2020 High School and Specialized High School Admissions Information Presentation

Sep 15, 2026

Uploaded by Blaney

An admissions information presentation outlining how New York City high school admissions work for both General Education (GE) students and students with disabilities (SWD), clarifying seat-group considerations and the role of the school counselor. It explains two pathways starting in the fall of eighth grade: submitting a personalized application for most programs and testing/auditioning for the nine specialized high schools. It details offer letters, waitlists, and using MySchools to search programs, apply, and review admissions methods, priority groups, and demand.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time35 min

AccessFree to download

High School Admissions Overview

Two Admission Pathways

Offer Letters, Waitlists, and Deadlines

MySchools Directory and Application Process

Searching for Schools and Programs

Filtering Options and School Details

1 2 GE students are only considered alongside other GE students for seats in the application process. Students with disabilities are only considered alongside other students with disabilities for seats in the application process. Not every IEP student is a SWD student. If unclear about seat group (General Education or Students with Disabilities), consult with the school counselor or a FWC. 3 There are two separate pathways through high school admissions. One pathway is submitting your personalized high school application: this is the way to apply to most of the city’s 700-plus program options. The second pathway is testing and/or auditioning to apply to one or more of the nine specialized high schools. Both pathways begin in the fall of your eighth-grade year. 4 Two Pathways to High School Admissions: High School Admissions (required path and optional path) start in the fall of the 8th grade and run on different start dates and deadlines. (Required Path) Students have several months to explore high schools, start your application, and narrow your options to 12 programs you’d like to attend. The Optional Path is for the Specialized High Schools. There are 9 specialized high schools. In the spring, you will get one high school offer letter. This letter will include up to one offer from the high school application and any information about any schools where you are waitlisted. If you took the S-H-S-A-T and/or auditioned for LaGuardia High School, this letter will also contain your Specialized High Schools results: these may include up to one offer from a testing school and/or up to one offer from each LaGuardia program you auditioned for. If you do get more than one offer, you will have a deadline to choose between them. Every high school program--except the nine Specialized High Schools—has a waitlist. Start your journey to high school with the newest High School Admissions Guide, available online and in print! This book is really two guides in one: When you receive your print copy, flip the book over and note that it has two covers. Here is the link to the online version of the handbook: [https://on.nyc.gov/39E6kGP](https://on.nyc.gov/39E6kGP This)[ This](https://on.nyc.gov/39E6kGP This) summer is a good time to choose 20 – 30 programs that interest you, and then you’ll narrow this down to 12 choices in the fall. Don’t list the Specialized High Schools on your application. Your school counselor is your main point of contact through this entire process. Get to know them! 5 MySchools is the online high school directory and application. Go In the upper right hand corner, you can choose your preferred [to](to myschools.nyc. This)[ ](to myschools.nyc. This)[myschools.nyc](to myschools.nyc. This)[. This](to myschools.nyc. This) is what it looks like. You will find the most up-to-date, detailed information on all schools and programs. When the high school application opens, you’ll also use MySchools to build and submit your application. language. To start searching for schools, scroll all the way does to the very bottom of the page, and click the button that says,“Start Browsing” to the next screen and select “High School.” This is the searchable online directory. At the top is a box where you can enter your home address to see schools close to home. Below that is the search box. You can search for anything such asthe name of a school, or search for things you want in a school location, size, courses offered, sports, and more. 6 Below the search box, you’ll see some buttons. You can use these to narrow down your search. Click the Subway button to choose subway lines to see schools near the subway lines you chose. Click the Size button to choose your desired school size. Click on More Filters to explore other options. More information is in the High School Guide starting on page 10. To read more about a school, just click the name of a school. Then you’ll see this, the school page. On the left is all

FAQs

How do the two high school admissions pathways work?

Students follow a required personalized application pathway for most programs and an optional testing/audition pathway for the nine specialized high schools. Both begin in the fall of eighth grade, with specialized school results reflected in the spring offer letter.

How are offers and waitlists handled after the application process?

The spring offer letter can include an offer from the high school application and details on any waitlisted schools. Except for the nine specialized high schools, every program may have a waitlist, and deadlines apply if multiple offers are received.

What is MySchools and how is it used?

MySchools is the online high school directory and application system. Families use it to search with filters, select programs when the application opens, and access the most up-to-date, detailed information about schools and programs.

Sep 15, 2026

Uploaded by Blaney