The fall of 5th grade is a busy time for families. For many of you, especially those who attend a zoned elementary school, middle school admissions may be your first encounter with school choice. For everyone, researching and applying to schools will take up a lot of your time, but if you’re organized it doesn’t have to be stressful. Here’s how InsideSchools can help you successfully navigate middle school admissions.

1: Read our middle school guides to find out how to apply.
- Review the nuts and bolts of the middle school application process in How to Apply.
- Learn about the different types of middle schools in Your Options to help you find schools that are a good fit.
- Get tips for how to assess the quality of a school in What to Look For.
- Watch our middle school videos: How to choose and what to look for video guides.

2: Research your options using our Find a New York City Public School feature. Search for a particular school by name or number. Enter your address to find schools close to home or to see if you have a zoned middle school. Search for a full list of middle schools in your neighborhood, school district or borough and then select from a range of filters such as dual language, charter or Staff Pick to narrow your results. Some schools are open citywide.

3: Print out and bring along a copy of our handy middle school checklist to open houses and school fairs. Tip: Print it out double-sided (or staple the two pages back-to-back) and then fold it into a compact brochure.

4: Review our InsideTools for advice on specific topics such as after-school, charter schools and special education.

5: Check our calendar to stay on top of important dates such as district middle school fairs, deadlines and when schools are closed.

KEY DATES

District middle school fairs: The Department of Education is hosting middle school fairs in most districts. Attending a fair is a great opportunity to meet with school representatives and learn about all the middle school options open to students from your district. We'll be at some of the fairs too, so stop at our table to say hello and get more information. Check our calendar for the address and time of each fair.

District 1 (Lower East Side): Wednesday, October 11 at University Neighborhood Middle School
District 2 (Downtown, Midtown & Upper East Side): Thursday, October 19 at Stuyvesant High School
District 3 (Upper West Side): Tuesday, October 10 at PS 242, The Young Diplomats Magnet Academy
District 4 (East Harlem): Tuesday, October 3 at The Tito Puente Complex
District 5 (Central Harlem): Wednesday, October 11 at PS 92, Mary McLeod Bethune
District 6 (Washington Heights & Inwood): Tuesday, October 17 at JHS 142, Eleanor Roosevelt
District 7 (The South Bronx): Thursday, October 18 at PS 65, Mother Hale Academy
District 8 (Soundview and Throgs Neck): Wednesday, October 18 at JHS 131, The Albert Einstein School
District 9 (Morrisania): Tuesday, October 10 at PS/IS 218, Rafael Hernandez Dual Language Magnet School
District 10 (Riverdale & Central Bronx): Tuesday, October 3 at PS 306, The Bronx School of Young Leaders
District 11 (Northeast Bronx): Tuesday, October 17 at JHS 144, Michelangelo Middle School
District 12 (Crotona Park): Tuesday, October 10 at Mott Hall V
District 13 (Fort Greene & Downtown Brooklyn): Tuesday October 3 at The Urban Assembly Unison School
District 14 (Williamsburg & Greenpoint): Wednesday, October 11 at IS 218, Eugenio Maria De Hostos
District 15 (Park Slope, Carroll Gardens & Sunset Park): Tuesday, October 17 at MS 88
District 16 (Bedford Stuyvesant): Wednesday, October 18 at PS 308, Clara Cardwell
District 17 (Crown Heights & East Flatbush): Tuesday, October 3 at Ronald Edmonds Learning Center II
District 18 (Canarsie & Flatbush): Wednesday, October 18 at PS 66
District 19 (East New York): Thursday, October 19 at PS 13, Roberto Clemente
District 20 (Bay Ridge & Borough Park): Tuesday October 10 at Franklin D. Roosevelt High School
District 21 (Sheepshead Bay & Coney Island): Tuesday October 17 at IS 303, Herbert S. Eisenberg
District 22 (Ditmas Park & Mill Basin): Tuesday, October 10 at JHS 14, Shell Bank
District 23 (Ocean Hill & Brownsville): Tuesday, October 10 at PS 156/IS 392
District 25 (Flushing & Whitestone): Wednesday, October 18 at JHS 185, Edward Bleeker
District 28 (Forest Hills & Jamaica): Thursday, October 19 at Thomas A. Edison High School
District 29 (Southeast Queens): Tuesday October 10 at Springfield Gardens Educational Campus
District 30 (Astoria, LIC & Jackson Heights): Wednesday, October 11 at Long Island City High School
District 31 (Staten Island): Wednesday October 11 at New Dorp High School
District 32 (Bushwick): Tuesday, October 3 at JHS 383, Philippa Schulyer

Open houses and tours: Check the Department of Education's calendar of middle school open houses and tours throughout the city. If you don’t see a school that you’re interested in, check its individual website or call the school. Tip: Each school’s profile page on InsideSchools includes contact information including a link to that school’s individual website.