Hong Kong school to close in 2029 over Primary One enrolment shortfall

A primary school on an outlying island in Hong Kong will cease operations in the 2029–30 academic year after failing to submit a survival plan due to an insufficient number of Primary One pupils for next year.CCC Cheung Chau Church Kam Kong Primary School will also be the first of 15 under-enrolled schools barred from operating subsidised P1 classes from September.A spokeswoman for the Education Bureau said on Friday that the school did not apply for any survival options despite being instructed to do so.“Also, its view on operating the number of Primary One classes in 2026–27 was not accepted [by the Education Bureau]. According to current policy, the Education Bureau will cease providing subsidies to the school starting from the 2029–30 academic year, and the school will close,” she said.The scheduled closure comes one month after the Education Bureau announced that 15 public primary schools – the highest number in recent years – would be barred from operating subsidised Primary One classes in the coming academic year due to insufficient enrolment.The schools failed to secure at least 16 pupils to run one subsidised Primary One class next year.Schools that fail to secure a class must submit survival plans to the government and face closure after three years if the plans are not approved. They may only opt to merge with other schools or operate private P1 classes on a self-financing basis.The bureau has been approached for comment on whether it has approved other schools’ survival plans.A spokeswoman for the bureau said it had contacted all affected parents individually since mid-March to explain the school’s situation and provide placement support.Parents can choose from two other public primary schools in Cheung Chau within the same school net, as both have sufficient places at all levels to meet demand, she said, adding that most affected parents had already made their choices.It said current Primary Three to Six students could continue studying at the school, while the bureau would help Primary One and Two students transfer to other schools after the 2028–29 academic year.Further ReadingThis is not the first time the school has failed to admit sufficient P1 pupils.In 2023, it failed to admit enough pupils for the 2023–24 academic year, but later secured approval to run private classes.