The 2012 school admissions season is upon us! Because of New York City's system of school choice, 5th and 8th graders spend the fall deciding where to apply to middle or high school. Families of four-year-olds are now booking kindergarten tours and information sessions about elementary school gifted & talented programs will be held in October!

Finding the right school is no easy task, and with an increasing number of schools, it just gets more complicated. There are more than 1700 schools—and on Tuesday the chancellor announced he's opening 50 new middle schools in the next two years.

What resources do you find most helpful in choosing a school?

The city hosts fairs where families meet school representatives. This year's citywide high school fair is happening on Sept. 24 and 25 at Brooklyn Tech (see our pointers for making the most of it) and district middle school fairs begin on October 4.

Middle school directories are due out this month and 8th-graders should already have the huge directory listing all high schools.

For parents seeking extra guidance, Insideschools' very own school choice expert Jacqueline Wayans has teamed up with City College to offer school choice seminars on October 1.

Many families visit schools to get a feel for whether it's a good fit. (In fact, some families spend so much time touring schools in the autumn, that our blogger Liz Willen says schools should offer virtual tours.) Insideschools doesn't offer virtual tours but we have producedslide shows about many city schools and videos with pointers on how to get started on a school search.

What's the best source for learning about schools? Take our poll and share your thoughts in comments below.