Every year, tens of thousands of 8th graders apply to a tiny handful of super-popular high schools. Naturally not everyone gets in. This year, we decided to highlight some good schools that haven’t suffered from over-exposure. Some require applicants to have good grades, but others accept kids of all abilities.

This list is not comprehensive. If you’d like to see all of the schools that we recommend (including the super-popular ones) click on our high school pages and search for “noteworthy.” Feel free to nominate more schools by adding a comment at the bottom of this post. (If you would like us to visit your school, email us at info@insideschools.org)

BRONX

Bronx Center for Science and Mathematics has quickly become one of the top high schools in the Bronx. It accepts students with a range of abilities—including some with special education needs—and pushes to take demanding courses that prepare them well for college. It has a ton of applicants, but no admissions requirements besides attending an open house.

Bronx Latin is an orderly, happy place with small classes, teachers who have high expectations and students who seem to love their teachers. Alas, it no longer offers Latin. But it offers a safe haven in a poor, sometimes violent, neighborhood. No admissions requirements besides attending an open house.

High School of Computers and Technology, on the Evander Childs Campus, offers a hands-on introduction to computer programming and repair. Students have internships and receive a certificate that enables them to get jobs in computer repair and maintenance. It has lots of applicants, but no admissions requirements besides attending an open house.

Hostos-Lincoln Academy of Science has long been a refuge for high-achievers from the South Bronx who are aiming for college. Just about everyone graduates with some college credit and some even graduate with an associate (two-year) degree from Hostos Community College. Applicants should score at least Level 2 on standardized tests and have grades of at least 75.

KAPPA International, in the Theodore Roosevelt Campus, is hidden treasure. It offers a demanding curriculum, including several foreign languages and music instruction, lots of class discussion and assignments that include long research papers. Kids go on to great colleges. No admission requirements besides attending an open house.

Urban Assembly School for Applied Math and Science teachers have high expectations but they also offer an unusual level of support—such as sending an early-morning text message to a child who struggles with attendance. Almost all students graduate on time, and a few have been admitted to highly selective colleges like Cornell and Brown. No admissions requirements besides attending an open house.

University Heights Secondary School, housed in the old South Bronx High School, has the best of both worlds: it offers the comfort of a small school and the variety of academic options usually found at a large school. Applicants must have grades of at least 75 in core academic subjects.

Worth watching:

Two new schools we like a lot but are too new to have a track record: Bronx Design and Construction and the Cinema School.

MANHATTAN

A lot of the good schools in Manhattan are already very well-known and lots of the good ones have many, many more applicants than seats available. Here are a few that you may not know about.

Central Park East High School offers small classes, an emphasis on writing, and a full-time college counselor who has helped students get into some top colleges. The school has more sports teams than are typically offered at a small school, including a football team made up to students from a number of high schools in northern Manhattan. Applicants must have grades of 75 or above in core academic classes.

Columbia Secondary School for Math, Science and Engineering is an academically challenging, racially mixed school founded with the backing of Columbia University, which promises to let qualified high school juniors and seniors take courses at Columbia for free. It serves children in grades 6-12. The arrival of new principal, Miriam Nightengale, in 2011 has reinvigorated the school.  There are only a few seats for incoming 9th graders. Applicants must have grades of 90 or above in core academic subjects.

East Side Community High School is a vibrant and nurturing school with strong leadership, small classes and supportive programs including a well-funded college office. Applicants should have standardized test scores of at least Level 3 and grades of at least 80.

At the High School for Dual Language and Asian Studies on the Seward Park Campus, English speakers learn Chinese and Chinese speakers learn English. All students are expected to be able to speak and write both languages by the time they graduate. Applicants should have grades of 80 or above and standardized test scores of at least Level 2.

Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics offers an impressive selection of college-level courses that’s on a par with the specialized schools. The school does a good job with kids who are strong in math and science but who may need help in English. Applicants should have grades of 80 or above and scores of Level 3 or 4 on standardized tests.

The NYC iSchool offers creative projects, called modules, in which students learn both academic and real-world skills. Students may perform “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” make a documentary about being 16, or work with architects to design and seek funding for a green roof. Applicants should score Level 3 or 4 on standardized tests and have grades of at least 85 in core academic subjects.

The Urban Assembly New York Harbor School gives students the chance to build boats, sail boats, and even scuba dive as part of an imaginative curriculum designed to prepare them for careers on the water. It has a cool home on Governor's Island and kids and staff even take a ferry to school.  No admissions requirements but priority is given to those who attend an info session or fair.

Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School, better known as WHEELS, offers lots of hands on learning like rock climbing and overnight camping trips. Most kids start this school in 6th grade but there are some seats for entering 9th graders. No admissions requirements except to attend an open house.

Worth watching:

Some new and promising schools include Quest to Learn, Frank McCourt, and Urban Assembly Gateway School for Technology. A. Philip Randolph High School has competitive programs in science and engineering and a new principal who is working to restore the school’s reputation after the previous administration was found to have inflated the graduation rate.

BROOKLYN

A lot of the good schools in Brooklyn are already very well-known and have far more applicants than seats available. Here are a few that may fly under your radar.

High School for Public Service: Heroes of Tomorrow is a Brooklyn gem, posting top graduation rates while also preparing a higher than average percentage of graduates for college-level work. Students must score at least a Level 2 on state math and ELA exams and have a 75 average in core middle school subjects.

The STAR, Science, Technology and Research Early College High School at Erasmus has strong leadership, high academic standards and a good record of getting kids into college. It draws from the Afro-Caribbean community of East Flatbush and most of the teachers and staff reflect the values of that community--"no nonsense" but "in your corner" at the same time. Most successful applicants score Level 3 or 4 on standardized tests

Victory Collegiate, off the beaten path in the South Shore Educational Campus, has a family-like atmosphere and challenging academics. Even though many students enter 9th grade with poor academic skills, most graduate on time. No admissions requirement, although preference goes to student who attend an open house.

Williamsburg High School for Architecture and Design on the Van Arsdale Campus has a rigorous curriculum in preservation arts, engineering and architecture, from drafting, mixing mortar and concrete to learning sophisticated computer programs used by professional architects. The school accepts students of all abilities and gets them to succeed.

Williamsburg Preparatory School, also on the Van Arsdale Campus, is a cohesive school with high standards. In their senior seminar, student may write 5- and 10-page research papers on topics like the Vietnam War. It has lots of applicants but no admissions requirements except for attending an open house.

  Worth watching:

Two new and promising schools: Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-Tech)in the Robeson building, prepares students for jobs at IBM. Brooklyn Millennium in the John Jay Educational Campus, is modeled after the very popular Millennium High School in Manhattan.

 QUEENS

Many neighborhoods of Queens have good zoned schools and there's less shopping around than in other boroughs. But here are some interestiong options.

At the Academy for Careers in Television & Film, students get professional-level training in film production in addition to regular academics. It has lots of applicants, but no admissions requirements.

At the Academy of American Studies students take history-oriented trips: to Plymouth, Massachusetts when they study the colonial period, to Boston to walk the freedom trail, to Washington D.C. to see the Constitution, and to Gettysburg, for a unit on the Civil War. The school admits students with a range of abilities

Queens Collegiatein the Jamaica Educational Campus has a challenging college-prep curriculum. It has begun to attract students who might once have chosen private schools or better-known public schools. There are no admission requirements but preference is given to students who attend an information session.

Three schools we like on the Rockaway Peninsula are: Academy of Medical Technology, Channel View,and Scholars Academy.

 (updated 11/29/2012)