The school was started under the name Jubilee Integrated Secondary School in 1965, with 984 pupils in two streams, English and Malay. It was officially opened as Yusof Ishak Secondary School at Jubilee Road on 29 July 1966, named after the first President of Singapore, Yusof bin Ishak. The school moved to Bukit Batok in December 1998, and its new building was inaugurated on 29 July 2000 by the late Ong Chit Chung, the then-Member of Parliament for Bukit Timah GRC. Yusof Ishak Secondary School was the first school to top the value-added ranking in both Express and Normal Streams. In 2010, it was evaluated as value-added, and its National Cadet Corps Girls unit received the Best Unit award. It will soon be relocated to Punggol in 2020, to meet the growing demand in Punggol and the fall in school cohort at Bukit Batok.
School identity and culture
Uniform
Male students wear a white-coloured shirt bearing a pocket and the school logo, coupled with dark-blue shorts or pants. Female students wear white or skin-colored undergarments, sometimes together with shorts, under a plain white blouse and a dark-blue knee-length skirt. The school tie is to be worn during school formal matters. For Physical Education, students wear a shirt with the school logo printed at the side and with PE shorts.
Core values
The six values of YISS are Resilience, Responsibility, Respect, Compassion, Confidence, and Integrity. The school motto is 'Ilmu Suluh Hidup'.
Co-curricular activities
Every secondary student in YISS is required to have a co-curricular activity. The CCAs are divided into categories: Sports, Music and Dance, Uniformed Groups and Clubs and Societies. The following are the official CCAs of the school: Sports
Achievements School Awards: Academic Character Development Award National Education Development Award Sustained Achievement Award for Uniform Group Sustained Achievement Award for Green Audit Award Silver for 3Rs Award Competition Cherish Award 2010 Innergy Award 2009, 2010, Commendation Model Tuckshop Award TAF Award 2008 CCA Achievements: Sports and Games Nationals Inter School Sepak Takraw 2015 - Champions West Zone Inter School Sepak Takraw 2010 – Runners-up West Zone Inter School Sepak Takraw 2009 – 3rd placing West Zone Inter School Sepak Takraw 2009 – 3rd placing Uniformed Groups NCC Girls Best Unit Award National Cadet Corps – Gold, 2002–2006, 2008, 2009, 2010 National Cadet Corps – Silver 2006-2008, Gold 2009, 2010 National Police Cadet Corps – Silver 2005, 2009-2010 Gold 2006-2008 Arts and Aesthetics Art & Craft - 1 Silver 2010, 1 Gold 2008, 1 Bronze 2008 Choir - Silver 2009 SYF Display Band Competition – Bronze 2006, 2010 Silver in 2008 Indian Dance – Silver 2005, 2007, 2009 Malay Dance – Silver 2005, 2009 Gold 2007 Contemporary Dance – Bronze Award 2005, 2007, 2009 Singapore Arts and Craft Central Judging in 2008,2009 Ngee Ann PolyDesign and Build Competition 2007 Other Awards Biotech Fair Competition: Merit Award in 2006 and 3rd placing in 2007 Wonders of Science: 2nd placing and Merit Award in 2007 Singapore Mathematics Olympiad 2007 CL National Story Competition 2007 NUS Physics Competition for Sec School, 2009: 2nd School Digital Media Awards: Silver Award in 2009
