My daughter is in 9th grade and while she has had some good experiences overall, she's not thriving at her large high school. We've been told that a smaller school might be a better option for her. Is it possible to transfer? We missed the window of applying through the general admissions process for 10th grade!

High school parent

Dear High school parent:

Changing high schools at the end of 9th grade is difficult, but not impossible. There are three official transfers that the Department of Education will allow: Health, travel time and safety issues, including bullying. You can read more about these on our high school transfer pageor, for more details, see Chancellor’s Regulation A-101.

In certain circumstances, you can ask for what used to be called a guidance transfer but no longer officially exists. That is best approached with a recommendation from the guidance counselor attesting to the mismatch of child to curriculum or atmosphere of the school, Unfortunately, the enrollment office makes the decision, and although you can specify the school or schools you want, there is no guarantee that she will be assigned to one of them. For this kind of transfer, you can go to the enrollment office right now, or wait until the very end of the summer and go to one of the special high school enrollment centers that operate for a few weeks into the school year. Be aware that these transfers are tough to get but persistence may pay off.

Finally, there is another option: alternative schools that serve students 15 to 21 and to which you apply directly. In the past few years the DOE has stepped up the number of transfer schools. Most are aimed at older students who haven't been successful, or accumulated enough credits, at their current schools. A very few take kids as young as 15: Urban Academy, Humanities Prep, James Baldwin School for Expeditionary Learning and Murray Hill Academy (all inManhattan) are four that do. Queens Satellite High School also now accepts 15-year-olds, they told me. At age 16 and 17 there are many more opportunities – including the popular City As School, which offers work opportunities and internships for kids who have some Regents under their belt.

As luck would have it, there is going to be an alternative school fair on May 30 – in time for you and your daughter to explore the options. See our calendar for details.

If you cannot attend, get a copy of Additional Ways to Graduate, a directory that includes GED programs as well as transfer schools.

Good luck on any and all of these fronts!

Judy