is allocated 765 students for 17 classes. Principal Duong Van Thu stated that the school is still short 17 students compared to the allocated quota. However, "given the insignificant shortage, if possible, the school will propose not to recruit additional students in order to reduce class sizes and improve the quality of education," Mr. Thu said.

Under-enrollment of students is increasing sharply at top high schools.

Mr. Lam Trieu Nghi, Principal of Nguyen Thuong Hien High School (formerly Tan Son Nhat Ward, Tan Binh District), reported that this year the number of students enrolling is short by 3 classes, approximately 100 students, compared to the enrollment target of 15 classes. The number of students short this year is double that of the 2024 enrollment season. The school has reported the situation and is awaiting the supplementary enrollment plan to be announced by the Department of Education and Training in the near future.

Similarly, Mr. Nguyen Van Ba, Vice Principal of Nguyen Thi Minh Khai High School (Xuan Hoa Ward), said that the school was short about 50 students after the deadline for submitting enrollment applications. On the last day before the deadline, the school contacted each parent and student on the list of admitted students, but they had already enrolled in other learning models.

Students admitted to 10th grade in Ho Chi Minh City complete enrollment procedures.

PHOTO: DAO NGOC THACH

According to confirmed information from Nguyen Huu Huan High School (Thu Duc Ward), the school was allocated a quota of 15 tenth-grade classes, but after the enrollment period ended, the school was still short about 20 students. The school will report this number to the Department of Education and Training and implement a supplementary enrollment plan if necessary.

Mr. Lam Trieu Nghi explained that students admitted to top-tier schools usually have more options compared to students in schools with average admission scores. For example, at Nguyen Thuong Hien High School, after contacting parents, it was learned that some students who were admitted did not enroll because some were admitted to the High School for the Gifted (Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City), and others switched to private schools according to their families' wishes. In addition, some students who were 9th-grade students from non-public schools registered to take the 10th-grade entrance exam for public schools, but after being admitted, the public schools did not offer boarding facilities, so they continued to attend private schools.

WHY IS IT STILL DIFFICULT TO FIND SUPPLEMENTARY RECRUITMENT FIGURES?

Last school year, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training also announced the recruitment of approximately 2,000 additional students for 36 high schools. The conditions for participating in the supplementary recruitment are that students did not get accepted into any public high schools and must have a 10th-grade exam score in mathematics, literature, and foreign language, plus any priority points (if applicable), greater than or equal to the cutoff score for their third choice of public high school. Each student can only register for supplementary recruitment at one public high school that has not yet filled its assigned quota and cannot change schools after submitting their supplementary registration application.

Specifically for students who previously attended junior high schools in the districts of Can Gio, Nha Be, Binh Chanh, Hoc Mon, Cu Chi, and Thu Duc City, if they register for schools in the same area as their junior high school, their total entrance exam score will be determined based on the cutoff score of their first choice public high school.

A member of the school board of a top-tier high school expressed that if the supplementary admission regulations were applied this year as in previous years, top schools would find it difficult to fill their quotas. This is because at these schools, the cutoff score for the first choice is already around 23, and if considering the third choice, it would be at least 23.5 points or higher, even 24.75 for Nguyen Thi Minh Khai High School or 24.5 for Nguyen Thuong Hien High School… With these scores, virtually no candidates would be left without being admitted to a public school.

Mr. Lam Trieu Nghi cited the example that during the 2024 enrollment season, the school was short about 40 students compared to its target, and despite widely publicizing supplementary recruitment, the school did not receive any applications.

Instructions for students admitted to grade 10 to choose appropriate elective subjects in the 2018 General Education Program

Photo: Dao Ngoc Thach

We will develop a suitable plan for supplementary recruitment.

According to regulations, after 10th-grade students complete their enrollment applications and schools submit their data reports to the Department of Education and Training, depending on the actual number of students at each school, the Department will develop a plan for a second round of enrollment for schools that have not yet filled their quotas.

A leader from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training stated that high schools are currently reporting student enrollment figures and submitting proposals for supplementary admissions. Based on each school's specific proposals, the Department will develop and implement the most suitable supplementary admission plan, creating opportunities for students to attend public schools. Furthermore, after each admissions period, the Department of Education and Training will monitor the situation to make appropriate and fair adjustments, ensuring the best interests of students in Ho Chi Minh City.

Students entering private schools also decreased.

Ms. Nguyen Yen Chi, representative of Nguyen Khuyen and Le Thanh Tong private high schools - a system of non-public schools in Ho Chi Minh City, said that the school has completed the enrollment process for 10th grade in the 2025-2026 school year. Since the beginning of June, the school has received interest from parents who wish for their children to attend the school because it is suitable and meets the family's aspirations.

However, Ms. Yen Chi stated that due to the decrease in the number of 9th-grade students and the high enrollment quota for public high schools (approximately 90%), the number of students attending Nguyen Khuyen and Le Thanh Tong schools has been somewhat affected. She added that according to statistics from the academic and admissions department, the number of 10th-grade students entering the school this year has decreased by 7-10%.

Similarly, Mr. Huynh Kim Tuan, Principal of Tran Cao Van Secondary and High School, shared that the school has so far recruited about 50% of the 10th grade enrollment target approved by the Department of Education and Training. This is also the general situation for most private schools this year due to the impact of population growth. Therefore, the school is focusing on preparing the necessary conditions and activities this school year for the 2026-2027 enrollment plan when the size and number of students return to normal.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/tuyen-sinh-lop-10-truong-top-dau-hay-top-sau-deu-thieu-hoc-sinh-185250724201005843.htm