Selective middle schools

Applying to middle school has long been an inconsistent experience across New York City. In some districts parents have a choice of schools or programs within schools; in others most children simply attend their neighborhood school. Choices may include talent based programs, career oriented programs, and highly selective schools which base admissions on test scores. Some confusion was eliminated when a timeline for middle school admissions was standardized across the city and the Otis-Lennon School Abilities Test (OLSAT) was designated as the required admissions test for a number of districts that require tests for admission to their selective middle schools.

The calendar for the 2009-2010 middle school choice process scheduled middle school fairs in October and applications were due Dec. 15. Parents who wanted their kids tested handed in the request for testing by Oct. 28^th and tests were scheduled during January and February. Parents were told that decision letters would be mailed in May.

Among the array of middle school programs there are some highly selective ones that may use application essays, interviews, portfolios, or auditions to choose their student body. Some are available to all city residents and some are open to students in a specific borough or district.   Mark Twain for the Gifted & Talented (I.S. 239), has a citywide standardized application included with, but separate from, the district application.

The middle schools listed below are available to students citywide and should be contacted directly. They are not part of the district application process, but instead have school based admissions procedures.  

Talented and  Gifted (TAG) School for Young Scholars  12 (District 4)

The Anderson School  (District 3)

Institute for Collaborative Education (ICE)  (District 2)

Professional Performing Arts School (PPAS)  (District 2)

Ballet Tech / NYC Public School for Dance   (District 2)

New Explorations into Science, Technology and Math School (NEST + m) (District 1)

Special Music School    (District 3)

For the entire array of middle school programs available by district consult Insideschools.org search feature. Search by selective and unzoned schools.  Guidebooks for those districts that offer middle school choices are available online at the Department of Education website.

The list below is current as of December 2008.

District 1 (Lower East Side, Manhattan)
NEST+M is a gifted school that accept children citywide. It serves children in grades kindergarten - 12, but it has a separate admission process for middle grades.

District 2 (East Side, Midtown, Downtown Manhattan)
The school that the DOE categorizes as "gifted" in District 2 is Lab School for Collaborative Studies. Selective middle schools open to all city residents are Professional Performing Arts and Ballet Tech (grades 4-12), both requiring auditions for admission. MS 104 Simon Baruch and MS 167 Robert Wagner have special progress or SP classes for high achievers. Hunter College High School is a highly selective school which is physically located in District 2 but is administered by the City University of New York not the New York City Department of Education. Children who score in the 90th percentile or above on the standardized reading and math tests given in 5th grade are eligible to take the entrance exam in January of 6th grade.

District 3 (Upper West Side, Manhattan)
The Anderson School is open to all city students who qualify. A highly selective middle school, the Delta Honors Program at MS 54, is limited to District 3 students. The program considers only students who select it as their first choice on their application. In addition, the Special Music School is located in District 3 but available to all city residents. It holds auditions on a rolling basis.

District 4 (East Harlem, Manhattan)
In addition to the citywide Talented and Gifted School for Young Scholars, Manhattan East is designated as a gifted program.

District 5 (Central Harlem, Manhattan)
There are no gifted programs in District 5, however there are several selective programs open district wide: Knowledge and Power Preparatory Academies, known as KAPPA II and KAPPA IV ; Frederick Douglass Academy, Thurgood Marshall Academy for Learning and Social Change, which starts at 7th grade and Columbia Secondary School for Math, Science and Engineering. Choir Academy of Harlem selects students by audition.

District 6 (Washington Heights-Inwood, Manhattan)
The gifted programs in District 6 are the Alpha Program at IS 52 (Grades 5-8) and MS 223, Mott Hall (grades 4-8.)

District 7 (South Bronx)
MS 31, a K-8 school has a special progress class.

District 8 (South Bronx-Throgs Neck)
MS 101/Maritime Academy selects students in rank order of scores on ELA and Math exams; in addition students must have minimum attendance of 85% to be eligible.

District 9 (Central Bronx)
Fredrick Douglass Academy Secondary School (FDA III) is the district's gifted program.

District 10 (Northwest Bronx)
The PACE and Spectrum programs at MS 118 and the Giordano Prep and the Aurora Program at MS 45, are the district's gifted programs. All middle schools offer honors classes.

District 11 (Northeast Bronx)
MS 181 is the district's gifted program. Students from the PS 153 gifted program usually move on to MS 181, but there is some room for other district students.

District 12 (South-central Bronx)
The gifted & talented program is located in IS 129.

District 13 (Bedford Stuyvesant-Fort Greene-Brooklyn Heights)
Ronald Edmunds Learning Center, MS 113 requires auditions for its Performing Arts Academies (Theater and Dance). Dr. Susan S, McKinney Secondary School of the Arts MS 265 requires auditions for its performing and visual arts programs.

District 14 (Greenpoint-Williamsburg, Brooklyn)
The district's gifted program is at IS 318 Eugenio Maria De Hostos Intermediate School.

District 15 (Park Slope-Cobble Hill, Brooklyn)
MS 51 and M.S. 821 Sunset Park Prep Academy are the district's gifted programs. MS 88 has an honors program. New Voices School of Academic & Creative Arts requires an audition. Several other schools offer Regents or honors classes.

District 16 (Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn)
IS 393 Frederick Douglass Academy IV is the district's gifted program.

District 17 (Crown Heights, Brooklyn)
Middle schools offering gifted or selective programs are MS 2 The Athena Academy for Advanced Study, MS 61 Britou Moore Academy, MS 246 Walt Whitman Magnet Academy, MS 340 North Star Academy, and MS 394 Mary McLeod Bethune Academy. ELA and math scores plus the score on the Otis-Lennon School Ability Test (OLSAT) determine eligibility to apply.

District 18 (Canarsie, Brooklyn)
ASTRAL, the elementary gifted program continues in middle school at IS 68, IS 211, IS 232, IS 285 and the Lenox Academy at PS 235.

District 19 (East New York, Brooklyn)
IS 218, I.S. 292 Margaret S. Douglas School and IS 364 Gateway School For Environmental Research And Technology are the district's gifted schools.

District 20 (Bay Ridge-Bensonhurst, Brooklyn)
IS 30, PS 104, PS/IS 180 IS 187, IS 201, IS 220, IS 227, and IS 259 house the district's gifted programs called the Superintendent's Program. Students are chosen based on standardized test scores and scores on the OLSAT.

District 21 (Coney Island-Midwood, Brooklyn)
IS 239 Mark Twain is a selective school open to applicants citywide. IS 96, IS 98 Bay Academy, IS 228, IS 281, IS 303 and IS 690 Brooklyn Studio School are the designated gifted programs for District 21. Entrance is based on an exam and talent audition.

District 22 (Midwood-Mill Basin, Brooklyn)
The district's gifted programs, called Center for Intellectually Gifted, or CIG are located at IS 78, PS 206, IS 234, IS 240, IS 278 and IS 381. Admission is based upon the OLSAT test, math and ELA standardized test scores, attendance, and 4th and 5th grade report cards.

District 23 (Ocean Hill-Brownsville, Brooklyn)
IS 392 is the district's gifted program.

District 24 (Glendale-Middle Village, Queens)
District 24 gifted programs are located at IS 61 and IS 119

District 25 (Whitestone, Queens)
The district's gifted classes are located at JHS 25, JHS 185 and JHS 189. The program at JHS 185 is also open to students in District 28. Many District 25 middle schools offer honors classes.

District 26 (Bayside, Queens)
PS/IS 266 selects students by lottery, and separates gifted students at grades 7-8. MS 158 has an SP class and a gifted magnet for kids from the PS 188 gifted program. MS 67 has a gifted program for students who were in the PS 18 gifted program. MS 172 has an honors program.

District 27 (Richmond Hill-Howard Beach, Queens)
The Scholars Academy in Rockaway, serves all District 27 students that meet criteria. Students are interviewed and asked to produce a writing and math sample.

District 28 (Forest Hills-Jamaica, Queens)
There are honors classes at IS 157 and JHS 190, which also has a special progress program. The gifted Academy Program is located at MS 72. Unzoned middle schools include Queens Collegiate: A College Board School, grades 6-12, open citywide, Young Women's Leadership school, 7-12, open citywide, and York Early College Academy, grades 6-12, open citywide with priority to District 28 students

District 29 (Southeast Queens)
All middle schools have an honors class in each grade. Educational Magnet Tech requires auditions for all arts programs and has a gifted 6th grade class.

District 30 (Astoria, Queens)
Graduates of the elementary school gifted programs at PS 85, PS 122 and PS 150 are automatically admitted to the Academy Program, a selective middle school at PS 122. There are special progress classes at IS 10 and honors classes at IS 141 and IS 204.

District 31 (Staten Island)
There are no gifted programs in District 31, however there are several magnet programs open district-wide including one at IS 61.

District 32 (Bushwick, Brooklyn)
A highly selective middle school, MS 383 Philippa Schuyler, is open to students citywide. Entrance exams are required.