Philippine Science High School to open Negros campus in 2027, two more by 2028

Philippine Science High School System (PSHSS) on Monday said its Negros Island Region (NIR) campus is targeted to open in 2027, while two additional campuses are targeted to open in 2028, expanding access to the country’s premier science high school.

PSHSS executive director Ronnalee N. Orteza told BusinessWorld that several areas had been considered for the NIR campus, with the cities of Bacolod and Talisay emerging as the latest contenders.

A final decision is expected within the month, with the number of feeder institutions and potential National Competitive Examination (NCE) passers among the primary considerations.

“So we are studying the trend,” Ms. Orteza said in an interview on the sidelines of the 11th ASEAN Plus Three Junior Science Odyssey.

“Hopefully within the month, we can come up with the final decision on where to establish the NIR campus. Hopefully, it will open by July 2027,” she added.

The NIR campus has been allocated P258 million under the 2026 national budget for infrastructure construction and is set to receive an additional P30 million in the 2027 fiscal year, Ms. Orteza said.

Meanwhile, two additional PSHS campuses are targeted to open in 2028, subject to the approval of the system’s Board of Trustees.

Potential locations include the National Capital Region (NCR), CALABARZON, Central Luzon, and the Bicol Region, she said.

She said the expansion is in line with Republic Act No. 12310, or the Expanded PSHS. System Act, which mandates at least two PSHS campuses in every administrative region.

Each proposed campus has been allocated P18 million for pre-construction consultancy, including architectural and engineering design and site assessments, while funding for construction will be sourced from a succeeding fiscal year’s budget.

The main PSHS campus in Quezon City is also being considered for expansion from its current enrollment of about 240 students per year level.

Once the additional campuses are established, more qualified students are expected to gain admission to the country’s premier science high school.

Of the 20,342 students who took the NCE, only 1,738 were named top qualifiers for School Year 2026–2027, according to a PSHS announcement released in March.

The top qualifiers account for about 8.6% of all examinees and will fill the 1,920 available slots across the system’s 16 existing campuses.

Around 3,000 applicants were also placed on the alternative list. These students scored above the national mean but did not make the list of top qualifiers and will compete for the remaining 182 slots. — Edg Adrian A. Eva