Your independent guide to NYC public schools

I'm confused as to which schools rank from 1-12.
I want Townsend Harris to be my number one choice, however, is there a chance for me to get accepted? I got a high 3 [one point away from a 4] on the ELA and a high 4 on the Math, with a 96-97 average.


I'm also interested in Beacon and Millennium High School but which one would you rank before the other?

Thank you for your help,I appreciate it.

I'm assuming you've already seen these schools before. Based on the fact that you're hoping to get into Townsend Harris which by the way is an ultra competitive school I would probably rank Beacon ahead of Millennium. Again this is purely subjective and based on the fact that I literally toured most of all of the high schools in Manhattan with my daughter who wound up going to Bard High School Early College. For my part I felt Beacon was much stronger academically than Millennium. If you are looking for a challenging curriculum some schools to consider again would be Bard High School Early College (small class size and 2 years of college credit), Baruch High School, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Beacon. To answer your first question there is always a chance that you could be accepted to Townsend Harris but again keep in mind that it is very competitive to get in and there is always the chance that you may not make the cut even though your grades are stellar.

I would also highly suggest that you buy the book "New York City's Best Public High Schools by Clara Hemphill. Around $20. This helped me tremendously when it came down to listing schools. Very informative in terms of what to expect academically as well as giving insight into the culture of the school. This along with actually visiting the schools that you are going to put down on your list will help you make the best possible decisions.