NYC High School Admissions Guide – February 2023 (Updated April 2023)

High school admissions can be confusing. We’re here to help! We’ve created a bite-sized guide to navigating the NYC high school admissions process.

Our guide is broken up into four sections:

  • Overview of the public school admissions process.

  • Generalized public school admissions calendar.

  • Overview of the private school admissions process.

  • Generalized private school admissions calendar.

 
 

PUBLIC SCHOOLS


New York City students can apply to several categories of public schools simultaneously. This means a student can prospectively choose between a Specialized High School, a Screened School, an Audition Based School, and a Charter School*. 

*Charters are not technically public, but  we feel they fit into this run-down of non-private HS options

THE Specialized High Schools

These are the specialized high schools:

  • Stuyvesant

  • Bx Science

  • Bk Tech

  • Bk Latin

  • HS of Math

  • Science & Engineering

  • HS of American Studies @ Lehman College

  • Queens HS for the Sciences @ York College

  • Staten Island Tech

How To Apply:

Admission to Specialized HS’s begins with a MySchool profile. 

  • Parents register their children for the  SHSAT via MySchools. 

  • Admission to New York’s Specialized High Schools is based entirely on the student’s SHSAT score

  • To give you a sense of the possible time-line, last cycle, the exam was administered on November 17th, 19th, & 20th, as well as Dec 11th & Dec 17th. 

We typically recommend students begin preparing no later than the spring of their 7th grade year.

Submissions-Based Schools

These high schools require additional materials (eg. essays, letters or personal statement videos) in addition to evaluating a student’s grades.

  • Admission to submissions-based schools begins with a MySchool profile

  • These schools, like the next category, go on your MySchools list of 12 schools, ranked in order of preference

  • DOE page with prompts, helpful links, and due dates

  • A few HS’s listed below have their own entrance exam - some only proctored (in-person) offered after the HS app is due

  • Academic submissions are typically due on the date the MySchools app is due, which is usually in early December of a student’s 8th grade year.

A lot has changed in the last two cycles. There are more schools than ever asking for essays and videos. Here are a few examples of schools asking for academic submissions:

CONSORTIUM SCHOOLS: Beacon High School, School of the Future, East Side Community HS, Institute of Collaborative Education and University Heights Secondary School are all accepting the same submissions, (student completes 1 submission that will apply to all schools in this category):

  • Here is where you can find the prompts on the NYCDOE website

Bard HSEC, Townsend Harris, Nest+m, & the Baccalaureate HS for Global Ed:

  • Here is where you can learn more and read the prompts. The answers to the writing prompts are to be submitted through MySchools

    • Bard used to proctored its own in-person admissions exam. This process shifted online and has remained this way since 2020 due to the pandemic. 

NYC iSchool 

Manhattan Hunter Science HS 

Frank McCourt HS: Conducting in-person essays and interviews

Brooklyn College Academy: requires the completion of an entrance exam

Medgar Evers College Prep Academy: requires the completion of an entrance exam

Science, Technology and Research ECHS, (STAR HS): requires the completion of an entrance exam

Academic submissions are typically due on date the MySchools app is due, which is usually in early December of a student’s 8th grade year.*

ACADEMIC SCREENED SCHOOLS

Admission to screened schools begins with a MySchool profile. This is the DOE application where you rank 12 schools in order of the child’s preference. The screened schools that require academic submissions also go on this list.

  • Last cycle, the MySchools app was due in 12/8

  • Screened schools (Midwood, Millennium Manhattan & Bk, Eleanor Roosevelt and The Clinton School) evaluate students who meet the minimum grade and/or standardized testing requirements. 

  • NYS common core test scores have been eliminated since 2020

  • Last cycle, the HS’s looked at final 7th grade grades

  • The cycle before last looked at the best of final 7th gr grades + 1st semester 8th gr grades

  • Pre-2020 screened schools considered attendance. Due to COVID-19, this criterion was eliminated. We mention this in case it returns

AUDITION & PORTFOLIO BASED

Audition based arts or performing arts high schools are a great option if your child has a special talent or interest: 

  • Schools such as LaGuardia, Bayside HS, Frank Sinatra, Professional Performing Arts HS, Edward R. Murrow, Fort Hamilton High School, Gramercy HS for the Arts, Fordham HS for the Arts, Art & Design HS, & the Fashion Industries HS boast strong academics in addition to engaging arts curricula

  • These schools will require an arts portfolio submission, and/or an audition. Students can apply to more than 1 program at any one school should they choose.

  • Depending on a student's plan, we recommend using the summer between 7th & 8th grade to hone their craft and / or work towards a completed arts portfolio.

Last cycle the NYCDOE Arts were due on 12/8

CHARTER SCHOOLS

Admission to charter schools is typically conducted by lottery:


 
 

PUBLIC ADMISSIONS CALENDAR


March - June of 7th Grade Year: Initial NYS test prep and or practice, SHSAT prep, Essay Writing workshops, Portfolio work, Spring / Summer tours:

  • Students should be preparing for 7th Grade NYS Common Core Tests

    • Note: these did not impact admissions these last two cycles but they have in the past

  • Students should engage in an introduction to their fall tests and essays before the beginning of the summer, so they have idea of their weaknesses and know their score potential

  • Students interested in applying to submission based schools might as well get their essays and submissions started ahead of time

  • Students should be mindful of retaining graded pieces of writing from late 7th grade for possible writing sample submissions (Beacon used to require this, for example, and we have no way to know if this will come back in the future)

  • If you are able to attend school tours in the spring or summer, they will be far less crowded than the fall

Late August onward: Test Prep for SHSAT

  • Weekly appointments targeting all components of their tests

  • Practice test sections and full practice tests beginning 6 weeks before test day

  • Academic submission tasks scheduled - after Labor Day

  • Sign up for Open Houses online

Early October: Portfolio and Academic Submission Preparation

  • Academic submissions should be wrapping up

  • Any admissions essay or assessment practice should be wrapping up 

Month of October: Open Houses and School Visits

  • Most schools space out their Open Houses from Late September to Late October

Month of November and early December: Interviews, Applications and Auditions

  • Students should begin finalizing their high school choices and rankings for their MySchools DOE application. 

  • Log into MySchools and update list

  • Schedule IRL audition/portfolio reviews if required

  • SHSAT is typically within this time period

 
 

PRIVATE SCHOOLS



Most private schools accept applications through the Ravenna Portal

  • Schools typically ask for: 

    • General student essay, (4 prompt options) 

    • Student surveys and/or short form supplementary questions

    • Writing samples

    • Letters of recommendation

    • Transcripts from 6th and 7th grade, including standardized test scores from 6th and/or 7th grade (NYS Common Core or CTP-5’s) as well as 

    • Parent statements

    • Student & Parent Interviews

    • Students have historically been required to submit Upper Level ISEE or SSAT scores for evaluation in the holistic admissions process.* 

  • Students have historically been required to submit Upper Level ISEE or SSAT scores for evaluation in the holistic admissions process.* 

    • Some independent schools have adopted test optional policies due to COVID-19

    • We recommend that students who will be taking the ISEE or SSAT begin preparing no later than the spring of 7th grade.

  • Most independent school applications are due in January of 8th grade.  Please note, different schools will request different materials at different times. Each school has their own set of rolling due dates.

 
 

PRIVATE ADMISSIONS CALENDAR

March - June of 7th Grade Year: Initial Test Prep lessons

  • Students should be preparing for 7th Grade standardized exams, (CTP-5’s, Terra Nova’s, MAP tests) 

  • Students should engage in an introduction to their fall admissions tests (ISEE or SSAT) before the beginning of the summer, so they have idea of their weaknesses and know their score potential

  • Begin collecting extracurricular activities if not already 

  • Parents should be researching their list of target schools

Late August through Labor Day

  • SSAT and/or ISEE registration begins in August 

  • Weekly appointments targeting all components of ISEE/SSAT

  • Set up Ravenna, the online platform used by most private schools

  • Begin signing up for Open Houses through Ravenna or school websites (Tuesday after Labor Day is most often the first day of registration)

  • Practice test sections and full practice tests beginning 6 weeks before test day

Early October: Prepare essays and begin preliminary applications

  • Begin drafting parent and student essays

  • Submit preliminary applications to all target schools

  • Collect writing or work samples to submit by early January

Month of October: Open Houses and School Visits

  • Most schools space out their Open Houses throughout the month of October and November

  • Request recommendations from English and Math teachers

Month of November and early December: Interviews, Submit Applications, Testing

  • Finalize parent and student essays

  • Upload parent and student essays to Ravenna

  • Request transcripts from school registrar

  • ISEE/SSAT Testing