[1] Each government or aided school assigns 50% of their Primary 1 places as "Discretionary Places" which can be offered to prospective students at the discretion of each school, while the other half are reserved for central allocation.
All parents who intend to send their child to a public primary school in Hong Kong are required to participate in the POA System.
Of the Discretionary Places (which comprise 50% of all places offered), up to 30% (out of 50%) are reserved for applicant children whose siblings study at a particular school or whose parents work there at the time of application, with the remaining 20% or more reserved for points-based admission.
[3] The points-based system for the remaining places involves multiple criteria for calculating points.
Schools are not allowed to conduct tests or interviews on the applicant's acquired knowledge.
[2]: 4 For children who reside in mainland China or Macau and commute to school into Hong Kong daily, the EDB reserved a list of schools for such applicants, which are located close to border crossings.
Many parents who can afford housing in these districts move into them in order to increase the chances their children can secure a place at these schools.