New York City is blessed and cursed by the most extensive system of school choice in the country. Everyone must apply to high school. Choose carefully. Once you enroll, it’s really hard to transfer.

The yearlong application process begins at the end of 7th grade, when children bring home a 500-page high school directory. This huge tome lists more than 400 schools from which you can choose. The Department of Education holds high school information sessions over the summer, where you can get a head start on the admissions process. Here is a timeline of what to expect:

  • June–August: attend admissions workshops, prepare for specialized high school exam, plan fall schedule for fairs, open houses, auditions and school visits.
  • September-October: register for specialized high school exam or audition for LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and Performing Arts. Attend open houses. Go on school visits. Attend citywide high school fair.
  • October-November: attend borough high school fairs. Take the specialized high school exam. Continue to attend open houses and school visits.
  • December: submit high school application to your 8th-grade guidance counselor.
  • February–March: learn where you have been admitted. Apply in the second round if you were not matched in the first one.
  • Late spring: appeal if you are unsatisfied with your placement.

 

NOTE: If you move to the city after the high school application process is over, you will face some difficulties finding a school. By summer, most of the desirable schools have filled their seats. The Department of Education Family Welcome Centers are supposed to find you a seat, but the bureaucracy can be infuriating. Try calling schools directly: sometimes a seat opens up in the summer or even early fall. You'll still have to go through a Family Welcome Center for admittance. Special registration offices for newcomers open in late August or early September. Another possibility: there is an exam at the end of August for the specialized schools, just for students who moved to the city too late to take the October exam. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and Performing Arts also offers auditions in August. See our section on New to New York City.