Tran Dai Nghia Secondary-High School, the city's most selective school, had nearly 70 open seats, the equivalent of two classes, after the main admissions round. However, it received no applications during the supplementary round.

The situation was similar at Nguyen Thuong Hien High School, Le Quy Don High School, Phu Nhuan High School, and the High School of Education (University of Education, Ho Chi Minh City), despite each having 15 to 80 remaining spots. These schools are all among the top 10 in the city.

In the suburbs, schools like Da Phuoc High School, An Nhon Tay High School, Trung Lap High School, and Nguyen Van Tang High School, which had a minimum entry score of 10.5, also received only a handful of applications.

This low application rate was anticipated by many schools, despite the Department of Education and Training easing the supplementary admission requirements.

In 2023, applicants had to meet the standard of the third choice (0.5 to 2 points higher than the first choice). In 2024, the Department divided schools into two groups: suburban schools accepted applications meeting the first-choice standard, while top and central schools used the third-choice standard. This year, all schools used the first-choice standard.

Lam Trieu Nghi, principal of Nguyen Thuong Hien High School, explained that few high-scoring students failed to get into any of their chosen schools. During the supplementary round, the school received only one eligible application, but the student was from another province and wanted boarding accommodations. The student later opted for a private school.

According to another principal, the pool of supplementary applicants is limited because fewer students failed the 10th-grade entrance exam than in previous years. This year, approximately 76,400 students took the exam in Ho Chi Minh City, down from over 98,000 last year. Public schools offered 70,000 places, resulting in a record-high passing rate of 91%. In previous years, the rate ranged from 65% to 70%. This high passing rate has made it difficult for even lower-ranked schools to fill their remaining seats.

Supplementary round quotas and first-round entry scores for 37 high schools:

With a first-round entry score of 20.25, Trung Vuong High School admitted three additional students. Principal Nguyen Dang Khoa explained that these students had applied to highly competitive schools in the first round and were not admitted.

Some localities lowered their entry scores for the supplementary round. However, Khoa believes this approach is not suitable for Ho Chi Minh City. He argues that lowering the standards would be unfair to students admitted in the first round. It could also lead to chaos as some students might gamble on a score reduction, delaying enrollment or switching schools, causing local imbalances.

Students take the public high school entrance exam at Trung Vuong High School, 6/2025. Photo: Quynh Tran

Students take the public high school entrance exam at Trung Vuong High School, 6/2025. Photo: Quynh Tran

The Ho Chi Minh City public high school entrance exam took place on 6-7/6, with approximately 76,400 participants. 77 out of 109 high schools lowered their entry scores by 0.25 to 4.75 points compared to last year.

After the initial round, the Department approved supplementary admissions for over 2,300 students at 37 schools. The final number of supplementary admissions has not been released. Last year, the city admitted an additional 1,400 students out of 2,200 available spots, a 63.54% fill rate.

Le Nguyen