Hou Kong Middle School’s Hengqin Campus to expand with new grades

[Photo: China Daily]

Hengqin School Affiliated to Hou Kong Middle School will add fourth-grade primary and first-year junior high classes in September, bringing total enrollment to more than 970 students.

The junior high school will open four first-year classes with about 120 students. Additional junior high grades will be added annually, with the school expected to begin offering senior high school classes in about three years.

Chan Hong, executive principal of the school, said that the school currently offers kindergarten classes from K1 to K3 and primary school grades one through three, as cited in media reports.

About 99% of its students are from Macau.

The school aims to develop into a comprehensive kindergarten-to-high-school institution, with plans for 66 classes and capacity for 2,310 students. Its curriculum generally follows Macau’s education framework while incorporating elements of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program.

Facilities include a Chinese culture experience center, laboratories and art spaces designed to support students’ overall development and broaden their learning experiences.

Xu Fengmei, deputy director of the Livelihood Affairs Bureau of the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, said the zone currently has 18 schools and kindergartens operating with differentiated development. Total enrollment is expected to exceed 10,000 students for the first time in the new school year, while the number of Macau students is also expected to surpass 1,000, representing a year-on-year increase of about 20%.

Three more schools will open, while the secondary section of the Hengqin Hou Kong Middle School will also begin operations, further expanding available places and improving staffing and school systems.

Xu said a cross-border school bus service launched in September 2025 has served more than 14,000 passenger trips. Eight routes will operate in September to further facilitate students’ daily cross-border commutes.