According to statistics from Lao Dong Newspaper, among more than 170 high schools enrolling 10th grade this year, 10 schools took the first-round admission benchmark score at 9 points - the lowest in the whole city.
With this benchmark score, candidates only need to achieve an average of about 3 points/subject in three subjects: Math, Literature and English to have a chance of being admitted to public schools.
Explaining this, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training (GDĐT) said that in the 2026-2027 school year, there are more than 151,200 candidates participating in the 10th grade entrance exam, of which Ho Chi Minh City area before the merger alone had 105,377 registered candidates.
Implementing the direction of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee on ensuring the highest percentage of admitted students to enroll, the Department has implemented many solutions to create more opportunities to enter public schools for students.
In which, for areas with low population density, where facilities and schools have been fully invested, the Department adjusts the admission floor score to 9 points. According to the Department of Education and Training, this solution helps students study at schools near their residence, reduce travel pressure for families, and effectively exploit existing facilities and places of study.
In the opposite direction, in the inner city area, where the demand for learning exceeds the source of public school places, enrollment is still carried out on the basis of enrolling enough assigned quotas. Therefore, the benchmark scores between schools vary significantly depending on the number of registered candidates and the characteristics of each area.
The group of 10 schools with a benchmark score of 9 points includes: Can Thanh High School (Can Gio commune), Nguyen Hue High School (Phuoc Thanh commune), Duong Bach Mai High School (Phuoc Hai commune), Tran Phu High School (Kim Long commune), Nguyen Van Cu High School (Xuan Son commune), Hac Dich High School (Tan Thanh ward), Phuoc Buu High School (Ho Tram commune), Hoa Binh High School (Hoa Hoi commune), Bung Rieng High School (Xuyen Moc commune) and Vo Nguyen Giap High School (Phu My ward).
In which, Vo Nguyen Giap High School is a newly established school and enrolls 10th grade for the first time in the 2026-2027 school year.
In addition to the 9-point group, there are also 4 schools taking 10 points including: Binh Khanh High School, An Nghia High School (Binh Khanh commune), Nguyen Trai High School (Ngai Giao commune) and Ngo Quyen High School (Nghia Thanh commune). With this level, many students with an average score of about 3-3.3 points/subject still have the opportunity to be admitted to public high schools.
The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training said that the determination of benchmark scores is carried out on the principle of publicity, transparency, balance between the assigned targets and the actual number of admitted candidates of each school, ensuring fairness for all candidates.
This year, the 10th grade entrance exam in Ho Chi Minh City takes place in two days, June 1 and 2, with more than 151,000 candidates participating. This is the first year the exam has been organized after Ho Chi Minh City expanded its administrative boundaries on the basis of merging with Binh Duong and Ba Ria - Vung Tau.
The 10th grade admission score is usually calculated by the total score of three subjects Literature, Mathematics and English along with priority points (if any). Candidates must take all three subjects, not violate exam regulations and have no exam papers with a score of 0.
According to the plan of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, after announcing the benchmark scores, admitted candidates will confirm enrollment according to the prescribed time. Based on the actual number of enrolled students, the Department will consider organizing additional enrollment for schools that still lack quotas.
The supplementary admission consideration area applies to students who have participated in the 10th grade public school entrance exam for the 2026-2027 school year but have not been admitted to the registered aspirations.
