More than 2,600 children are on the waiting list for kindergarten at their zoned school, with another 553 awaiting spots at an out-of-zone school their sibling attends.  A total of 3,195 children are on waitlists at 157 schools, many more than the 2,200 at 88 schools who were on waitlists this time last year.

While waitlists cause high anxiety among parents, they tend to shrink or disappear over the spring and summer as children are admitted to private schools, public gifted programs, charter schools or move out of the city, Department of Education officials say. By the end of September last year, there were 23 schools that turned kindergartners away.

Perennially over-crowded PS 169 in Sunset Park has the longest list with 99 students, four of whom are unzoned siblings. Next come two schools in Corona: PS 307, an elementary school which opened in 2008 tiny new early childhood, and giant PS 143, each with nearly 80 students waitlisted. District 24 in Queens, District 2 in Manhattan, and District 15 in Brooklyn all have at least three schools with significant waitlists.

Rezoning and the opening of new schools hasn’t solved the problem of overcrowding at some popular Manhattan elementary schools. On the Upper East Side,  PS 290 has 71 students on its waitlist, PS 59 has 63.  PS 151, which was reopened in 2009 to alleviate overcrowding, has a waitlist of 40 students.  In downtown Manhattan,  PS 234 in Tribeca (where two new elementary schools opened in 2009) and PS 41 and PS 3 which share a zone in Greenwich Village,  have waitlists of more than 50 students. On the Upper West Side, PS 199 has 60.

In Brownstone Brooklyn, PS 107 in Park Slope has more than 50 students on its waitlist and PS 8 in Brookyn Heights has 46, including seven out of zone siblings.

The longest waitlist in the Bronx was at PS/MS 194 in District 11 with 38 students, including six out of zone siblings. On Staten Island, two schools which opened in 2009,  the Staten Island School of Civic Leadership and PS 74, Future Leaders Elementary School have waitlists of more than 20 students.

Some parents apply to multiple schools, so the waitlists tend to shrink as plans become firm. Parents whose children are still waitlisted by the end of May will be given another placement as close to their zoned school as possible, according to DOE officials. They  may continue to stay on the waitlist even into the fall. Children are entitled to attend school the year they turn five, although they are not obligated to attend school until they turn 6.

Here's a list of schools with a waitlist as of March 30 2011. _ NOTE: The DOE cautions that these numbers change daily, as families continue to register and schools continue to add data. Parents should double-check with the schools to get the most up-to-date figure._