A consultant's report has revealed the extent of the shortage of primary places at international schools, with only a handful still with openings.
Some critics say the authorities should ease the shortage by allowing vacant schools to be reopened as international campuses.
Moving firm Crown Relocations surveyed 37 international and English Schools Foundation schools popular with expatriates. As of December, only two on Hong Kong Island had places for Primary One pupils: the English section of the Korean International School and Carmel School.
The shortage was less acute in the New Territories and Kowloon, where four schools had places.
Critics said the survey showed it was 'close to impossible' for many parents to place their children in an English-language primary school on the island.
The government says the overall occupancy rate for international schools, which is less than 90 per cent according to the most recent data, means there is no urgency for additional measures. About 5,000 international school places are expected to come on stream in the next few years as new schools are completed and existing ones expanded.