A few weeks ago, I wrote about the middle school fairs. Several open houses and tours later, my family is taking on the seemingly impossible task of ranking schools. Schools that I thought would be among "our" first choices are now somewhat less impressive when viewed up close.

Although my son continues to grumble, he is learning what is important to him in a school and recognizing the signs of a potential "home."  "J" is mainly concerned with technology and the arts. He prefers a 6-12 school so that he doesn't have to go through this process again (until college, that is).  I am largely concerned with whether the students' voices are heard and their input valued. A lack of student voice is the number one complaint amongst the kids that I work with.

Given your thoughtful questions and comments, I thought an update might be useful. Sonia wondered how to find unzoned schools, "Bronx Dad" asked about District 10 schools, and  "District 13 parent" lamented the lack of both true diversity and high quality citywide schools.<!--more-->

I have successfully used this site to search for schools that accept applications from non-zoned students. Try doing an advanced search checking the boxes for the appropriate school level (i.e. middle school, 6-12) and for "unzoned school." You can set your search as a citywide, or for a specific borough or neighborhood. That should produce a list of schools that may accept applicants from outside of the district. I recommend that you call the schools, though some schools that say they are "unzoned" are still limited to students in their district. As others have noted, a "noteworthy," unzoned school is Manhattan East. It is selective and accepts students from all five boroughs. I toured the school last week and was impressed by their dedication to creating a balance between the arts and academics. The student body looked very diverse with students sporting their own individual styles.

As for District 10 schools, I have been pleasantly surprised by the options. District 10's middle school choice application -- done in conjunction with select District 9 schools -- allows your child to apply for schools that may be a better fit than your zoned school. One of the schools we visited is theJonas Bronck Academy, at its new Fordham Road location. The floors in the Sears building that are dedicated to the school are stunning. There is  a nicely-equipped science lab and art room and bright, sunlit rooms. The cafeteria is small and cozy and features a stocked salad bar. The students that we met during the Saturday morning open house were very impressive and seemed to genuinely feel like the school was a close-knit family. However, they did complain about assigned seating at lunch.

Other schools that seem worth exploring include theTheater Arts Production Company School (TAPCo), Mott Hall III(D9), and Bronx Early College Academy(which has moved and is now located in District 9 but is open to District 10 students).  J was blown away by the vibrancy and physical space of TAPCo, a school that is literally alive with student artwork.

I agree with "District 13 parent" about  the need for more diverse, citywide schools. J has attended  culturally, racially, and economically diverse schools since preschool, and that has been important in shaping his character. I am hoping that this will continue in secondary school. But as "District 13 parent" noted, districts and school zones tend to be racially segregated. Creating more citywide schools would definitely provide greater opportunity for fulfillment of the intent of Brown V. Board of Education of Topeka.

One of the biggest challenges in this whole process has been narrowing down the list of schools to visit. Like most other working parents, I  only have a certain amount of paid time off. As the parent in the family who works in a school, it has been important for me to go on tours rather than my partner.  There are only so many visits that can be made.

I've been wondering:  how do other families manage to do a thorough exploration with so many choices? How do parents without paid time off do it? What do other parents look for as indicators of a good school during brief tours and open houses?

Please comment below.