If you're one of the 7,391 8th graders who didn't get assigned to a high school--or who was assigned to a school you don't want to attend--there are still some good schools with space available. We've updated the list below since our visit to the weekend high school fair at Martin Luther King Jr. complex. And, we've added a list of schools that MAY have slots for incoming 10th graders. Some are highly sought-after schools that may have very limited seats.

If you want to apply to these schools, fill out an application by March 15. Contact your guidance counselor for details. You'll get the Round Two results by the end of April.

Some of the schools listed on the list for incoming 9th graders only have available seats for students who receive special education services. That's because of a new Department of Education policy that sets aside a certain number of seats at every school for special ed pupils, either those entitled to classes with two teachers (called collaborative team teaching or integrated co-teaching) or to special small classes (called self-contained.)

Ninth-graders applying for 10th grade have a different list of schools to choose from and, according to the DOE, all programs listed are open to general and special education students. NOTE: There are many popular and selective schools on the list but it is unclear how many seats -- if any -- are available. Our advice: apply anyway, if it's on the list, you've at least got a shot.

Picks for incoming 10th graders

Manhattan: Art and Design High School, Beacon High School, Eleanor Roosevelt, Franck McCourt, Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics, N.Y.C. Lab School for Collaborative Studies, NEST +M, NYCiSchool, Talent Unlimited, Fashion Industries and Young Women's Leadership School,

Queens: Aviation Career & Technical Education High School, Bard High School Early College II; Cardozo High School (dance and zoned program); Forest Hill High School zoned program; Frank Sinatra; John Bowne (agriculture and selective science research); Long Island City (culinary Insitute, Opera Institute & various others); Scholars' Academy and William Bryant (math/science enrichment).

Bronx: Bronx Early College Academy for Teaching & Learning (BECA); Celia Cruz High School of Music (concert band, chorus, strings; Holcombe L. Rucker School of Community Research; Marble Hill High School for INternational Studies, The Cinema School and WINGS Academy (dance).

Brooklyn: Murrow (bilingual programs and fine and visual arts); Fort Hamilton (honors academy, instrumental and vocal music); Westinghouse Career and Technical Education (information technology and design systems); Medgar Evers College Prep; STAR Academy at Erasmus and Transit Tech (various programs).

Staten Island: Curtis, New Dorp and Port Richmond all have openings in zoned and selective programs.

Picks for incoming 9th graders

Manhattan

Academy for Software Engineering is a new school that's scheduled to open in the fall at Washington Irving High School. It doesn't have a track record, but it has a formidable group of high-tech partners.

Harvest Collegiate is a new school opening in the Legacy building 14th Street that promises lots of class discussions, hands-on activities and trips around the city.. It has a well-developed website, a clear vision and an experienced principal.

New Explorations into Science, Technology and Math High School on the Lower East Side has a demanding curriculum and a high graduation rate. Students who have already tested need not test again. New applicants will be given the opportunity to take the test.

School of the Future, a popular 6-12 school, has spaces for both general education and special education students.

Talent Unlimited is an audition school with seats in musical theatre, drama and instrumental music. two other arts schools, Fashion Industries and Art and Design, also have some seats and were at the fair.

Some very selective and popular schools have seats for special education students, including Bard Early High School Early College, Baruch College Campus High School, Beacon High School, Columbia Secondary School, Eleanor Roosevelt High School, Frank McCourt High School, High School for Dual Language and Asian Studies, Millennium High School and NYCiSchool. Students who receive special education services and who also meet the other admissions criteria for these schools are eligible to apply.

Brooklyn

Fort Hamilton High School has seats in its honors, music and vocal programs.

Midwood High School has seats in its Liberal Arts and Science Institute, the school's zoned program. The selective academies there only have slots for special education students.

Millennium Brooklyn is new but promising and has seats for both general and special education students.

Brooklyn Prospect Charter School, a popular school that takes kids from all over District 15, is expanding to add a high school. They anticipate having 25-35 openings for 9th grade and will have representatives at the Round 2 fair.

Benjamin Bannekerhas seats in its pre-engineering program.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt High School has seats. (Note: the school may replace half its staff if the mayor goes through with his plan to reorganize it.)

Transit Techteaches students to be subway mechanics.

Some very selective and popular schools have seats for special education students, including Murrow, Medgar Evers and the screened programs at Midwood. Students who receive special education services and who also meet the other admissions criteria may apply.

Queens

Some popular (and overcrowded) zoned schools have seats: Benjamin Cardozo, Forest Hills andFrancis Lewis high schools. Zoned students have preference, but other students may apply as well.

Bayside has seats only in the music program.

Francis Lewis also has seats in its highly selective math and science program.

[AlthoughFrank Sinatra School of the Arts, an audition school, appears on the DOE's list, as having seats in its film, fine arts and drama programs, the school says it does not have openings.]

John Bowne is opening an additional section of its highly-regarded selective science program (not on the Round 2 list). There may also be a few seats in the popular agricultural program for kids who really want to learn about animal husbandry and farming.

Some selective schools have seats for special education students who meet the admissions criteria: Baccalaureate Schoool for Global Education,Bard High School Early College II and the DaVinci program at Cardozo. 

Bronx

Bronx Career and College Prep High School has high expectations.

Millennium Art Academy in the Stevenson building has strong leadership.

Holcombe Rucker has a welcoming atmosphere.

Westchester Academy is founded by a former assistant principal at Brooklyn Latin, one of the specialized high schools. She plans to bring many ideas from that school to a broader range of students at Westchester Academy.

Another new school, the High School for Energy and Technology, will be a good bet for students who like to work with their hands and are attracted to the engineering field.

The Macy Honors program at Dewitt Clinton has some strong students and is the most successful program in a large school.

The following schools have seats for special education students who meet the other admissions criteria: Marble Hill High School for International Studies, the Cinema School and Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy.

Staten Island

All of the zoned school on Staten Island still have seats.

[Updated March 13, 2012]