The 2023 NYC High School Application is Now Open

Making the jump to high school next fall?

From now until Thursday, December 1, 2022, eighth grade students who are entering high school in September 2023, as well as current ninth grade students who are not repeating grade 9 this year, can apply for fall 2023 admission to New York City high schools.

All current NYC residents who are in eighth grade or in ninth grade for the first time can apply for City high schools, including:

• • Current public school students (district and charter);
  • Private or parochial school students;
  • Students with disabilities and/or accessibility needs;
  • Multilingual learners;
  • Homeschooled students;
  • Students from immigrant families;
  • Residents in temporary housing;
  • LGBTQ and gender nonconforming students; and
  • Students with children.

Please note that if your student is planning on attending any of the City’s 400+ public high school options, please understand that participating in this application process will provide them with their best chance at getting into their high school of choice.

Getting Started with 2023 High School Admissions

Review your welcome letter and log into your MySchools account

Earlier this fall, we sent personalized welcome letters to City families of eighth grade students enrolled in City public schools. Each letter includes a unique account creation code that you can use to create a MySchools account (if you don’t have one already), and gain access to your personalized tools and applications. Once logged in, you will be able to search for schools, build your high school application, and submit it directly to us.

Don’t have a MySchools account? Get started by watching our “How to Create a MySchools Account” video.

Use MySchools to Explore Your High School Options

Through MySchools, you can discover and learn more about each of the City’s high schools. Simply log into your MySchools account, and begin your search. You can even save programs of interest to your “Favorites” list on MySchools. We also encourage you to check out each school information page on MySchools for links to calendars, additional admissions requirements or selection criteria (if any), and virtual tours.

Interested in applying to NYC’s Specialized High Schools?

New York City’s nine Specialized High Schools are among the program options available to support the educational needs of students who excel academically and/or artistically, including English language learners, and students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and/or 504 plans. Everyone eligible to apply to high school is also eligible to apply to the City’s Specialized High Schools.

Admission to eight of the nine Specialized High Schools is determined by taking the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT). Use MySchools to learn more about each of these schools and to register to take the SHSAT. Registration closes on November 4, 2022, and registered students will take the SHSAT in November or December 2022.

One Specialized High School, Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, does not utilize the SHSAT to determine admissions, and instead requires applicants to submit a separate application via MySchools and to audition and/or submit a portfolio in a talent area for up to six different programs. Learn more about LaGuardia H.S. and its program options by visiting the school’s official webpage.

Note that applicants should not list LaGuardia H.S. programs or any of the testing Specialized High Schools on their main high school applications. To learn more about applying to the City’s Specialized High Schools, including SHSAT practice test materials, testing/audition accommodations, and more, visit our official Specialized High Schools webpage.

Rank your high school choices

Once you’ve determined the high schools you eligible for and are interested in applying to, you can select up to 12 high school programs on your application. Rank them in your order of preference, starting with your first choice at the top of your list. Listing 12 programs gives you the best chance to get an offer to a program you want to attend.

We suggest you speak with your school counselor regarding your application choices, as they will be able to help with your ranking order as well as any questions you may have.

Submit your application by Thursday, December 1, 2022

Once you’ve completed your application, submit it online through your MySchools account. If you are a current public school student/family, you may also submit your application through your current school counselor. Private and parochial school students/families can submit their high school application through a Family Welcome Center.

Changes to This Year’s Admissions Process

After significant engagement with families and the community, we’re making changes to our admissions practices with the intent of making school admissions a fairer, easier and more family-friendly process for New York City families.

Earlier Application Timelines, Earlier Offers

This year, we are moving the high school application timeline earlier in the fall so that offers can be released in March. This timeline will give you more time to plan for the next school year. We’ll also release our high school offers at the same time that we release our offers for Specialized High Schools, and your results will be listed in one offer letter.

New Central Calendar on MySchools for Open House Events

We’ve built and launched a new events calendar in MySchools so you can find all admissions events, school open houses, and tour information in one place. And thanks to MySchools, you’ll also be able to add any of these events to your personalized calendar and RSVP to them directly from your MySchools account.

Fairer Admissions Process for Screened Programs

This year, screened high schools will admit the top-performing applicants from across each middle school citywide. Applicants to screened high schools will be grouped based on their final core course grades from seventh grade. Once grouped, students will then be admitted to these programs in group order, beginning with students in group one—if all students in group one have been accommodated, then students in group two will be considered for available seats. This process continues until all seats have been filled.

• • Students will be in group one if the average of their final seventh grade course grades falls in the highest 15% of their school or citywide, and that average is at least a 90.

• • Students will be in group two if they are not in group one, and the average falls in the highest 30% of their school or citywide, and that average is at least an 80.

• • Students will be in group three if they are not in groups one or two, and the average falls in the highest 50% of their school or citywide, and that average is at least an 70.

• • Students will be in group four if they are not in groups one, two, or three, and their average falls in the highest 70% of their school or citywide, and that average is at least an 65.

• • All other students will be in group five.

Clearer Admissions Information

You’ll now get more information about your (or your student’s) chances of getting an offer to various programs. For example, after offers are released next spring, we will share the number of waitlist offers school programs have made in the past so families can better assess their chances of receiving an alternate offer through a waitlist process.

SHSAT Administration During School Days

After surveying hundreds of families and receiving overwhelming support, we will continue to allow City eighth graders to take the Specialized High School Admissions Test during the school day at their current school. Students who want to take the SHSAT don’t have to travel to an alternate testing site for a weekend testing date anymore.

Improved Virtual Audition Experiences

Students applying to schools with virtual audition and/or portfolio submission requirements will receive better instructions during auditions and clearer confirmations when submissions are received.

Interested in Learning More?

Visit our official High School webpage for the latest admissions updates and links, and watch our “Applying to High School? Welcome!” video embedded above from our High School Admissions Video Series. You may also sign up for our high school admissions email list and review a PDF of our 2023 NYC Public Schools Admissions Guide for an overview of all DOE admissions processes.

Remember: the deadline to submit your high school application is December 1, 2022, so mark your calendars, and start working on your high school application today!

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On behalf of the DOE, we wish all of our high school applicants a smooth admissions process! For all the latest updates about NYC Public Schools admissions, sign up for our email lists, and subscribe to The Morning Bell today!

Banner photo by Pavel Danilyuk. Used under Creative Common license. Original can be found on Pexels: