NYC To Create School Waitlists In Bid To Simplify Admissions

NEW YORK — Get ready to wait. New York City's public school system will replace its second rounds of admissions with waitlists in an effort to simplify the process for parents.

That means students who do not get into their ideal middle or high school after applying in the fall will automatically be placed on a waiting list instead of submitting a cumbersome second application, officials announced Thursday.

The new system, set to take hold for the 2020-21 school year, will make the Department of Education's process less stressful and time-consuming for students and parents, who will be able to see in real time whether they have moved up on the waitlist, city officials argue.

"I think we all agree that the complexity and complex equations should be left in math class where they belong, not in the enrollment process," Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza said at a news conference in Brooklyn.

The waitlist scheme will not change specific admissions criteria for top-flight schools that have them. But officials say the shift will streamline a process that has long been unwieldy for students and families.

Under the current system, students preparing to enter middle or high school submit an initial application in the fall and receive their first offer in the spring.

If they did not get into their first choice school, they could submit a second application if there were still seats available, a process that can stretch into May or June, officials said.

Now, students admitted to a school that is not their first choice will be placed on a waitlist for each school they ranked above the one they got into, city officials say.

They will be able to track their movement on the list using an online tool or calling 311 as students above them are offered seats, officials said. Kids can also add themselves to waitlists for schools to which they did not initially apply, according to DOE Deputy Chancellor Josh Wallack.

"There will be fewer deadlines. There will be less paperwork. There will be more transparency," Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio said. "You’ll be able to get an update online or with a simple phone call to know what’s going on with your child’s application."

Some schools admit students based on academic and other criteria. Eight of the city's elite specialized high schools use a controversial standardized test as the sole basis of admission, while a ninth requires an audition. Nearly 15 percent of high school students attend other "screened" schools that give students seats based on grades, test scores and other measures, according to the Center for New York City Affairs.

Students who do not get spots in those schools will only appear on their waitlists if they met the specific admissions threshold, Wallack said.