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Applying to ESF in Hong Kong? From choosing your first-preference school to understanding interviews, waitlists and your chances of getting a Year 1 place, we asked Julie Wong, ESF’s Head of Admissions, the questions parents really want answered.
If you’ve ever mentioned ESF applications in a Hong Kong parent group, you’ll know everyone has a story. Put this school first. Don’t bother applying there. You need to start at ESF kindergarten. Your random number determines everything. And whatever you do, make sure you rank your schools just so.
As parents navigating the Hong Kong school system ourselves, we get it. Choosing a school is stressful enough without trying to work out which advice is current, which is based on someone else’s experience five years ago and which is simply playground rumour. Plus, a lot has changed within ESF in recent years.
So rather than rely on the group chat, we went straight to the source. We put the questions we were asking, and the ones we kept hearing from other Hong Kong parents, to Julie Wong, Head of Admissions at ESF.
Editor’s Note: These answers were provided directly by ESF in September 2026. Admissions availability and waitlists change, so always check current information with ESF before applying.
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What Are The Easiest And Hardest ESF Schools To Get Into?
Let’s start with the question everyone wants answered but rarely gets a straight response to: are some ESF schools genuinely easier to get into than others?
Yes.
Julie Wong, Head of Admissions at ESF, told Sassy Mama:
“At present, Peak School and Glenealy School have the shortest waitlists for primary admissions, while Tsing Yi Kindergarten is the most accessible for early years. Conversely, Renaissance College and Sha Tin Junior School are the most competitive primary schools, alongside Renaissance College Kindergarten.”
Of course, that doesn’t mean places at one school are guaranteed or that another is impossible to get into. Waitlists change as families move, turn down places or change their plans.
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Does Your School Preference Order Matter On An ESF Application?
This was one we really wanted clarified. Families can list multiple ESF schools on an application, which can make it feel as though you are giving yourself several equal chances of securing a place. But your choices aren’t treated equally.
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Does Putting An ESF School Second Put You Behind Families Who Put It First?
Yes.
Applicants are initially prioritised and waitlisted at their first-preference school. That means families who selected your second-choice school as their first preference are ahead of you in that school’s process.
So while choosing several schools gives ESF more options when processing your application, the order you put them in genuinely matters.
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Will My Child Be Interviewed By More Than One ESF School?
No.
Julie explains:
“Applicants are interviewed by only one school where a place is available. Applications are first reviewed by your first-preference school; if space is unavailable, they move sequentially through your remaining preferences.”
In other words: listing several schools does not mean receiving several interviews. This makes it all the more important to get your preference order right.
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Should You Put Your Favourite ESF School First — Or The One You’re Most Likely To Get Into?
Unfortunately, there isn’t one strategy that works for every family. ESF says it comes down to what matters most to you: securing a place at one particular school or getting your child into the ESF system more generally.
If there’s one campus your family strongly prefers, that may shape how you rank your choices. If your priority is securing an ESF education regardless of campus, you may look at your options differently.
There isn’t a secret order that guarantees admission.
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Is It Pointless Putting A Competitive ESF School Second Or Third?
This is where things become a little more reassuring.
ESF’s answer is no.
Even if a particular school is highly competitive today, that doesn’t mean it should automatically disappear from your list.
Julie told us:
“Not at all. Waitlist dynamics frequently shift as parents’ choices evolve over time. We strongly encourage families to include multiple options on their form, as doing so will never negatively impact a child’s overall application.”
So while first preference matters, there is still value in listing other schools you would genuinely be happy to accept.
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What Happens If None Of Your Preferred ESF Schools Has A Place?
This was another area where we had heard conflicting advice.
Julie explains:
“If no places are available at any of your preferred schools, the application will remain on the waitlist for your first-preference school. ESF does not proactively offer placements at schools that were not explicitly indicated on your application.”
That’s worth keeping in mind when filling in the application: don’t leave a school off because you’re assuming ESF will suggest it later.
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How Does The ESF Priority List Work?
ESF applications don’t operate on a straightforward first-come, first-served queue.
Some applicants have priority within the admissions process, including children of ESF staff, siblings of current students, certain debenture holders and alumni.
But having high priority does not automatically mean getting a place.
Julie says:
“Priority status offers applicants a significant advantage in the queue, but placement is never guaranteed as it remains dependent on overall seat availability and individual assessment results.”
And if your child has a lower admissions priority, that doesn’t mean there is no chance of an offer.
“While candidates with lower priority face a more competitive pathway, places do regularly become available as waitlists naturally progress throughout the admissions cycle.”
In other words, priority can make a significant difference, but availability and assessment still matter.
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Can You Find Out Your Child’s Position On An ESF Waitlist?
No.
Julie says:
“ESF does not disclose specific numerical rankings on waitlists. Positions fluctuate continuously as new high-priority applicants — such as staff children or siblings of current students — are added, and as other families’ enrolment plans change.”
So if you’re waiting for a place, there isn’t a definitive number that tells you exactly how close you are to receiving an offer.
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Are The Admissions Rules Different At Discovery College And Renaissance College?
According to ESF, the core admission criteria and priority guidelines apply consistently across ESF schools, including its Private Independent Schools, Discovery College and Renaissance College.
That doesn’t mean every school’s availability will look the same, but ESF says the admissions criteria and priority guidelines themselves are consistent.
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Can You Still Get An ESF Year 1 Place Without Attending An ESF Kindergarten?
Yes. But…
This is one of the biggest changes parents applying now need to understand. Children coming from non-ESF kindergartens can still be admitted to Year 1. However, ESF says the number of Year 1 places available to those applicants will become “significantly reduced” following the opening of its two new kindergartens, Quarry Bay School Kindergarten and West Kowloon Kindergarten, in the 2026–27 academic year.
For families whose main goal is a guaranteed ESF pathway, she adds, “enrolling at the K1 stage is strongly recommended.”
That doesn’t mean every family now has to start at ESF kindergarten. But for those of us who remember the old advice that you could simply “try for ESF at Year 1”, it is an important shift.
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How Are ESF Kindergarten Children Allocated A Primary School?
Under ESF’s associated-school pathway, kindergarten pupils have designated primary-school options. Where more than one associated primary school is involved, allocation takes into account parental preference and a computer-generated random number within each priority tier.
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Can You Choose A Primary School Outside Your ESF Kindergarten’s Associated Pathway?
No, not as part of the guaranteed pathway.
Julie confirmed:
“The guaranteed Year 1 placement applies strictly to the applicant’s designated associated primary school; parents cannot opt for a non-associated ESF primary school.”
If you’re choosing an ESF kindergarten specifically because you’re thinking ahead to primary, it’s worth understanding which primary school or schools that kindergarten feeds into before you apply.
Read More: International Pre-Nursery, Kindergartens And Preschools In Hong Kong
So, What’s The Biggest Thing Parents Should Know About ESF Applications?
If there’s one thing we took away from putting these questions directly to ESF, it’s that there isn’t a secret admissions hack. But there are decisions on the application form that matter more than they might initially appear to.
Your first preference matters. Listing more schools can help, but it doesn’t give you multiple interviews. A priority category can improve your position without guaranteeing a place. And, perhaps most significantly for younger families, entering the ESF system at kindergarten is becoming increasingly important if your goal is a guaranteed pathway into Year 1.
The other big takeaway? The ESF application process parents navigated a few years ago isn’t necessarily the process families are navigating today. That’s exactly why we’d rather ask than rely on rumour.
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