NYC School Applications Open: What You Need To Know

NEW YORK — New York City students are only about a month into the new school year, but it's already time for some to start thinking about the next one. The Department of Eduation's middle and high school applications are now open for students who will move into a new building next fall.

Current fifth- and sixth-graders can apply to as many as 12 middle school programs until the Dec. 2 deadline. Same goes for soon-to-be high school students who have just started their eighth-grade year. First-time ninth-graders can also apply to high schools.

Students and parents will submit applications through MySchools, the DOE's online portal that's used for admissions to middle school, high school and elementary gifted-and-talented programs.

Kids can rank the schools to which they apply in order of preference. After the applications are in, students will get a letter in March telling them which school has offered them a seat.

For the first time this year, students will be placed on a waiting list for schools that they ranked above the one where they got a seat under a new system the DOE announced in August. That means they won't have to submit a cumbersome second application. Schools will make offers to students on their waiting lists if seats become available.

Students who want to attend one of the city's nine elite specialized high schools have some extra hoops to jump through. They must register to take the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test — the exam that determines who gets into eight of the nine schools — by Oct. 10. That's also the deadline to register for an audition to LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts.

The DOE recommends that students and parents visit middle and high schools to get a sense of which ones suit them best. Students can find a calendar of high school open-house events here, along with more information about the application process. Middle school open houses can be found at this link, and more details about middle school applications are available here.