Benchmark scores strongly differentiated, many schools "reach the bottom
Hanoi Department of Education and Training has announced the benchmark scores for admission to 10th grade of specialized and non-specialized public high schools in the city in the 2026-2027 school year. Yen Hoa High School, Kim Lien High School and Le Quy Don-Ha Dong High School lead with the highest benchmark score of 26, meaning that on average, candidates must achieve 8.66 points/subject. 14 schools in the top list have benchmark scores above 24 points (average above 8 points per subject).
Meanwhile, in the opposite direction, the school with the lowest benchmark score is Minh Chau Primary, Secondary and High School with 8.5 points. This is an unprecedented low benchmark score, when candidates with an average score of only 2.83 points/subject are also admitted to public schools. My Duc C High School this year also had a disastrously low benchmark score, 9 points, lower than last year by 3.5 points (last year 12.5 points).
Schools in the group with the lowest benchmark scores in Hanoi this year include familiar schools such as: Luu Hoang, Minh Quang, Dai Cuong...
Mr. Hoang Chi Sy - Principal of Luu Hoang High School - shared that the reason why the school has a low percentage of candidates submitting applications for first choice is because students with good academic ability often follow their parents to work far away. Almost every year, the number of candidates registering for first choice is much lower than the assigned target. However, the high school graduation exam results in recent years have all reached 100%.
Hanoi needs to gradually ensure a more uniform quality of education between schools.
In fact, the difference in benchmark scores between public high schools in Hanoi has been going on for many years. This leads to the paradox that students, even if they get 24 points (3 subjects), can still fail public schools if they put all 3 aspirations into top schools. Conversely, in some schools with low competition rates, candidates only need to get about 9 points for 3 subjects to be admitted.
The large difference in benchmark scores reflects the gap in attractiveness between schools, and at the same time shows that competitive pressure is concentrated on some top schools, while many other schools have not attracted learners commensurate with the enrollment scale. This also makes the choice of aspirations a decisive factor no less than the exam results of candidates, creating a "fever" for 10th grade public schools.
Meritorious Teacher. Dr. Nguyen Tung Lam - Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Psychological and Educational Science Association - acknowledged that Hanoi City currently does not lack places to study. Besides the public school system, many private schools have been invested in spacious facilities, and the teaching staff is also increasingly improving in quality. However, the big problem is that people are still focused on the goal of having to study in public schools. This has created a "fever" for 10th grade public schools for many years.
First of all, it is necessary to change the perception of parents, students and teachers about the value of learning. Citing the experience from Dinh Tien Hoang High School, he said that although the entrance scores of many students are not high, even some students do not take the 10th grade entrance exam, the high high school graduation rate is still high and many students are admitted to universities, including top schools.
This result comes from the school's focus on educating students in a "5 self" lifestyle: Creative self-study, self-reliance, self-respect, self-confidence and self-responsibility. When students understand that the value of learning lies in their own development, not just in the school name, exam pressure will be significantly reduced" - Meritorious Teacher. Dr. Nguyen Tung Lam shared.
The second solution is to gradually narrow the quality gap between schools. According to Mr. Lam, one of the reasons leading to the "public school fever" is the disparity in the quality of education between institutions. Therefore, Hanoi needs to have a long-term plan to improve the quality evenly between schools, ensuring that all students have access to an educational environment that meets the requirements of the general education program. When the quality of education is improved evenly, the pressure on some top schools will also decrease.
In addition, it is necessary to change the mentality of discrimination between public and private schools. The third solution is to increase autonomy for educational institutions in parallel with accountability. According to Mr. Lam, public schools need to be given more autonomy to improve training quality, but management teams, especially principals, must have sufficient operating capacity. Teachers also need to be given the right to innovate educational methods and be responsible for training results.
