Two wards in Ho Chi Minh City without junior high schools

Despite having three to four elementary schools serving approximately 4,000 to 5,000 students, Tan Son and Phu Thuan wards have no junior high schools.

According to data from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, all communes and wards in the area have at least one elementary school. However, for junior high schools, there is a significant disparity in many localities.

Specifically, Tan Son ward (in the former Tan Binh district) has three elementary schools with nearly 4,100 students, not including nearly 1,800 preschool children, yet it has no junior high schools, including private ones. Phu Thuan ward (in the former District 7) faces a similar situation, despite having four elementary schools with nearly 5,000 students and approximately 3,200 preschool children.

Considering only public schools, Tay Nam ward (in the former Binh Duong province) also lacks a junior high school. Additionally, many communes and wards show a disparity of 5 to 7 schools between the elementary and junior high levels:

Unit	Elementary schools	Junior high schools
Long Hai Commune	14	7
Binh Hung Hoa Ward	9	3
Tan An Hoi Commune	8	3
Hiep Binh Ward	8	3
Thuan Giao Ward	8	3

Conversely, five areas have more junior high schools than elementary schools: Tan Hoa, Cat Lai, Binh Phu, Binh Quoi, and Tru Van Tho.

On April 9, Nguyen Van Phong, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, acknowledged that the absence of junior high schools or significant disparities in school numbers between the two levels creates a localized supply-demand imbalance. This could lead to overcrowding in areas with high immigrant populations and large population fluctuations.

For localities without junior high schools or with many elementary schools but only one junior high school, the department will coordinate with the People's Committees of the communes and wards to manage and allocate students.

"Students transitioning from grade 5 to grade 6 will be placed in schools in neighboring areas, ensuring they have a place to study," the Deputy Director stated.

This year, the city expects over 197,500 children to enter grade 1 and 185,700 students to enter grade 6. These numbers represent decreases of approximately 6,100 and 2,200 students, respectively, compared to last year.

The allocation of school places is based on the local and adjacent school network, the number of children of school age, and the actual distance. The city uses a Geographic Information System (GIS) to determine the distance from a student's home to school, facilitating placement for students to attend schools close to home.