Your child may not be a real live royal like bonny Prince George, but if he shares the same birth year (2013)—and lives in New York City—it’s time to start looking for a kindergarten. Applications are due January 12, 2018.

Do now!

Here's an action you can take today: type your address into the search bar on our home page to find your “zoned” neighborhood school.

What’s a zone? The city is divided into 32 school districts, and all but three districts are divided into smaller school “zones,” or lines on a map determining who goes where. (Districts 1, 7 and 23 do not have zones and children don’t have a geographic priority to any particular school.)

Read what we say about your zoned neighborhood school and look at InsideStats. If your school is satisfactory, you can usually relax. Your child is guaranteed a seat there except in a very few overcrowded schools that place kids in schools nearby.

Gifted and Talented programs and other options

Got a super-smart tot? You may want to consider gifted and talented programs (G&T) which begin in kindergarten. If so, you must submit a “Request for Testing” (RFT) form by November 13, 2017. Get it online or in person at your child’s current public school or at a Family Welcome Center. The tests are usually administered in January.

Other options? There are unzoned schools, dual language programs and charter schools that accept from outside a specific neighborhood in nearly every district. You can find those in our elementary search, by checking the school filters and modifying your search.

Some neighborhood schools have extra space and routinely admit children from outside their attendance zone. Don’t forget to consider those as well.

School tours and fall info sessions

Most schools offer tours in the fall and winter. Reach out to the parent coordinator or check the school’s website, linked on each school’s page under "contact and location".

Watch our short video, What to Look for on a School Tour.
Print out our “What to look for on an elementary school tour” checklist and take it along.

The Department of Education is hosting fall elementary admissions events to talk about pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and gifted and talented admissions. There will be officials on hand to answer questions, including in languages other than English.

See the schedule here:

If your child has a disability, visit our Special Education section on InsideTools to learn more.

If your child speaks a language at home other than English, see our section on English learners.