Dear Judy,

I am a District 2 parent. I keep reading about the need to rank the schools on the application.  The problem is that many schools won't consider you unless you rank them first.  How does one get around this?   So confusing!

Dear District 2 parent:

Applying to middle school is confusing. The middle school admissions' calendar is standardized but the rest of the process can vary from district to district.  Each district has a different set of choices, some offer mostly zoned schools -- others have no zoned schools at all. Some districts use the OLSAT assessments to place kids in selective programs; others rely on standardized test scores and report card grades.

With middle school applications due on Dec. 17, by now you have digested all of this, visited schools you found interesting,  and you have a list. Now comes the painful chore of ranking the schools.  I do not think there is a way around the "we see only firsts" dilemma.  Principals in District 2 and 3 and a few others around the city, know who ranked their school first. In most cases, from among those who did list the school first, there will be more than enough kids to meet the school's' criteria. These are the highly competitive schools and common sense tells us that if a school can easily fill its ranks with kids who are not only qualified, but eager to attend, there is scant chance that a lesser achiever will make it in. So don't list a school as your first choice unless you think your child can compete with this elite group -- whatever the requirements are.  First choice should be for a school that both suits your child and where your child's record and talents suit the school.<!--more-->

And if you are worried about your child being shut out of his first choice school, make sure you consider all options -- even those outside of your district. In each middle school directory you'll  find a list of  schools to which you  can apply directly.  These schools do not appear on the main application and these principals do not know where else you applied, so ranking is not an issue.

Otherwise, remember to make realistic choices.  Sandy Ferguson, director of middle  school enrollment  at the Department of Education, told us he thinks parents should rank as many schools as are available. My advice is to choose carefully and never use up a space on the application for a school you don't want your child to attend.

And, remember, if you are not happy with the match when you find out in May where your child has been accepted, don't despair --  there is an appeals process.

We'd like other  middle school parents to weigh in on how the process worked for them last year.  If you appealed, were you successful? And, now that we are three months into the school year, how is your child adjusting to middle school, whether or not it was his first choice?

Good luck to all.

Judy