More than 80,000 8th and 9th graders have opened thin envelopes with news about where they had been accepted to high school. There was good news for 86 percent of the applicants - they matched with one of their top five choices from a list of 12. Another five percent were accepted at schools they ranked 6th or below on the high school application. That still left 7,455 students without a match and scrambling to figure out what to do next. Students who were not accepted anywhere must fill out a new application, choosing up to 12 schools from a list of schools that still have seats to fill. Those students are invited to attend a fair from 6-9 p.m. on March 31 at Martin Luther King Jr Educational Complex in Manhattan, where they can meet with school admissions counselors and school representatives.

Applications are due back to guidance counselors by Thursday, April 3; students should be notified where they have been accepted by April 30.

How to choose a school

There are more than 400 schools, and programs within larger schools, listed as having space for incoming 9th and 10th graders next September; however there is no indication of how many slots are available. How can you determine what might be a good choice?

There are still seats available in some selective programs and at many good neighborhood schools. Check out the schools’ profiles here on Insideschools and take another look at their listings in the high school directory. Don’t apply to any school that you aren’t willing to attend. If you do, and you are matched to that school, it will be very hard to appeal the placement.

Did your child take the specialized high school exam and just miss the cut-off for acceptance? Talk to your middle school guidance counselor about how to apply for the summer Discovery Program. If your child does well, that may land him a seat at one of the specialized exam schools. (Check out page 15 of the Specialized High Schools Student Handbook for the eligibility requirements.)

Schools for high achieving students

Many of the schools on the list are low-performing and even dangerous. (They are classified as SURR or SINI schools, for schools under Regents review or designated in need of improvement; you can see SURR or SINI status on the school list.) But there are a few surprises and some good choices. For high achievers, there are options in every borough.

In Manhattan, the High School for Dual Language and Asian Studies, which was ranked 31 out of all of the high schools in the nation this year by US News and World Report, has openings. Frederick Douglass Academy and the International Baccalaureate program at Washington Irving High School also have places available.

In Brooklyn, consider the selective STAR Academy on the Erasmus campus, where kids take courses at Brooklyn College, and the highly-regarded photography program at Abraham Lincoln. Tiny Bedford Academy, a popular selective school in Bedford Stuyvesant, even has openings.

In the Bronx, seats are available at Bronx Early College Academy for Teaching & Learning and the new selective high school, The Cinema School.

In Queens, consider selective programs within large high schools, such as John Bowne High School ’s Science Research Program, the Humanities Academy at Hillcrest High School, and the selective programs at Bayside, Francis Lewis, and Long Island City.

In Staten Island there are a few selective programs still open in the neighborhood schools. Take a look at the IB Scholarship program at Curtis High School, the Gilder Lehrman Institute at New Dorp, the Gateway and Collegiate Academy honors programs at Port Richmond, the Scholars’ Academy at Susan E. Wagner High School, and the selective programs at Tottenville.

Good bets for middle-of-the road students

Some small schools do a good job of delivering solid academics to a broader range of students. Several schools affiliated with Urban Assembly and the College Board have seats available, as do a few of the Frederick Douglass schools. These networks of schools have a good track record of running small programs with solid academics.

In Manhattan, consider University Neighborhood School and Henry Street School for International Studies.

In Queens, the Queens School for Inquiry and Pathways College Prep both offer strong programs.

In Brooklyn, The School for International Studies, the Lyons Community School, Kurt Hahn Expeditionary Learning School, New York Harbor School, and Brooklyn Generation School are also worth a look.

For students who would thrive in a very structured environment, consider Foreign Language Academy of Global Studies (FLAGS) in the Bronx.

There are no established small schools with openings on Staten Island, but Port Richmond’s College Discovery program specifically targets the middle-of-the-road student, offering a mix of accelerated and regular-paced classes.

Arts-focused schools

For creative students looking for an arts program, there are options throughout the city. In Manhattan, look at the High School of Fashion Industries and Art and Design High School.

In Queens, consider the arts programs at Long Island City and Bayside, and the dance program at Benjamin Cardozo, which has a prestigious reputation and was a surprise addition to the supplementary round this year.

In Brooklyn look at the Brooklyn High School of the Arts and Brooklyn Theatre Arts. Life Academy High School for Film and Music is a good fit for students who are passionate about studying film, Abraham Lincoln High School has a well-respected photography program, and Gotham Professional Arts Academy can be a great school for struggling students who are artistically inclined and could benefit from an alternative setting and progressive approach.

Wings Academy, Celia Cruz Bronx High School of Music, and Theater Arts Company Program School (TAPCO) are strong choices for the arts in the Bronx;

And in Staten Island, there are arts programs within large high schools like Curtis and Port Richmond.

Popular neighborhood schools

In areas of the city where there are zoned high schools, seats are still available in some popular, albeit overcrowded, schools. One advantage of large neighborhood schools is that they offer lots of extracurricular activities. Also, if you are assigned to a program you’re not happy with, you might have luck applying to transfer to another program in the same school.

In the Bronx consider Lehman High School.

In Queens consider Bayside, Cardozo, Francis Lewis, Hillcrest, Long Island City, and Forest Hills.

In Brooklyn, there are openings in Franklin D. Roosevelt, James Madison, New Utrecht and Fort Hamilton. The new Sunset Park High School, in a brand new building, may also be a strong choice.

In Staten Island, the neighborhood schools are well regarded and all still have openings.

Career and Technical Schools

For students who would like to get hands-on experience in a trade, Fashion Industries is a perennial favorite. George Westinghouse in Brooklyn, Queens Vocational High School, Aviation High School, also in Queens, Ralph McKee in Staten Island, In-Tech and the television production program at Harry S. Truman in the Bronx are worth a second look.

New small schools

More than 200 small schools have opened since 2002, including 13 scheduled to open in September. Though new and untested, many are opening with strong partnerships and might make better options than large, overcrowded neighborhood schools. This year, they include a selective school in the Bronx, four transfer schools for older students who have been unsuccessful in traditional high schools, and several schools for students looking to learn a trade or get a headstart on a career. Brooklyn will be getting a long-awaited new neighborhood school in Sunset Park, and the new Polytechnic High School, which will include a year of college over a five-year program.

How can I appeal?

What should you do if you are not happy with the school to which you are assigned? You can appeal, although there is no guarantee of success. Only students who have been matched to a school may appeal now. If you didn’t get a match in the main round, you’ll need to fill out and submit a “Supplementary Round Choice Form.” Only after you receive a match in this second round of admissions can you file an appeal.

Ask your middle school guidance counselor for an Appeal Form, or contact your borough enrollment office. You’ll be able to state the reason for the appeal and list up to three programs or schools in order of preference. You’ll have the most luck with the following reasons: a change of school location or home address (to at least 90 minutes distance between home and school), the lack of special education services or documented safety issues or medical conditions at the school to which you have been assigned. You may also appeal if a mistake was made in entering the four-digit high school code on your application, or if you want to apply to a new small school which is opening in September.

If your child is a “two-percenter,” meaning he scored in the top two percent on the 7th grade ELA state exam, he may appeal to get a seat in one of the educational option schools.

Appeals are due to guidance counselors on May 7. It can’t hurt to send a copy of your appeal letter to the school you are interested in attending - along with copies of your child’s transcript and best work samples. And be sure to keep copies of everything for your records, in case the paper trail needs retracing.