There are more than 800 public elementary schools in New York City.  Elementary schools may begin with pre-kindergarten or kindergarten classes and go through 5th grade. But there are many variations. There are early childhood schools which serve very young children and end after 2nd grade and there are schools which include middle school grades and end after 8th grade. There are even a few K-12 schools which students can attend until they graduate from high school.

The first thing to know is that your child has a right to attend his zoned school, which is your local or neighborhood school. That's the general rule. Most elementary school students attend their zoned schools. However, New York City has dozens of schools that accept children from outside their immediate neighborhood or zone. If your neighborhood school is disappointing, or you just want to investigate your options, see our section on Types of schools for alternatives to your zoned school, including unzoned schools, charter schools, and gifted and talented programs.

In 2009 the Department of Education rolled out a standardized process for kindergarten admissions citywide. Parents can apply to all schools they are interested in but there are priorities that favor neighborhood students. The first priority goes to siblings of current continuing students and then to students who are zoned for the school. District students from out of the zone come next. Out-of -district students are last in line. In some cases, your zoned school may be too crowded. In that case the Office of Student Enrollment may direct new students to another school in the district.  You can find details of the process and the documents you need to register on the DOE's website.

On this page: School choice | What to look for on a school tour

School choice

Thousands of children apply to specialized programs and to schools outside their neighborhoods each year. In much of Manhattan and in parts of Brooklyn and the Bronx, parents shop for elementary schools the way parents elsewhere shop for college. They start looking a full year before their children enroll in school, sign their 4-year olds up for gifted and talented tests, and visit a dozen or more schools.  Even in Queens and Staten Island, where the vast majority of children attend their zoned schools, there are a number of schools open to children from outside the immediate neighborhood. Shopping around within a district is easier than going from one district to another, because priority goes to district residents.  Districts often have unzoned schools with no designated catchment area, and some hold lotteries for parents who want their children to attend out of zone schools. Some unzoned schools, require auditions or testing for admission.  

Start early. Many elementary schools have tours in the fall and winter.  Search our Find a School section for reviews of unzoned schools, and to research other choices such as charter schools (each holds its own lottery), gifted and talented, and dual language programs. Testing for gifted and talented programs takes place in January and February but registration for the tests is required, and is announced in the fall.  Check online for district directories listing specific procedures and chat with other parents on our forum.

What to look for on a school tour

You will certainly want to check out your neighborhood school first. Visit, if the school offers a tour or open house. Attend a PTA meeting. Talk to parents about what they like and don't like. Some parents even volunteer in the neighborhood elementary school while their children are still in nursery school to get a good feeling of the school's strengths and weaknesses. As you tour schools, consider the following:

Are the children happy? The nicest schools make you slightly envious of your child. You'll wish you were 5 years old again so you could start kindergarten. Does it seem like a friendly or forbidding place?

Are parents welcome? Are there ways that parents can be involved, not just as members of the parents association, but as visitors to the school or volunteers in the classrooms? Is the principal's door really open to parents? Are there events parents are invited to throughout the year?

What is the principal like? A good principal can transform a mediocre school into a gem in just a few years. A bad principal can dismantle good programs and demoralize a competent staff just as quickly. What good principals have in common is an abiding respect for the pupils in their care, a respect that is obvious even on a brief tour. It's fine to be strict, but watch out for principals who yell at kids or who regularly use a bullhorn to keep order. A principal should be not merely an administrator, but an educational leader who can articulate his or her vision for the school and help the staff carry it out.

Are there examples of children's work? Look for children's work (not decorations made by the teacher or provided by a textbook company) displayed on the bulletin boards and walls, preferably not identical shapes cut from construction paper, but work that shows individual thought and creativity. Look for examples of children's writing, even in the earliest grades. Good schools have plenty of fun-to-read books — not textbooks — but picture books as well as novels, books about historical events, biographies and science discovery books. Good schools have plenty of things children can touch and feel in math and science. Look for classrooms with live animals, plants, fish tanks and materials such as magnets and electric motors.

(For more information see New York City's Best Public Elementary Schools: A Parents' Guide by Clara Hemphill and the Insideschools staff.)

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