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The clock is ticking.
New York City’s high school applications opened Tuesday, giving families of eighth graders two months to sort through 700 programs at 400 schools across the five boroughs.
Navigating the process often requires time and savvy to sign up for tours and open houses and figure out what might be the best fit for your child. And not to stress out families even more, but if you’re only starting now, you’re a bit behind. Tours started in September. Open houses at many schools have already filled up.
“Don’t wait for a counselor or PTA meeting; or a DOE information session to start your research,” said Laura Zingmond, senior editor at InsideSchools, a free resource that offers nuanced reviews of schools across the city. “Exploring schools should be your main focus throughout October and November.”
Applications are due Dec. 3, and offers are expected to be sent by March 5, 2026.
Families might have their make-or-break criteria: Do they want their kids to stay local or can they commute more than an hour each way? Is a volleyball team a must-have? Do they want a school with a strong robotics program?
But a family’s wants or needs aren’t the only factor given the level of competition for certain schools, many of which screen students based on GPAs from seventh grade.
With such a labyrinthine admissions process, many families are hungry for information and often seek help from their school’s counselors, other parents, or even through paid consultants.
“NYC high school admissions are citywide, but support is hyperlocal and uneven,” Zingmond said. “Knowing the rules and deadlines is only half the battle.Figuring out which schools to apply to is the real work.”
Chalkbeat talked to experts with years of experience helping families to help make sense of the process, and provide insights on what questions to consider when ranking schools.
New York City has lots of selective programs with different entry requirements
The city is home to more schools that screen students based on academic performance than other large school districts nationwide.
Roughly 120 programs “screen” students based on seventh grade GPAs in core subjects. About two dozen also use essays and interviews. Roughly two dozen programs require auditions. Eight schools base admissions solely on the Specialized High School Admissions Test, or SHSAT, and the application process for these schools, along with LaGuardia High School, is completely separate from the rest of the process.
About 45 schools are part of the city’s “Diversity in Admissions” program, setting aside a portion of seats for students from low-income families, English learners, or other underrepresented groups. Schools also set aside a certain number of seats for students with disabilities.
You can rank an unlimited number of high school programs, but make an ‘informed list’
Like last year, families can rank an unlimited number of schools on their list.
To help build those lists, families should understand their child’s “random” number, often referred to as a “lottery” number. Their child’s “tier” also can help families understand their odds at certain selective schools, with children in tier 1 having a better chance. (The tier cutoffs were tweaked slightly this year, with tier 1 for students in the top 15% of their school’s eighth graders or with a GPA above 94.33 in seventh grade core classes.)
“The hardest part of admissions is the research,” said Joyce Szuflita, a consultant with NYC Schools Help. “Reaching beyond the usual suspects is a challenge for even the most experienced and energetic families.”
While specific school names or interests can help students identify schools, many 12- and 13-year-olds don’t have a deep interest yet, she said. They just want “a nice normal well-rounded school.”
MySchools includes a helpful applicant-to-offer ratio for general education students as well as for students with disabilities. For example, Eleanor Roosevelt High School, a coveted school on the Upper East Side that gives priority to families living in Manhattan, had 29 applications per seat for general education students, and six applications per seat for students with disabilities.
MySchools also shows your odds of getting into various programs.
Once your MySchools account is active and complete — along with your child’s grades sorted into the “tiered” groups for screened schools, ED Opt group (needed for certain schools), and random number — you will be able to see up to three bars, showing whether you have a high, medium, or low chance of getting into a particular program.
While it’s fine to list programs that show a low likelihood of getting in — no matter what order you rank them — Szuflita advises families to have at least three programs showing a high likelihood somewhere on your list “to make sure that you get a placement from the schools you prefer.”
Go on NYC school tours — and take your child when possible
Many middle schools know their eighth graders might miss class for high school tours, and some schools organize their own tours. It’s not always easy to get time off of work for school visits, but experts agree that it can be helpful to see schools in person.
Pamela Wheaton, a co-founder of InsideSchools who now runs School Scout NYC, suggested buddying up with other families to spread the work, sharing information and offering to take their child on tours when you can and vice versa.
“There’s nothing like seeing a school in action and getting a feel for the building and vibe, as well as the commute,” Wheaton said. “I look at the work on the walls and also the bulletin boards which list upcoming activities. You get such a good sense of the school’s energy.”
Consider schools a little out of your comfort zone — and cover your bases
That’s the advice Szuflita gives to families.
“If your child has only been in small progressive schools, consider something a little bigger and more traditional or vice versa,” she suggested. “Many parents feel like if it is not broken, don’t fix it, but if your child can potentially do well in a different environment, a view of a wider world (different population, commute, size, pedagogy) is as much a part of their education as the subjects they will be studying.”
The variety of experiences, she said, can help provide students with insights into their strengths and preferences when considering their next steps to college and beyond.
Wheaton advises families to cover their bases if their child has an arts talent or is willing to prep for the SHSAT.
“That way they will have more chances at acceptances and may end up being able to choose between several schools,” she said, adding “There are a few good charter high schools too and that gives yet another option.”
Don’t dismiss the academics at arts programs
Parents of very academic — and talented — kids might think that schools requiring auditions don’t focus enough on academics or that such schools might not be a good fit for a college-bound kid who isn’t interested in an arts career.
But that’s not so, Wheaton said.
“Many audition schools offer excellent academics and are a good place for kids to excel in both,” she said. “Taking arts classes leads to a well-rounded college applicant and helps students become more focused and happy.”
A lot of schools have gender imbalances
Families are often surprised to learn that many programs have significant gender imbalances. Arts programs, for instance, skew female, while tech-focused schools skew male.
Roughly 17% of the city’s high schools were at least 65% male or female, meaning boys outnumbered girls 2 to 1 or vice versa, a 2023 Chalkbeat analysis found.
“It may not make a big difference for some students, but it is something that is worth being aware of when looking at school culture,” Szlufita said.
There’s more to a school than its graduation rate
A high graduation rate might not translate into a strong academic program, Zingmond said. She’s talked to families at schools that don’t offer physics or their children have to take language or advanced courses online. There are also a lot of great career and technical programs, but at some, not many students graduate with the CTE endorsement, she said.
Zingmond’s preferred metric to look at: the College and Career Readiness, or CCR, rate, which takes into account how students do after four years at the school in terms of their grades, advanced courses completed, and certifications earned for CTE schools. She advises to look for schools that have a College and Career Readiness rate at or above the citywide average of 52%.
“And yes, there are plenty of schools that don’t screen for grades with strong academics reflected in good CCR scores,” she said, noting that InsideSchools includes the stat on all high school profile pages.
Parents and students: Double-check your application
Some parents may not realize that they can apply separately to different programs at one high school, Wheaton said.
“If there’s a school you really like, apply to as many of the programs as makes sense for your child. It will improve their chance of acceptance,” she advised.
Zingmond’s main advice: Seek help.
“Everyone — parents and students — needs help,” she said. “Talk to your counselors and families in your community. Check out school websites; attend open houses and borough fairs.”
Amy Zimmer is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat New York. Contact Amy at azimmer@chalkbeat.org.