Earlier this week we reported that there were openings at two selective Manhattan high schools, Bard HIgh School Early College and Millennium High School, which were not listed as choices in the supplementary round.

We asked the Department of Education to explain why.

According to Danny Kanner of the press office,  Bard had a target of 155 seats; 125 students were matched to Bard during the specialized high school round.  He confirmed that no students were matched during the main round. Because that was "unusual," the DOE investigated and discovered that a "clerical error" led the DOE "to misstate the school's actual seat target."  The DOE "immediately offered seats to  the 30 students who would next have been offered them.  All seats have now been filled," Kanner wrote in an email.  He said that the 30 students were offered seats on April 9th over the phone and then received a follow-up letter. "Future vacancies, caused by attrition" will be filled from the appeals process.

As for openings at Millennium, Kanner writes: "Millennium High School met its target but subsequently experienced higher than expected attrition.  Out of fairness to students who listed and were ranked by the school, and consistent with our standard practice when schools have empty seats due to attrition, Millennium will not be included in the supplementary round. Its vacancies will be filled through our appeals process - which is based on how schools ranked students, how students listed schools, eligibility, and seat availability ."

Students who want to appeal should wait until they have been matched and  ask their guidance counselor for an appeal form. It must be turned in by June 1.  The results will be distributed in July.