High School Admissions Details and Timeline

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Dear Families, 

We hope your child’s eighth grade year is off to a great start! 

This fall, your child will apply to high school. There are three pathways to apply, and they all open on Tuesday, October 1

You will apply through the website MySchools.nyc. If you already have a MySchools account that you used to apply to middle school, you can just log into that account to apply. 

If you do not have a MySchools account, later this week you will receive a Welcome Letter from your child’s school; this letter will have the information you need to create an account for your child. If you need any assistance, please reach out to your child’s counselor. 

Tip! There’s no downside to submitting your application as soon as you’re ready! You can always go back and resubmit your application before the deadline.

  • Apply to LaGuardia High School (optional- due December 4)
    • Auditions for this school will be conducted virtually. To learn more about audition requirements, visit schools.nyc.gov/HSAuditions.
    • The deadline to submit additional materials is also December 4
  • Register for the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test(optional- due October 18)
    • SHSAT testing will take place between the end of October and mid-December. Test dates and locations can be found at schools.nyc.gov/SHS. All registered students will receive a SHSAT ticket with their date, location, and other important testing details in late October.

Learn more about Admissions Methods!

Admissions methods are the ways that high school programs make offers to students; they also describe what you need to do to be considered for a program. There are two categories of admissions methods:

Programs where all you have to do is list the program on your application

  • Educational Option (Ed. Opt.) These programs serve students at a range of academic levels. Based on the applicant’s grades, they will be categorized as “high, “middle” or “low”. No grades? The applicant will fall into the middle category. 
  • Open: Offers are made to students by their priority group (if applicable) and random number. 
  • Screened: Students are placed in groups according to their grades and considered in group order beginning with group 1. Learn more here: schools.nyc.gov/ScreenedHS
  • Zoned: Students are considered for these programs based on address. Students may have either a guarantee or priority to attend. Enter your child’s home address using the school search site to determine if your child has a zoned program.
  • Language Criteria: Programs admit students based on their entitlement to receive English Language Learner services and/or how many years the student has been residing in the United States. 

Programs where you must also complete additional requirements to be considered

  • Audition: The sole selection criteria is the audition score
    • To apply, list program on your application in true preference order
    • To be fully considered: complete and submit the virtual audition requirements by December 4.
  • Screened with Assessment: Students are considered based on a weighted average unique to each program that combines the student grades and a separate assessment.
    • To apply, list program on your application in true preference order
    • To be fully considered: complete the assessment. Some assessments will be submitted through MySchools and some will be completed directly through the school. Requirements can be reviewed at schools.nyc.gov/AssessmentHS

What can you do now?

  • Start exploring your high school options using our online, high school directory: MySchools.nyc
  • Plan to attend one of our upcoming virtual information sessions. We will email you the dates and instructions on how to join soon. You can also find this information on our website once it’s finalized: schools.nyc.gov/HS
  • Read more about each pathway and watch our video series on our websites: schools.nyc.gov/HSVideos and schools.nyc.gov/SHS

Questions: We’re here to help! Talk to your child’s current school counselor or email HSEnrollment@schools.nyc.gov

Thank you,

The High School Admissions Team

Office of Student Enrollment 

Was this email forwarded to you from a friend? Be sure to sign up for our high school admissions mailing list at schools.nyc.gov/SignUp.