The NYC admissions landscape is always changing. We’ve updated our parent guide to make the process a little easier.
Several Types of Schools
New York City students can apply to several categories of public schools simultaneously. This means a student can prospectively choose between a Specialized High School, a Screened School, an Audition Based School, and a Charter School*.
*Charters are not technically public, but we feel they fit into this run-down of non-private HS options
Specialized High Schools
These are the specialized high schools:
Stuyvesant
Bx Science
Bk Tech
Bk Latin
HS of Math
Science & Engineering
HS of American Studies @ Lehman College
Queens HS for the Sciences @ York College
Staten Island Tech
How To Apply:
Admission to Specialized HS’s begins with a MySchool profile.
Parents register their children for the SHSAT via MySchools.
Admission to New York’s Specialized High Schools is based entirely on the student’s SHSAT score
The exam will be administered on November 17th, 19th, & 20th, as well as Dec 11th & Dec 17th.
We typically recommend students begin preparing no later than the spring of their 7th grade year.
Submissions-Based Schools
These high schools require additional materials (eg. essays, letters or personal statement videos) in addition to evaluating a student’s grades.
Admission to submissions-based schools begins with a MySchool profile
These schools, like the next category, go on your MySchools list of 12 schools, ranked in order of preference
A lot has changed in the last two cycles. There are more schools than ever asking for essays, and videos. Here are a few examples of schools asking for academic submissions:
CONSORTIUM SCHOOLS: Beacon High School, School of the Future, East Side Community HS, Institute of Collaborative Education and University Heights Secondary School are all accepting the same submissions, (student completes 1 submission that will apply to all schools in this category):
Here is where you can find the prompts on the NYCDOE website
Bard High school
Bard used to proctored its own in-person admissions exam. This process has shifted online due to the pandemic.
Here is where you can learn more and read the prompts. The answers to the writing prompts are to be submitted through MySchools.
NYC iSchool
Manhattan Hunter Science HS
Frank McCourt HS: Conducting in-person essays and interviews
By appointment only. More information about interviews/essays will be forthcoming. Check our website in the next two weeks for in-person appointment times.
Monday Nov. 7th
Monday Nov. 14th
Monday Nov. 21st
Monday Nov. 28th
These enrollment links are not yet live
Academic submissions are typically due on date the MySchools app is due, which is usually in early December of a student’s 8th grade year.*
ACADEMIC SCREENED SCHOOLS
Admission to screened schools begins with a MySchool profile. This is the DOE application where you rank 12 schools in order of the child’s preference. The screened schools that require academic submissions also go on this list.
Historically, screened schools have also considered attendance. Due to COVID-19, this criterion was eliminated for the last two cycles.
MySchools App is due in 12/1/22
Screened schools (Midwood, Millennium Manhattan & Bk, Eleanor Roosevelt and The Clinton School) evaluate students who meet the minimum grade and standardized testing requirements.
Last cycle, the HS’s looked at a combination of final 7th & 1st semester 8th grade grades.
This cycle is utilizing final 7th grade scores only
AUDITION BASED
Audition based arts or performing arts high schools are a great option if your child has a special talent or interest:
Schools such as LaGuardia, Frank Sinatra, Professional Performing Arts HS, Edward R. Murrow, and Fort Hamilton High School boast strong academics in addition to engaging arts curricula
These schools will require an arts portfolio submission, and/or an audition. Students can apply to more than 1 program at any one school should they choose.
Depending on a students plan, we recommend using the summer between 7th & 8th grade to hone their craft and / or work towards a completed arts portfolio.
The NYCDOE MySchools HS Admissions portal closes on 12/1/22.
CHARTER SCHOOLS
Admission to charter schools is typically conducted by lottery:
These lotteries are known to give preference to students who are located in the same district as the school or who have a sibling who attends.
Each charter school will have its own registration form on its website.
Brooklyn Prospect Charter, Uncommon Charter HS, Broome St Academy Charter, University Prep Charter, Innovative Charter New Visions Charter Network, Kipp Charter Network