Quick Answer: Hong Kong kindergarten admissions run on a fixed calendar: K1 applications for the 2027/28 year open from September to November 2026, results come before 11 December, and registration is 7 to 9 January 2027. Pre-nursery has no unified timeline and is where the competition starts. Here is how each stage works, what it costs, and when to move.
Hong Kong kindergarten admissions run on a calendar set by the Education Bureau: for the 2027/28 school year, K1 applications open from September to November 2026, results go out before 11 December 2026, and admitted children register on 7 to 9 January 2027. Pre-nursery, the year before K1, has no unified timeline and is where competitive families start. This guide explains the stages, the dates, what each type of school costs in 2026, and when to move. Browse kindergartens and preschools listed on Portal Hong Kong by district.
What are the stages?
| Stage | Age at entry | Who runs the timeline | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Playgroup | 6 months to 2 years | Each provider | Parent-accompanied sessions; no admissions competition |
| Pre-nursery (PN, nursery, N1) | 2 to 3 | Each kindergarten | Outside the Kindergarten Education Scheme; fee-paying; often the route into the same school's K1 |
| K1 (lower kindergarten) | 3 (born 2024 for 2027/28) | Education Bureau for scheme kindergartens | Applications Sept to Nov 2026, results before 11 Dec 2026, registration 7 to 9 Jan 2027 |
| K2, K3 | 4, 5 | Each kindergarten | Progression is automatic; transfers possible if places exist |
| International kindergarten / pre-school | 2 to 5 | Each school | Own calendars, usually rolling from a year ahead; often feeds the school's primary section |
How does K1 admission work for 2027/28?
- Registration Certificate. Every child needs a Registration Certificate for Kindergarten Admission, now electronic (e-RC), applied for from the EDB from September 2026; details are announced by the EDB in or before September. Children without Hong Kong residence status get an Admission Pass instead.
- Applications, September to November 2026. Kindergartens in the scheme must publish their application dates, procedure and criteria in advance, cannot limit the number of forms, and cannot charge more than HK$40 per application. Apply to several.
- Interviews, typically October to November. Group or parent-and-child sessions; kindergartens must tell you the format and how many children they interview.
- Results before 11 December 2026.
- Centralised Registration, 7 to 9 January 2027. You register at one kindergarten only, by presenting the e-RC; the certificate is used up by that registration. Choose before the dates.
- Vacancies from late January 2027. The EDB publishes a district list of kindergartens with K1 to K3 places for families still looking.
Source: EDB Circular Memorandum 80/2026, dated 8 June 2026, on the 2027/28 K1 Admission Arrangements.
How does pre-nursery work?
Pre-nursery sits outside the scheme, so each kindergarten runs its own admissions. Windows typically open in the first half of the year before entry, some as early as the child's first birthday at sought-after schools, and interviews are short parent-and-child sessions. Many kindergartens give their PN children priority for K1, which is the reason for the competition: parents apply to PN to secure the K1 place. Fees are set by the school, from roughly HK$2,000 a month at a local half-day PN to HK$15,000 or more at bilingual and international programmes. Check the school's own page and Portal Hong Kong's preschool listings for the current dates.
What does it cost in 2026/27?
| Type | Annual fee, 2026/27 | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Scheme kindergarten, half-day | Free for eligible children at most; small fees at some | EDB Kindergarten Education Scheme |
| Scheme kindergarten, whole-day or long whole-day | Capped fees; varies by school | School fee certificates |
| Non-scheme local or bilingual kindergarten | HK$40,000 to HK$120,000 | School fee pages |
| ESF kindergartens (Abacus, Hillside, Tsing Yi, Wu Kai Sha) | HK$101,300 to HK$111,400 | ESF fees 2026/27 |
| International kindergartens and pre-schools | About HK$50,000 to HK$200,000+ | School fee pages; see our American curriculum schools guide for the primary years |
| Pre-nursery, all types | HK$2,000 to HK$15,000 a month | School fee pages |
Add uniforms, books, activities and, at some private schools, a capital levy or debenture. Scheme kindergartens must publish their fees and are inspected by the EDB.
When should you move?
- Child born 2024: apply for K1 in September to November 2026. If you also want PN for 2026/27, that window has largely passed; ask about vacancies.
- Child born 2025: PN applications for 2027/28 open at many schools in the first half of 2027; K1 applications will be September to November 2027.
- Arriving mid-year: the EDB vacancy list and direct enquiries to kindergartens near home are the route; scheme kindergartens fill K1 to K3 vacancies on a rolling basis after the registration dates.
- International track: apply a year ahead; the school's pre-school is often the surest way into its primary section, and waitlists at the American and British schools are long. Our guide to relocation companies covers school-search support for families moving in.
How do you choose?
Distance first: kindergarten days are short and most families walk or take a school bus. Then language of instruction (Cantonese, Putonghua, English or a mix), session length (half-day or whole-day), the curriculum style, the K1 priority given to PN children, and, for the international track, which primary schools the kindergarten feeds. Visit, ask about class sizes and teacher qualifications (scheme kindergartens report these), and check the EDB's Kindergarten Profile. Portal Hong Kong lists kindergartens and preschools by district, from Central to Tsim Sha Tsui; for older children, see international schools.
Frequently asked questions
- When do I apply for K1 in Hong Kong?
- For the 2027/28 school year, kindergartens accept K1 applications from September to November 2026, inform parents of results before 11 December 2026, and register admitted children on the Centralised Registration Dates of 7 to 9 January 2027, under Education Bureau Circular Memorandum 80/2026. Children need a Registration Certificate for Kindergarten Admission, now issued electronically, which parents apply for from the EDB in the autumn.
- What is pre-nursery (PN) and when do I apply?
- Pre-nursery, also called playgroup or nursery, takes children aged two to three in the year before K1. It is outside the Kindergarten Education Scheme, so there is no EDB timeline: kindergartens set their own application windows, typically the year before entry, and many parents apply in the first half of the year the child turns two. Attending a kindergarten's PN class usually improves the odds of a K1 place there.
- How old does my child need to be for K1?
- Children born in 2024 are the main cohort for K1 in 2027/28; kindergartens generally take children who have reached two years eight months by 1 September of the entry year. Check each school's cut-off, and note that some accept younger children for PN.
- How much does kindergarten cost in Hong Kong?
- Half-day places at kindergartens in the Kindergarten Education Scheme, about 90% of local kindergartens, are free or close to it for eligible children, with whole-day and long whole-day classes charging a fee; kindergartens outside the scheme charge school fees. English Schools Foundation kindergartens charge HK$101,300 to HK$111,400 a year in 2026/27, and international kindergartens run from about HK$50,000 to more than HK$200,000 a year. Pre-nursery programmes are typically HK$2,000 to HK$15,000 a month.
- What is the Kindergarten Education Scheme?
- The Education Bureau's scheme, running since 2017/18, funds participating non-profit kindergartens so that half-day places are free for eligible children, with capped fees for whole-day classes. Participating kindergartens follow the EDB's admission arrangements, the application fee ceiling (HK$40 for 2027/28) and the Centralised Registration Dates.
- How do kindergarten interviews work?
- Most kindergartens interview every applicant, usually in October and November for K1, in group or parent-and-child formats lasting 15 to 30 minutes. They look at the child's readiness and the parents' fit rather than academic skills. Applying to several schools is normal; the EDB caps the application fee for scheme kindergartens so parents are not penalised for multiple applications.
