Applying to Public Schools

How to prepare for admission to pre-K, kindergarten, middle school, and high school

By Shana Liebman

The New York City Department of Education is made up of more than 1,800 public schools, and your child will apply for public school several times throughout their education. Because it can be a challenging process, parents should be aware of deadlines and requirements. Even as this school year comes to a close, it’s a good idea to get prepped for what’s ahead.

Where to Start

The best starting point is MySchools (myschools.nyc), which provides the most current information about NYC’s schools in 32 school districts. School Quality Snapshots provide background information and performance metrics for each public school in the city, and school counselors and Family Welcome Centers can provide useful information. You can also browse the schools near you at schoolsearch.schools.nyc.

In addition to regular public schools, NYC also offers magnet and charter schools. NYC magnet schools are public schools that are part of the NYC DOE system, but their curriculum is based around a specific theme (STEAM, civic leadership, media, or innovation, for example). They accommodate students from outside their zone or district. There is one special music school in the city, which requires an audition, and several Dual Language (DL) programs.

You could also choose to send your child to a free charter school in New York City—serving Universal Pre-K through 12th grades, that operate independently from the DOE.

Pre-K & Kindergarten

Applications are typically due: pre-K: mid- to late March; kindergarten: mid-January

Kids are eligible to apply to pre-K in the calendar year in which they turn 4 and kindergarten in the year in which they turn 5.

The three types of pre-K programs are:

• NYC Early Education Centers (NYCEECs): communitybased associations that partner with the DOE

• District Schools: public elementary schools with pre-K programs

• Pre-K Centers: administered by DOE staff and great for children who currently attend preschool.

For kindergarten, there are two types of schools:

• Zoned Schools: if you live in the zone, your kids have priority

• Non-Zoned Schools: anyone in the district or borough can attend

If you apply on time, you will receive a pre-K offer letter in May and a kindergarten letter in June. This letter will tell you where your child is accepted and/or waitlisted.

Middle School

Applications are typically due: early to mid-December

The first step is to find your child’s middle school district, which might differ from their elementary school district. If this is the case, your child can apply to the middle schools in both districts. Your child might also have guaranteed or priority admission at their zoned schools.

You can apply to up to 12 middle schools and must rank the choices in order of preference. As a result of the pandemic and increasing criticism of admission policies, NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio said the city will now use a random lottery system to admit students to approximately 200 middle schools.

Students typically receive their middle school offer letter in the spring. All applicants will get a middle school offer, and most get offers to one of their ranked programs.

High School & Specialized High School

Applications are typically due: early December

There are more than 700 high school programs at over 400 schools in NYC, and any current eighth grade student or first-time ninth grade student can apply to any of them.

Your first step is deciding whether you are applying to a regular public school, a specialized high school, or a charter school. If you choose to apply to regular public schools, you will be able to rank your 12 choices and submit your application online or through a school counselor.

There are several different types of admission processes:

• Educational option schools use the English Language Arts state test scores from seventh grade and identify the top 16 percent of scores, the middle 68 percent, and the lowest 16 percent.

• Screened programs rank applicants based on their final seventh-grade report card grades and reading and math standardized test scores.

• Unscreened programs select randomly from the pool of applicants.

• Zoned programs give priority to students who live in the geographic zoned area of the high school.

• Specialized high schools require students to take the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test to qualify for admission. Though, Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts requires students to audition for up to six programs.

The DOE recommends you place the programs on your application in your true order of preference. You will receive an offer letter in the spring, which will include a high school offer and/or any offer(s) to specialized high schools, as well as a list of high schools where your student is waitlisted. At that point you can relax—your NYC public school application journey has finally come to a close.