Record number of Ho Chi Minh City high schools set 'rock-bottom' 10th-grade admission scores

14 high schools set their 10th-grade admission scores at 10.5 across three subjects, averaging 3.5 points per subject, the highest number in the past four years.

In 2022, Ho Chi Minh City changed its 10th-grade admissions scoring method to a sum of math, literature, and English scores (each with a coefficient of 1) plus any preferential points, instead of doubling the math and literature scores. Since then, 10.5 has been the lowest standard score.

According to the Department of Education and Training's announcement yesterday evening, 14 out of 109 high schools in the city set their first-round admission score at 10.5 this year. In contrast, only 4 schools did so last year. In 2022 and 2023, there were 9 and 7 such schools, respectively.

Binh Khanh, Can Thanh, and An Nghia high schools were among the familiar names with low admission scores. The most surprising case was Nguyen Thi Dieu high school, which typically had admission scores around 15 points in previous years but has now dropped to a record low.

Ho Chi Minh City 10th-grade admission scores 2025

This year, Ho Chi Minh City had approximately 76,400 10th-grade exam takers, a decrease from over 98,000 last year. Public schools offered 70,000 places, resulting in a record high passing rate of 91%.

According to Dinh Phu Cuong, principal of Nguyen Van Luong secondary school in District 6, most schools lowered their admission scores due to the significant decrease in the number of applicants (approximately 13,000 fewer students) compared to last year, while the number of available places increased.

Most schools requiring 3.5 points per subject are located in suburban and outlying areas. Students in these areas generally have lower academic performance than those in the city center, and the number of applications is lower than the allocated quota. This is also the reason why Nguyen Thi Dieu, Tan Tuc, and Ngo Gia Tu high schools significantly reduced their admission scores from 14-15 last year to a record low of 10.5.

Cuong said that after learning their exam scores, more than 20 students from Nguyen Van Luong secondary school with scores between 13 and 15 withdrew their applications to enroll in private or international schools.

"These students could have been admitted to their third-choice schools, but their families were not confident, so they withdrew their applications to send their children to other schools. As a result, lower-ranked schools will struggle to recruit enough students," Cuong stated.

School	2022 Standard Score	2023 Standard Score	2024 Standard Score	10.5
An Nghia High School	10.5	10.5	10.5
An Nhon Tay High School	10.5	10.5	11.5
Binh Khanh High School	10.5	10.5	10.5
Can Thanh High School	10.5	10.5	10.5
Da Phuoc High School	10.5	10.5	11.5
Duong Van Duong High School	13	13	13
Long Truong High School	11	12.25	12
Ngo Gia Tu High School	12.5	12	14
Nguyen Thi Dieu High School	16	15.5	15.25
Nguyen Van Linh High School	10.5	11.25	11.25
Nguyen Van Tang High School	10.75	11.75	11
Phong Phu High School	10.5	11	12.5
Tan Tuc High School	12	12.75	14
Trung Lap High School	10.5	10.5	11.75

This year, 77 schools lowered their 10th-grade admission scores, with most decreases ranging from 0.25 to 4.75 points. The most surprising drop was at Gia Dinh high school, where the admission score decreased by 4.25 points, pushing it out of the top 10.

Conversely, Tran Dai Nghia secondary-high school had the most significant increase in admission scores, from 20 to 24.5 points. This is the most competitive high school in the city, with an application-to-acceptance ratio of nearly three to one.

Top 15 schools with the most significant changes in admission scores

Two days ago, the Department of Education and Training announced specialized 10th-grade admission scores, most of which also decreased by 0.25 to 5 points compared to last year. Le Hong Phong specialized high school's computer science program saw the largest drop, from 37.25 to 32.25. This was followed by the chemistry and physics programs at Tran Dai Nghia high school, both decreasing by 4 points.

The biology and history programs at these two schools saw an increase in admission scores of 2.25 to 3 points, leading the way this year.

Specialized 10th-grade admission scores