Students who are new to New York City public schools or who are re-entering city schools after a time away, may register at special temporary enrollment centers beginning on Aug. 27 in all boroughs. The centers are open Monday-Friday, 8 am to 3 pm through Sept. 12, with the exception of Sept. 1, Labor Day. Regular enrollment centers will be closed from Aug. 22 to Sept. 15.

All high school students should go to the enrollment centers, along with any elementary and middle school students who do not have a zoned school. Elementary and middle school students who have a zoned school should wait until the first day of school, Sept. 4, to register at the school, the Education Department said.

All special education students who have a current IEP (Individualized Education Plan) may enroll directly at their zoned schools on Sept. 4. Students without a current New York City IEP, need to go to an enrollment center or to a special education site, for those with more restrictive needs.

Our advice: do your research before you get to the enrollment center. Make up a list of schools that would be a good fit for your child. Read our school profiles on Insideschools and check out other reports about each school on the DOE's website. If you have doubts about your zoned school, know that there are other schools in every district that are alternatives. Search for "unzoned" schools, or look at the DOE's elementary and middle school directories online.

The centers are designed for new students and students who aren't yet assigned to a school, but in the past, enrollment staff has been able to help some students who needed a transfer or a different school placement, or were applying for a variance to attend a school outside of their zone (known as a placement exception request.)

Students must be present to register. And, paperwork, including proof of address, a birth certificate or passport, immunization records and latest school transcript or report card, is required. See the Department of Education's website for all the details.

Here's a list of the centers:

Bronx:

PS/IS 194

1301 Zerega Avenue (enter on Parker Street)

PS/IS 218 Rafael Hernandez Dual Language Magnet School

1220 Gerard Ave. (Enter at 167th Street & Walton Ave.)

Theodore Roosevelt Campus

500 East Fordham Road

Brooklyn:

Brooklyn Tech High School

29 Fort Greene Place (use the South Elliott Place entrance)

Clara Barton High School

901 Classon Avenue

Edward R. Murrow

1600 Avenue L

Manhattan:

The High School for Fashion Industries

225 West 24th Street

Queens:

Long Island City High School

14-30 Broadway

Thomas Edison Career & Technical Education High School

165-65 84th Avenue

Staten Island:

Michael J. Petrides School

715 Ocean Terrace, Building C