Call 718-246-7900 ext. 343 for more information on the high school selection process and to find out about schools that may interest you or your student!

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The Application Process

Specialized Admissions Round
There are nine* Specialized High Schools, eight of which require students applying for admission to take the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT). At the time of the test, students list, in priority order, the specialized high schools they are interested in attending. The tests are scored by an independent company. Specialized high school offers are based solely on test results, the students' ranked order of the schools, and seat availability.

Students taking the SHSAT or auditioning for the programs at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School must also submit a High School Application and may rank up to twelve (12) high schools/programs.

The results of the SHSAT are ordered from the highest score to the lowest score. The student with the highest score will be placed in the school/program of his/her first choice. Going down the list from the highest score, each student, in turn, is placed in his/her highest prioritized school in which seats are still available. Therefore, if all the seats in the student’s first choice are filled, he/she will be placed in his/her second choice if there are seats still available. If all the seats in his/her second choice are filled, the student will be offered a seat in his/her third choice if there are still seats available and so on until all the seats in the six schools have been filled.

Each student receives notice of any offer(s) from specialized high schools, as well as any match to a non-specialized high school/program. A student who receives a specialized high school offer must respond to the offer or it will be forfeited. If a student accepts, he/she will attend that school/program. If a student does not receive an offer or chooses to decline the offer, the non-specialized match he/she received is considered final, and he/she will attend that school/program.

*Bronx High School of Science; Brooklyn Technical High School; High School for Mathematics, Science and Engineering at the City College; High School of American Studies at Lehman College; Queens High School for the Sciences at York College; Staten Island Technical High School; Brooklyn Latin High School; and Stuyvesant High School require the SHSAT. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and Performing Arts, is also a specialized high school. Acceptance to one or more of their 6 programs is by audition, not participation in the SHSAT.

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In the early fall students will receive a preprinted choice form from their guidance counselors. Students and parents should double check the information on the form such as address, test scores, and grades.

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Main Admissions Round
The majority of student matches occur during the Main Round. Students list, in order of preference, up to twelve (12) schools/programs. Most students participate in the Main Round, including:

• Students not participating in the Specialized Round
• Students who were not given an offer or a match in the Specialized Round, and
• Students who did not accept an offer or a match in the Specialized Round.

If a student wishes to attend his/her local zoned high school, he/she must list the zoned program of that high school as one of the choices on his/her application. Students wishing to apply to a New Small High School must submit a New Schools Choice form. This application supersedes any application previously submitted. The form is available to students through guidance counselors.

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Supplementary Admissions Round
If a student is not matched in the Main Round, he/she has another opportunity to select up to twelve (12) new choices for the Supplementary Round. The process works in the same manner as the Main Round in that it tries to match every applicant into his/her highest ranked school/program. Students who are not able to be matched to one of their choices will be assigned to an available high school as near to their homes as possible. All students are placed at the conclusion of the Supplementary Round.

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Important information about appeals:

• Each student may file only ONE appeal. The results of that appeal are final.
• If it is not possible to meet with your child’s guidance counselor, Appeal Forms are available at the Borough Enrollment Office at any Regional Learning Support Center. If you need help locating your Regional Learning Support Center, call 311.
• Your appeal, if granted, takes your child OUT of his/her matched high school but does not guarantee admission INTO a particular school.
• You can list up to three programs/schools, in order of preference, which you want as a replacement for your child’s current high school match. The NYC Dept. of Education does not guarantee that we will place your child into one of those three schools. Even if your child is placed into a school that is NOT one of the programs that you list, that placement is final.
• If you are unwilling to accept a replacement match unless it is one of the three programs you list on your appeal form, put a check in the space on the Appeal Form next to the statement “I want my appeal to be granted ONLY if my child is placed in one of the above programs.” If the NYC Dept. of Education is not able to place your child into one of the programs you list, your appeal will be denied and your child will keep his/her initial match.
• Before the end of the school year, the NYC Dept. of Education will send a letter to your guidance counselor indicating the response to your appeal.

The following is a list of approved reasons for filing an appeal to get your child OUT of their match:

A – Change of Home Address – Your new address must require more than 90 minutes of travel, and your new address must be registered already with your school’s Pupil Accounting Secretary.
B – Change of School Location – The school’s new location must require more than 90 minutes of travel.
C – Entitled Services (SpEd/ELL) – Your child must be entitled to services not available at the matched high school.
D – New Small High School – You want your child to attend one of the New Small High Schools.
E – Other – If your appeal is not based on one of the above reasons, please use the “Appeal Reason” section of the Appeal Form to write a short description of why you are appealing.
NOTE: All appeals require verification of one of the above claims.

The following is a list of reasons that are NOT considered by NYC Dept. of Education Officials through the appeal process:

• Siblings – No exceptions will be made based on where siblings will attend school.
• Travel – Requires a change of home address – see above reason A.
• Medical or Safety – These are transfer claims and require a different process.

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To visit the New York City Department of Education click here

Sections of this website have been taken directly from the New York City Department of Education website*