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

School choice

It can be difficult to find a good middle school in New York City. In many neighborhoods, the zoned schools are dreary, or even dangerous; historically, many families have opted out of the public school system after elementary school in favor of private middle schools. Happily, there are more options for children than most parents realize, and dozens of safe, academically challenging middle schools have opened in recent years. Many popular neighborhood elementary schools have expanded to include middle school grades, while other middle schools now combine with high schools grades to form secondary schools. Some of the largest middle schools have been broken down into several mini-schools or academies, making for a cozier environment for young adolescents who benefit from more personal attention. Some of the worst schools have been shut down.

Start your search by calling the City of New York at 311 or the Office of Student Enrollment Planning and Operations at (212) 374-2363 to find out if your child has a zoned school. If that school is satisfactory, all you have to do is enroll your child. Chances are, though, you'll need to look further. In large swaths of Manhattan and Brooklyn students are not assigned to zoned middle schools and must fill out applications listing their choices. In every borough there are at least a few unzoned schools that accept children without regard to their home address. Some middle schools are open to students citywide, others are open only to students within the district.

When to look

For most children, the search for a middle school begins in the fall of their 5th-grade year because most middle schools start in 6th grade. In 2007, the Department of Education standardized the admissions calendar citywide although admissions criteria still vary from district to district and school to school. Families tour the schools in the fall and early winter. In 2008 districts hosted middle school fairs in January and applications were due in February.

Check Insideschools' listings of open houses and tours and call each school directly to book a tour in the fall. In some instances the school secretary keeps a list of the tours. In other schools the guidance counselor or the parent coordinator will arrange a tour. Your child's elementary school guidance counselor should be able to help with the process. (For a more detailed description of the application process, see New York City's Best Public Middle Schools by Clara Hemphill and the Insideschools staff.)

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Exploring your options

Look at our list of types of schools. Browse through our Find a NYC School section to get an idea of the schools you want to consider. The schools we like the best are marked as "noteworthy." In districts where there is school choice, the DOE provides middle school directories listing schoolsand admissions criteria. These handbooks are available at the district and enrollment offices, at middle school fairs, from your elementary school guidance counselor, or online on the Department of Education's website.

• Go to middle school fairs and open houses. Check Insideschools' listing of open houses and tours and ask at your child's elementary school, call your district office for information or check your child's bookbag for information about fairs and open houses in your area.

• Check whether your child is eligible to apply. Some districts return out-of-district applications unread. Such policies may vary from year to year. Contact the districts, enrollment offices, or the schools directly to find out more. Many gifted programs and selective middle schools will not accept applications from children who do not meet cut-off scores on standardized 4th grade tests. Don't rule out non-gifted programs. Some of the city's nicest schools don't require tests.
• Involve your child. Some open houses include a tour of the school while it's in session; others offer only slide shows and information sessions. If there's a tour, consider taking your child out of school to accompany you. After all, the child will have to live with the final decision.
• Be kind to your school secretary and your child's fifth grade teacher. The teacher may have to write recommendations; the secretary may have to provide your child's records and mail your application to out-of-district schools.
• Brace for the tests. If you are applying for a selective middle school, some districts require a test or audition. Some are held on school days. You may find, happily, that your child prefers the tests and auditions to classroom routine. Essay questions and auditions can be nerve-wracking, but some kids view them as a chance to show off.

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What to look for on a school tour

Quality of teaching: Try to look beyond the school's physical plant to the quality of teaching. Look at the kids' faces. Are they interested and engaged? Bored? Staring off vacantly into space? Are you interested in what the teacher is saying?

Classroom libraries: Do the kids' books look interesting? Look for rich classroom libraries: novels and biographies, science discovery books, colorful atlases and original source materials such as diaries and historical documents. The more books the better—in the classroom as well as in the school library. Schools that rely too heavily on textbooks are dull.

Quality of students' work: Are the walls bare, or are there lots of bulletin boards with kids' work? Look for examples of children's writing. Is the quality of work good? Are the art projects imaginative?

School atmosphere: What's the noise level in the school? Chaos, of course, is bad news, but so is total silence. That's not a bad method of instruction for part of the day, but you don't want it all day every day. Kids should be talking to other kids and to grown-ups. Even more important, grown-ups should be talking to one another. In a good middle school, teachers meet regularly to discuss everything from curriculum to individual students' progress and problems.

Ask questions: The Q&A period after the tour is a good time to get a feel for the philosophy and atmosphere of a school. You'll get a more revealing answer if you ask open-ended questions such as "How do you handle discipline?" rather than "Is your school safe?" Ask whether parents may visit the school and classes during the year. A school that welcomes parents is not afraid of what you might see on an impromptu visit.

(For more information, see the third edition of New York City's Best Public Middle Schools by Clara Hemphill and the Insideschools staff.)

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