Singapore to Add Three New SPED Schools for Students With ASD-ID, Expand Others From Late 2026

Singapore will add three new special education (SPED) schools for students with autism spectrum disorder with intellectual disability (ASD-ID), with the first opening from mid-2026 as demand for places continues to rise.

This move will increase the number of SPED schools serving students with ASD-ID from 13 to 16.

One of the three new schools will operate from an interim site in the North-east from the second half of 2026, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Education Syed Harun said during the Education Ministry’s budget debate. Details on the other two schools will be shared at a later date.

The expansion is part of a broader push to increase SPED capacity by about 30%, from around 9,000 students today to about 12,000 by the early 2030s. MOE said the measures are intended to meet projected demand while improving geographic access across the island.

Existing schools to get additional campuses, larger interim sites

In addition, MOE will expand several existing SPED schools from the second half of 2026 onwards.

Hence, additional campuses for MINDS Fernvale Gardens School and MINDS Lee Kong Chian Gardens School will operate from interim sites in the eastern and central regions, respectively. From 2027, MINDS Towner Gardens School will add another campus at an interim site in the east, while MINDS Woodlands Gardens School will relocate to a larger interim site in the north.

MOE said these moves are expected to increase capacity and, for some students, shorten daily commutes.

Sources:

- Three new special education schools to open by early 2030s

- Three new SPED schools for students with autism and intellectual disability to open

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