Central Allocation Part A
Central Allocation Part A 2027/28: three choices outside the school net
Part A is processed before Part B and allows up to three choices without a school-net restriction. It represents 10% of Central Allocation places.
Cycle status
2027/28 dates are not published
As of 15 Jul 2026, the Education Bureau has not published the formal 2027/28 dates or school-choice lists. This guide explains current official system rules; every 2026 item remains clearly labelled as a historical reference.
Search-ready summary
Quick answer
Part A uses 10% of Central Allocation places and lets parents list up to three government or aided schools from any school net, including the home net. The computer considers every applicant's first choice in random-number order before moving unmatched applicants to the second and then third choice.
Key facts
- Share of Central Allocation
- 10%
- Number of choices
- Up to three
- School net
- Any net
- Processing order
- Before Part B
Schools that can be chosen in Part A
Part A uses 10% of each school's Central Allocation places. A family may list up to three government or aided primary schools from any Hong Kong school net in genuine preference order, including schools in the home net. Each school has a four-digit choice code in that year's official list; verify both the name and code.
No school-net restriction describes the selection range, not an easier allocation route. Demand for a cross-district school, each applicant's random number and actual places cannot be known by a family in advance.
How the computer processes each preference
The computer processes Part A before Part B. Within Part A, it reviews every applicant's first choice in random-number order. Unmatched applicants proceed to the second choice and then the third in the same way. Choice order is an actual allocation instruction, not a decorative preference label.
Do not repeat the same school within one part because each choice code is processed only once there. A school in the child's home net may appear again in Part B because the two parts are processed separately.
Must all three boxes be filled?
Education Bureau rules permit one to three choices and do not require every box to be filled. Each entry should be a school the family would genuinely accept in that position after considering travel, care, learning arrangements and the child's needs. Do not add an unacceptable school merely to “use every chance”.
Leaving a box empty does not transfer places to Part B or improve the random number. Understand the order and consequence of each choice instead of copying a fixed online template.
Part A pre-submission checklist
- Use only the formal 2027/28 choice list and codes.
- Confirm each entry is a government or aided primary school, not a similarly named private or DSS school.
- Order the schools by genuine family preference.
- Record travel time, care arrangements and why each place is acceptable.
- For a home-net school, separately decide its position in Part B.
- Recheck every four-digit code and retain the submitted form record.
Common questions
Questions parents ask
Must a family list three schools in Part A?
No. Part A allows one to three government or aided schools from any school net.
Can Part A include a school from the home net?
Yes. It may include any net, including the home net, and the same school may be listed again in Part B.
Does repeating one school three times improve the chance?
No. Each school choice code is processed only once within the same part.
Source record
Official sources
Every item below is a primary Hong Kong Government or Education Bureau source. Exact 2026 dates are labelled as historical, while cross-cycle policies retain their stated coverage. A 2027/28 release will be added as a new update rather than silently relabelling an old year.
- 2026 notes on completing the Choice of Schools FormOfficial rules for Parts A and B, choice codes, preference order and random numbers.Open official source ↗
- Information leaflet: Application for Admission to Primary One in September 2026The two-stage process, place proportions, Points System and timetable for the clearly labelled 2026 reference cycle.Open official source ↗
- Primary One school-net listsOfficial entry for annual school nets, schools and choice information.Open official source ↗
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Editorial boundary
P1Tracker converts Education Bureau rules into planning checklists and does not represent the Bureau or any school. It does not predict an individual result, encourage a false address, or present an old-cycle date, unofficial ranking or reported minimum score as a 2027/28 guarantee. Formal forms, personal notices and the latest Education Bureau announcement take precedence.