NYC High School Admissions Overview – 2024-2025 (updated 10/2/24)

High school admissions can be confusing. We’re here to help! We’ve created a robust guide to navigating the NYC high school admissions process. Need help? Check out our HS Admissions services

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 general round HS, LaGuardia*, and a Charter School**.

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

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

  • *LaGuardia  - does not require the SHSAT but rather, an audition or arts portfolio must be submitted

SHSAT prep time-line: We typically recommend students begin preparing no later than the spring of their 7th grade year.

How To Apply:

  • Parents register their children for the  SHSAT via MySchools

  • Here’s where you can look for updates on testing dates, locations and when enrollment will take place

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

    • DOE site with dates & details

    • You will rank the SHSAT HS’s in order of your child’s preference in the MySchools portal before they sit for the exam

      • This list is separate from the general HS app

Assessment based schools

Bard: In-person assessment - math questions, passage based humanities response. Subsequent interview - invited based on assessment performance

  • Register on their website as of 10/1/24

Brooklyn College Academy: requires the completion of an entrance exam (usually onsite)

Medgar Evers College Prep Academy: requires the completion of an entrance exam (usually onsite)

Kingsborough Early College Secondary School: Applicants must schedule an interview and attend an in-person open house

Submissions-Based Schools

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

  • 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 12/4/24 for this cycle

A lot has changed in the last few years. 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

ADDITIONAL HIGH SCHOOLS THAT REQUIRE SUBMISSIONS

Townsend Harris: 2 minute personal statement video + Humanities prompt

Baccalaureate HS for Global Ed: Submit 3 minute video covering two topics

NYC iSchool: essay submitted directly to the school

Nest+m: Requirements and details: essay submitted directly to the school

Manhattan Hunter Science HS: essay submitted directly to the school

Frank McCourt HS: Conducting virtual essays

Science, Technology and Research ECHS: (STAR HS): requires the submission of an academic portfolio including 6th & 7th grade report cards, state exam scores & a sample essay (certified by a teacher)

  • Applicants may be invited for an interview based on the above

Academic submissions are typically due on or around the general application deadline, (12/4/24 this cycle).

ACADEMIC SCREENED SCHOOLS

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

  • Final 7th grade grades sort students into academic tiers

    • ELA, Math, Science, and Social Studies are included

    • This cycle, Group 1 = 94.25, Group 2=89.75+, and so on

  • Attendance and NYS exam scores as criteria have been eliminated

ed-opt & lottery schools

E.R. Murrow, Maker HS, Essex St Academy, The Harbor School, Pace HS, Landmark HS, Richard R Greene HS, Telecommunication Arts HS, Robert F Wagner HS all fall into these categories

  • Ed-Opt schools admit an inclusive range of students across the NYC academic averages. 1/3 of students from the upper bounds, 1/3 of students from the middle bounds, and 1/3 of students from the lower bounds of the citywide academic averages from 7th grade

    • These schools are designed to help all students reach their maximum academic potential by the end of high school

  • Lottery based school admissions process is self explanatory :)

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

  • NYC DOE Portfolio requirements

  • *Laguardia does not go on the ranked choice general app. It is a separate avenue of admissions

    • Yes, it’s possible for a child to get seat offers from: LaGuardia based on an audition, a specialized HS, as well as a main round HS and have the opportunity to chose one

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 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 star brainstorming for their essay submissions ahead of time

  • 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. 

  • Schedule in-person interviews, auditions or portfolio reviews if required

  • SHSAT exam

Danielle giving a High School Admissions presentation, October 2023! Please reach out if you’d like to partner with us on our admissions presentations and services.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Helpful DOE info:

 
 

PRIVATE SCHOOLS

Most private schools accept applications through the Ravenna Portal. 

Schools typically ask for: 

  • General student essay, (multiple prompt options) 

  • Student surveys and/or short form supplementary questions

  • Writing samples

  • Letters of recommendation (ELA & Math teachers)

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

  • Student & Parent Interviews

  • Parent statements

  • 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 in recent years.

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

  • Please note, each school has their own set of rolling due dates for the submissions listed above.

  • Most independent school applications are due in January of 8th grade. 

 
 

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