What Philippine Science High School does

The Philippine Science High School System (PSHS or 'Pisay') is the premier government-run science high school system in the Philippines, operating under the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). Founded in 1971 in Diliman, Quezon City, the system comprises 16 campuses — one Main Campus and 15 regional campuses — that collectively serve approximately 9,990 scholars in a 6-year specialized STEM curriculum progressing through Foundation, Advancement, and Specialization Years. Admission is exclusively merit-based through competitive examination: the National Competitive Examination (NCE) for incoming Grade 7 and the Lateral Admission Qualifying Examination (LAQE) for Grades 8-9, with 240 slots at the Main Campus, 120 at major regional campuses, and 90 at smaller regional campuses.

Core offerings include the NCE and LAQE admissions products, the newly launched Pisay EDGE bridging program for incoming freshmen, the international Science Immersion Program (SIP) with university partners in Korea (Inje University), Thailand (KMUTNB), and Taiwan (NSYSU), and Open Educational Resources including mathematics videos built on Desmos and GeoGebra. The technology stack consists of Google Workspace for Education for productivity, a Moodle-based LMS (PSHS Khub), and a subscription Academic Integrity and Plagiarism Checking System under development. The website adheres to WCAG 2.0/ISO 40500 Level AA accessibility standards, and the system operates a Data Privacy Act-compliant framework registered with the National Privacy Commission.

PSHS is entirely funded by Philippine government appropriations through DOST — there is no commercial revenue, no tuition charged, and no private equity or shareholders. Scholarship benefits are need-based and tiered (Full, Partial 1-3) ranging from Php 500 to Php 4,000 per scholar per month including stipend and living allowance; the only fees are nominal non-refundable Php 300 processing fees for private-school applicants. The system is governed by a Board of Trustees chaired by the DOST Secretary, with Executive Director Ronnalee N. Orteza leading operations through the Office of the Executive Director (OED). Republic Act No. 12310 (Expanded PSHS System Act), with its IRR effective May 23, 2026, provides the statutory framework for ongoing expansion including a new Negros Island Region campus and DBM-approved staffing uplift of 121 positions.

Name

Philippine Science High School

Legal name

Philippine Science High School System

Website

https://pshs.edu.ph

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Philippine Science High School System is the Philippines' premier government-run science high school, operating 16 DOST-funded campuses that deliver a 6-year STEM-focused secondary education to roughly 9,990 scholars selected through the annual National Competitive Examination.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Secondary STEM Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public High Schools (EDAJAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Title I & Compensatory Education Programs (EDAJAGAJ)

Keywords

• STEM secondary education
• Government scholarship program
• Science high school system
• Gifted student education
• National competitive examination

Headquarters

HQ city

Quezon

HQ country

Philippines

HQ region

Asia

Offices17 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Scholarship Funding (DOST Appropriations): PSHS is a government scholarship institution under the Department of Science and Technology. All education services—tuition, textbooks, stipends, and allowances—are funded entirely by government appropriations. There is no revenue generation from students.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Philippine Science High School System (PSHSS) operates a fully government-funded, 6-year specialized STEM secondary education program for gifted Filipino students across 16 campuses nationwide. Students are admitted via the annual National Competitive Examination (NCE) for incoming Grade 7 and the Lateral Admission Qualifying Examination (LAQE) for Grades 8-9, receiving free tuition, textbooks, monthly stipends, and need-based living allowances as part of a DOST scholarship.

Product overview

The Philippine Science High School System is a government educational institution under DOST offering a comprehensive 6-year STEM-focused high school education across 16 campuses nationwide. The core offerings include the National Competitive Examination (NCE) for Grade 7 scholarship admission, the Lateral Admission Qualifying Examination (LAQE) for Grades 8-9 entry, and the specialized Pisay EDGE bridging program for incoming freshmen. The system provides international exposure through its Science Immersion Program (SIP) with partner universities in Korea and Thailand. Supplementary educational resources include Open Educational Resources (OER) with mathematics video tutorials using Desmos and GeoGebra. The PSHS 6-Year STEM Curriculum framework progresses through Foundation, Advancement, and Specialization Years, supported by publications including the Pisay Newsletter. All programs are scholarship-based, offering free tuition, textbooks, and monthly stipends to qualifying students.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• National Competitive Examination (NCE) Annual competitive examination for incoming Grade 7 students seeking PSHS scholarship admission. Tests Mathematics, Science, and Communication Arts (English). Successful qualifiers are rank-ordered and assigned to PSHS campuses (Main Campus for top 240; regional campuses for the remainder) and receive full government scholarship including free tuition, textbook loan, monthly stipend, and need-based living allowance.
• Lateral Admission Qualifying Examination (LAQE) Qualifying examination for non-PSHS students seeking lateral admission to Grades 8 and 9 across PSHS campuses. Tests Mathematics, Science, and Communication Arts. Open to students in the upper 5% of their class (or with 85%+ grades in all subjects) with a Very Satisfactory character rating. Admission is strictly rank-ordered against available slots per campus.
• Pisay EDGE (Entry Directions for Growth in Education) Bridging program for incoming Grade 7 PSHS scholars designed to strengthen foundational knowledge, address learning gaps, and familiarize students with the PSHS learning environment before the academic year begins. Delivered nationwide across all 16 campuses through onsite and online sessions covering Computer Science, English, Integrated Science, and Mathematics.
• Science Immersion Program (SIP) International science immersion program providing hands-on STEM experience through partnerships with universities abroad for selected PSHS scholars. Includes the Korea SIP at Inje University (cardiovascular and metabolic disease laboratory training) and the Thailand SIP at KMUTNB (interdisciplinary STEM learning covering Data Visualization with Power BI, Design Thinking, UX/UI Design, Robotics, IoT, Sustainable Energy, and Entrepreneurship), plus cross-cultural exchange.
• PSHS 6-Year STEM Curriculum Six-year specialized STEM curriculum framework for PSHS scholars delivered across all 16 campuses. Structured in three phases (Foundation Years, Advancement Years, Specialization Years) and aligned with the Philippine Qualifications Framework, Education 4.0, and Australian Curriculum general capabilities, developing 8 general capabilities including scientific and technological capability, digital citizenship, and global citizenship.
• Open Educational Resources (OER) Free publicly available educational materials, including mathematics instructional video tutorials using Desmos and GeoGebra, covering geometric concepts, distance and midpoint formulas, and circle equations. Made openly accessible to support broader STEM learning beyond PSHS scholars.
• PSHS Campus Network Nationwide network of 16 PSHS campuses across the Philippines providing the full 6-year STEM curriculum, scholarship benefits, and student services. Includes the flagship Main Campus in Quezon City (240 NCE qualifiers per year) and 15 regional campuses serving different provinces (120 slots for major regional campuses; 90 slots for smaller regional campuses).

Quantifiable outcome

• Top 240 NCE qualifiers admitted to Main Campus each year; remaining qualifiers admitted to regional campuses based on rank and campus preference.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Sun Yat-sen University (NSYSU), Taiwan - Department of ChemistrycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 June 2026Dr. Chun-Hu Chen and Dr. Vincent Wang from NSYSU's Department of Chemistry visited the DOST-PSHS System OED on June 9, 2026, to strengthen the growing partnership with PSHS. The delegation met with PSHS-Main Campus Director and toured the campus. An increasing number of Pisay graduates choose NSYSU for university studies, demonstrating the partnership's value in building global pathways for PSHS alumni.
• Fulbright Philippines and Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026The Fulbright-PhilSA Award in Space Science and Technology Applications, a joint program of Fulbright Philippines and PhilSA, is open to Filipinos (including PSHS alumni) pursuing graduate studies or doctoral research in the United States. The program aims to develop the next generation of Filipino space leaders, scientists, innovators, policymakers, and communicators. PSHS promoted this opportunity to its alumni network.
• Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disease Core Research Support Center, Inje University, South KoreacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 May 2026Inje University conducted the first international Science Immersion Program (SIP) in Korea (May 19-28, 2026) for five PSHS scholars. Students engaged in intensive laboratory training including Animal Sacrifice, Tissue Sampling, Echocardiography, SDS-PAGE, Protein Quantification, Western Blot, Mammalian Cell Culture, and Confocal Imaging. This was the inaugural SIP through this partnership, establishing a new international research pathway for Pisay scholars.
• King Mongkut's University of Technology North Bangkok (KMUTNB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 May 2026KMUTNB hosted a two-week Science Immersion Program (May 17-30, 2026) for 30 PSHS scholars representing campuses across the Philippines. Activities included Data Visualization using Power BI, Design Thinking for Innovation, UX/UI Design, Robotics and Automation, IoT Systems, Sustainable Energy, and Entrepreneurship. The program provided interdisciplinary STEM learning, cross-cultural exchange, and international collaboration with Thai students and faculty.
• DOST Gender and Development Unit, DOST-Science Education Institute, DOST-Science and Technology Information InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 February 2026These three DOST units co-organized the 2026 International Day of Women and Girls in Science forum at PSHS Main Campus on February 11, 2026, with the theme 'From Vision to Impact: Redefining STEM by Closing the Gender Gap.' The hybrid forum gathered women leaders in science, educators, policymakers, and hundreds of students, featuring distinguished speakers including DOST Assistant Secretary, Philippine Commission on Women Chairperson, Asian Development Bank Gender Specialist, QUT Senior Lecturer, and Kalusugan ng Mag-Ina President.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Raffles Institution: Historic Singapore secondary school offering the Raffles Programme with strong math/science tracks. Comparable as an Asian top-tier STEM secondary school with a distinguished alumni pipeline (similar brand role to Pisay).
• Hwa Chong Institution: Singapore's premier independent secondary school with a strong STEM and Gifted Education track, including the Hwa Chong Asia-Pacific Young Leaders Summit. Comparable as an Asian elite STEM secondary institution with broad program offerings.

Regional players

• Manila Science High School: City-run science high school in Manila offering an enriched STEM curriculum. Comparable as a Philippine specialized science high school, though not part of the PSHS System; an alternative channel for Manila-based gifted students.

Peers

• Tokyo Institute of Technology Super Science High School Network:

Direct peers

• Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV): Network of 660+ fully government-funded residential schools across India for gifted rural students, providing free STEM-focused secondary education. Comparable as a nationwide government-funded selective STEM school system in Asia.
• Korea Science Academy of KAIST: South Korean government-funded residential science high school in Busan operated by KAIST, offering an advanced STEM curriculum for gifted students. Closely comparable in mission (national STEM talent pipeline) and rigor.
• NUS High School of Mathematics and Science: Singapore government-funded specialized secondary school focused on mathematics and science with a 6-year program leading to the NUS High School Diploma. Most direct international peer to PSHS in mission, selectivity, and STEM specialization.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/pisayPSHS
• Xx.com/pshs_maincampus

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Philippine Science High School