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School Liaison Officer FAQs
1. Is there a DoDEA school in Singapore? No. DoDEA’s Non-DoD Schools Program (NDSP) provides support and funding for the education of authorized command-sponsored dependents of military members and DoD civilian employees assigned to overseas areas where no DoDEA school is available within the commuting area.
2. How do we register our students for school? See Registration Checklist in Downloads Tab.
3. Is enrollment at our school of choice guaranteed? No spaces within schools in Singapore are held or designated for U.S. government dependents.
4. May we apply to several schools? No. Sponsors may only apply to the school identified on their NDSP registration.
5. Is there a list of approved schools? No; however, there are several lists of schools available:
• "Schools Serving Singapore Area Coordinator" tab and
• NDSP publishes a list of school options - available at https://www.dodea.edu/aboutDoDEA/districtsAndSchools.cfm.
• The U.S. Department of State also publishes several lists of schools - available at https://state.gov/m/a/os/c1684.htm and https://state.gov/m/a/os/155608.htm.
6. When can my child begin Kindergarten? In a location where a school follows a Northern Hemisphere/U.S. school calendar (school begins in July/August/September), the child must turn five years old on or before December 31 of that school year. In a location where a school follows a Southern Hemisphere school calendar (school begins in January/February/March), the child must be at least four years and eight months old by the beginning of the school year. When a school entry date cut off is earlier than December 31, the school's Kindergarten age policy prevails. NDSP policy may not override a school's policy (e.g. a school's cut-off date of September 30) if the child turns five after September 1 (for Northern Hemisphere calendar schools) or February 1 (for Southern Hemisphere calendar schools), the NDSP requires an official memorandum from the school indicating that the school has accepted the child into the equivalent of U.S. Kindergarten.
Age requirements for entry into the equivalent of U.S. Kindergarten for several Singapore schools (based on the academic year) are outlined below.
Southern Hemisphere Calendar Schools
• Australian International School Entry Date: April 30
Northern Hemisphere Calendar Schools
• GEMS World Academy: September 1 (Will evaluate individual students with birthdates beyond this cut-off date.)
• International Community School: August 31
• Nexus International School: August 1
• Stamford American International School: August 31
• Singapore American School: September 1
The U.S. equivalent of Kindergarten may be identified by different names in different styles of education and at different schools. K2 is a common term in Singapore for the U.S. equivalent of Kindergarten. Please note the Comparison School Systems Grade Equivalents in the Downloads tab.
2. How do we register our students for school? See Registration Checklist in Downloads Tab.
3. Is enrollment at our school of choice guaranteed? No spaces within schools in Singapore are held or designated for U.S. government dependents.
4. May we apply to several schools? No. Sponsors may only apply to the school identified on their NDSP registration.
5. Is there a list of approved schools? No; however, there are several lists of schools available:
• "Schools Serving Singapore Area Coordinator" tab and
• NDSP publishes a list of school options - available at https://www.dodea.edu/aboutDoDEA/districtsAndSchools.cfm.
• The U.S. Department of State also publishes several lists of schools - available at https://state.gov/m/a/os/c1684.htm and https://state.gov/m/a/os/155608.htm.
6. When can my child begin Kindergarten? In a location where a school follows a Northern Hemisphere/U.S. school calendar (school begins in July/August/September), the child must turn five years old on or before December 31 of that school year. In a location where a school follows a Southern Hemisphere school calendar (school begins in January/February/March), the child must be at least four years and eight months old by the beginning of the school year. When a school entry date cut off is earlier than December 31, the school's Kindergarten age policy prevails. NDSP policy may not override a school's policy (e.g. a school's cut-off date of September 30) if the child turns five after September 1 (for Northern Hemisphere calendar schools) or February 1 (for Southern Hemisphere calendar schools), the NDSP requires an official memorandum from the school indicating that the school has accepted the child into the equivalent of U.S. Kindergarten.
Age requirements for entry into the equivalent of U.S. Kindergarten for several Singapore schools (based on the academic year) are outlined below.
Southern Hemisphere Calendar Schools
• Australian International School Entry Date: April 30
Northern Hemisphere Calendar Schools
• GEMS World Academy: September 1 (Will evaluate individual students with birthdates beyond this cut-off date.)
• International Community School: August 31
• Nexus International School: August 1
• Stamford American International School: August 31
• Singapore American School: September 1
The U.S. equivalent of Kindergarten may be identified by different names in different styles of education and at different schools. K2 is a common term in Singapore for the U.S. equivalent of Kindergarten. Please note the Comparison School Systems Grade Equivalents in the Downloads tab.
