Before universal nine-year education was introduced in the early 1970s, private schools were the only option for those who did not win places in the public sector. School fees were kept to a minimum, which has resulted in them being among the least well-resourced in Hong Kong. Even today, some still operate at the lower echelons of the education system. But there are exceptions, with some of the most prestigious local names being private.

In the early 1990s many private schools switched to the DSS, to benefit from government subsidies. The remainder are almost exclusively primary schools.

Pros: prestigious private primaries are often linked to aided or DSS secondary schools. If children are admitted, they have a good chance of completing their education in these schools.