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Helping You Find the Right School
Dear New Yorkers:
We have a wide array of quality middle and high schools all across our city, and we want to make it as simple as possible for our fifth- and eighth-grade families to learn about them and find the best options for their children. Throughout the fall, we’re working together with our schools to roll out the red carpet and make it easier for families to see all we have to offer and to visit the schools that interest them.
As part of the community-driven improvements we’ve made to the enrollment process, we created a centralized Events Calendar in MySchools. Right now, you can find information on more than 2,000 open houses, tours, fairs, and other events––all on the same website where you can learn about school options and apply. Schools are continuing to add events. When logged in to your MySchools account, you can add events to your personal calendar and RSVP to events directly. And if you Favorite a program or add it to your application, that school’s open house or tour dates will automatically appear in your MySchools account.
I also want to share an update on the process for applying to middle schools, which opened this week. Each community school district announced decisions about whether any middle schools in their district will use classroom grades to screen applicants for admissions. As part of our strengthened family-partnership focus, we gave each Superintendent in each district the flexibility to make community-informed decisions about enrollment and admissions screenings for their schools. If your child is applying to middle school this year, you can learn about the school’s admissions process by going to its MySchools page.
If you have a younger child, we’ll be sharing information and hosting virtual events about elementary and early childhood admissions by early December.
I’m proud of the range and quality of schools that we offer to our children of all ages, and we’re committed to making further improvements—driven by our engagement with you. That’s absolutely essential to living up to our responsibility to our city, strengthening our system, and bringing more families back to our schools.
Soaring high,
David C. Banks
Chancellor
Admissions | Key Dates
For families applying to middle or high school
- Check our calendar to see when schools are hosting open houses or other events.
- October 27, October 28, or November 1. Attend one of our virtual information session on middle school admissions: learn when and how to join.
- November 4 at 11:59pm is the deadline to register for the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT): nyc.gov/SHS.
- November 9, 15, or 28. Join us for Part 2 of our High School Admissions Virtual Information Sessions. We’ll cover how to build a balanced high school application, how offers are made, how applicants will be evaluated for screened programs, and how to audition for arts programs. Learn more at nyc.gov/High.
- December 1 at 11:59pm is the deadline to
- Apply to high school: nyc.gov/High
- Apply to middle school: nyc.gov/Middle
Need help accessing your MySchools account or applying? Talk to your child’s school counselor––they are your best guide through the admissions process––or visit a Family Welcome Center.
Making Diwali a School Holiday
On October 20, Chancellor Banks joined Mayor Adams to announce support for changing the school calendar to add Diwali as a school holiday. We are supporting legislation sponsored by Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar that helps make the required adjustments to our school-year calendar. Under this proposed change, Diwali would replace Anniversary Day as an observed school holiday, beginning next school year.
As our city has grown and evolved, we are updating our commemorations. The diversity of our city is what strengthens us, and we are re-affirming our commitment to be reflective of the many communities we serve. (Pictured above: staff at Epic High School-South during their school’s Diwali celebration on October 24.)