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Wondering when secondary schools will start to hold their Direct School Admission (DSA) open house events?

This usually takes place in April and May every year. Typically, we can expect Integrated Programme (IP) secondary schools to hold open house events. Some mainstream secondary schools will also take this opportunity to attract potential students.

Are these open house events only for students who have decided to apply for the DSA? No, all students are welcome, because it’s a chance to get to know these schools better! In fact, we would highly encourage you and your child to visit any school that you’re curious about. Don’t think of certain schools as being “out of reach” for your child — go and see what these schools are about. Talk to existing students, listen to the teachers’ speeches, and experience what it’s like to be part of the school community, if just for a day.

Here are three reasons to visit popular schools during the DSA open house season:

1. It reminds your child that there are different ways to enter a “dream” school. Some children feel inferior because their grades are not stellar, but the DSA offers them a chance to leverage their non-academic talents.
2. It helps your child to draw conclusions based on information. Does your child seem intimidated by “top” schools without knowing much about them? Encourage your child to attend open house events with a curious mindset. Open house events offer a chance to ask questions like: What is this school looking for? How does the school do things differently? Do I have a chance of getting in with my talent? Could this be a school where I can thrive?
3. It supports decision making. If your child hasn’t made up their mind about the DSA, seeing a school that they like may motivate them to apply.

Which Secondary School Open House Events to Attend in 2025?

In general, the open house events that get the most attention are the ones held by IP or DSA-only schools. Most mainstream schools will only hold year-end events, around the time where the PSLE results are released.

If your child is interested in a mainstream school, do contact the school to ask if there will be an open house event, or if you can schedule a private visit. However, private visits may not be too helpful if no one is assigned to speak with you or show you around. You can also try to set up a short meeting with the principal, or the teacher in charge of your child’s talent area.

To shortlist schools of interest, do the following:

1. Visit the Ministry of Education’s SchoolFinder website.
2. Click on ‘Secondary’, look for ‘Admission type’ in the left navigation bar, and select the DSA checkbox.
3. View the different talent categories, or search for a talent area that is relevant to your child.
4. Research and shortlist schools that might suit your child.
5. Contact the schools on your shortlist to check if they are holding open house events soon. (Or see our list of open house dates below.)

At the time of publishing, the Ministry of Education has not updated their website with the DSA talent areas offered by secondary schools in 2025. Keep this in mind: You or your child will need to check the site regularly for the updated list. You can also contact schools directly for information on their talent areas.

Best Questions to Ask at a Secondary School Open House

Open house events at popular schools can be crowded, and there are often many parents trying to talk to teachers and students, especially after presentations or at the activity booths. To get the most out of your visit, here’s what you should prepare ahead of time: identify any talks that might be directly relevant to your child, such as the sports presentation, and specific booths that you want to visit.

You should also prepare questions to ask during the Q&A sessions. Here are some general questions that we often hear at these sessions:

• What are the common qualities of successful DSA candidates?
• What qualities should candidates try to demonstrate, in order to stand a better chance of getting selected?
• What’s the academic profile of the students that you’re looking for?
• Will you consider students who haven’t represented their primary school in competitions or events, by letting them try out or take a test?
• How does the school provide support if students fall behind academically?
• How does the school ensure the mental wellness of their DSA students?
• What happens if a student wants to switch focus or drop out of the DSA programme?
• How does the school balance between DSA commitments and national exams like O-Levels or IP milestones?

Here are some sports-specific questions that you could ask:

• What is the typical weekly training schedule for sports DSA students?
• Are students required to participate in specific competitions or training camps?
• What facilities, coaches, or partnerships (e.g. national sports associations) does the school offer to support student athletes?
• How does the school handle injuries or burnout in student athletes?
• Are there pathways for student athletes to pursue sports at a higher level?

Here are some arts-specific questions to ask, if your child is interested in visual or performing arts:

• What kind of portfolio or performance should applicants prepare for the audition or trial?
• Are there school-based productions, showcases, or exhibitions for students to present their work?
• How does the school help students deepen their artistic craft — do they bring in external instructors or offer masterclasses?
• How are students supported if they are doing both higher-level art/music and academics?
• Can students pursue multiple art forms, or must they specialise in one?

If your child is interested in applying to a school through leadership, here’s what you can ask:

• What kind of leadership roles are available to students who enter via the DSA leadership track?
• How does the school develop leadership skills in these students — through camps, mentorship, or training?
• Are DSA leaders expected to take on specific duties throughout the year? What do those look like?
• How does the school assess a student’s leadership potential during the DSA selection process?
• Must a child have formal leadership experience (e.g. prefect or monitor), or are other experiences considered?

It’s also important to talk to current students of the school, and this is best done at the activity booths. Here are some questions to ask existing students:

• Why did you choose this school? What other schools were you considering?
• What do you like best about the school so far?
• What have you found most challenging? How has the school supported you?
• Have you grown in your talent area since joining the school?
• Do you feel that you will continue to pursue your talent area after secondary school? Why or why not?
• How are you coping with your schoolwork? Do you depend on private tutoring to catch up?
• What is your training schedule like? Do you do additional training sessions with a private coach?
• Are you glad that you chose the DSA route to enter this school?
• Are DSA students treated differently from those who got in through their grades?
• What do you wish you had known before applying for the DSA?
• What advice would you give to a student who wants to apply through your talent area?

Use our suggested questions as a guide, to come up with questions that better fit your needs!

2025 DSA Secondary School Open House Dates

Below are the secondary schools that have released information about their upcoming open house events. More updates to come!

Need advice on the DSA? Join the KSP Family Huddle webinar on April 23, to get your biggest DSA questions answered!