The first round of kindergarten applications for the 2010-2011 school year are due today, and already some schools have more applicants than seats available. However, new schools, and rezoning in some districts, may alleviate some of the overcrowding that caused 28 schools to turn 287 kindergarten students away last fall when classes were "capped."

Parents had until 2 p.m. today to fill out applications. Final counts are not yet tallied, but at least two popular Upper East Side schools, PS 290 and PS 183, report far more applicants than slots available. By Thursday, PS 290 had 190 applications for 100 spots; PS 183 had 180 applicants for 125 spots.

Although most kindergarten classes are capped at 25 students, some accept a few more. Others, especially those with funds earmarked to lower class size, accept fewer. If there are more kindergarten applicants than slots available, a computerized lottery determines who is offered admittance. Schools will notify families of placements on March 22.

Many families hedge their bets by applying to private schools, gifted and talented programs, and unzoned schools, as well as their zoned schools. When some families eventually accept placement in other programs, their zoned slots are assigned to students on a wait list. Last year at this time, many Manhattan schools were flooded with applicants. In the end, only two had to "cap" their kindergarten classes, turning students away: PS 183 and PS 59.<!--more-->A boom in new housing, and the economic downturn which led many families to choose public over private schools, led to overcrowding in some Manhattan neighborhoods. New school openings in Tribeca and the re-opening of PS 151 on the Upper East Side helped with the overflow from popular, oversubscribed schools. Next fall, the opening of PS 267 will accommodate some families zoned for PS 183, PS 290, and PS 59.

Capping -- and overcrowding -- was worse in other boroughs. According to the Department of Education, of the 28 schools which capped their kindergartens in 2009, 16 were in the Bronx.Schools in nearly every Bronx district ended up busing kindergartners to other neighborhoods, but the long-over-crowded District 10 -- which runs from Riverdale to the Central Bronx -- was hit hardest.

Six schools capped their kindergarten classes: PS 8, PS 46, PS 56, PS 85, PS 94, and PS 246."New capacity [is] coming online," said Community Education Council president Marvin Shelton.At PS 94, a new building will accommodate 22 classrooms and three special education rooms. PS 246 lopped off its 6th grade program to create space for other grades. Bronx Public Schools 46, 56, and 8 were rezoned to reduce overcrowding as well. "We don't anticipate having to turn kids away," said Shelton.

Six schools in Queens had to turn away kindergartners -- three of them located in the historically densely populated Corona neighborhood: PS 143, PS 14, and PS 92.

In Brooklyn, only one school in District 15, PS 169 in Sunset Park, and two in District 21, PS 95 in Gravesend and PS 101 in Bath Beach, were capped.

On Staten Island, PS 29 had to send some kindergartners elsewhere.

Kindergarten capping does not tell the whole story of overcrowding, however. Some schools, including the Manhattan New School, reconfigured older grades to accommodate kindergartners, which meant late-enrolling students in upper grades were sent elsewhere.

What happens if you are among those incoming kindergartners who don't get a seat in your zoned school? You may return to that school for 1st grade, assuming space is available, although, according to the DOE, "most students end up staying in the school they attended for Kindergarten."

Click here to download a list of the schools that capped kindergarten in 2009.

And, with the overcrowding in many popular  schools, what are the chances of admittance for out-of-zone familieswho apply? We've asked  the DOE how well those applicants fared last year. We'll let you know when we get more information.

Are you concerned that there won't be space at your neighborhood school? Check out the building changes anticipated for each district on the DOE's website. And comment below.