Palnyctalented HS Admissions Calendar - School Choice and Test Preparation Timeline

Sep 15, 2026

Uploaded by Fez

A month-by-month high school admissions planning calendar for families navigating multiple school choices. It guides priorities from grade-year preparation to spring and summer research, including public, specialized, independent, parochial, boarding, charter, and other options. It outlines actions such as booking school tours and open houses, registering for SSAT/ISEE and related events, scheduling meetings with placement counselors, and drafting applications and essays. It also lists asset gathering for extracurricular showcases and highlights summer readiness for test prep and auditions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages5

Reading Time13 min

AccessFree to download

Fall of 7th Grade

Spring of 7th Grade

January

February

Get Ready

March

Test preparations

April

Spring tours and test practice

May

Spring tours

Summer after 7th Grade

Continue research and test preparations

June

NYC DOE handbooks and test prep

July

Admission workshops and test prep

August

Open houses and SSAT/ISEE registration

Fall of 8th Grade

Placement counselor meetings and applications

| MONTH | SCHOOL TYPE* | DETAIL | ASSETS NEEDED | ASSETS | STATUS | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | *KEY: PUBLIC/PUBLIC Specialized/INDEPENDENT/BOARDING/PAROCHIAL/ALL/Other | | | | | | | FALL of 7th Grade:
Convey the importance of good grades, great attendance and punctuality with your child because when all eyeballs are on your kiddo,
it will be too late to change any deﬁcits | | | | | | | SPRING of 7th Grade:
Test preparations get underway; consider a tutor for weak areas and plan your strategy in terms of practice testing. Public
school tours and open houses begin so plan ahead. Discuss as a family your child’s initial thoughts on public, specialized, independent, parochial, boarding, charter and other school options. Consider ﬁnancial need, legacy or sibling considerations at independent schools as well as grades, test taking success and the work involved by the family as a whole to pursue multiple options simultaneously. | | | | | | | JANUARY | | | | | | | | | | | | | | FEBRUARY | | | | | | | | Get Ready | Either now’s the time to take a sabbatical or work with your family to divide and conquer because life is about to get nuts. Get to know your kid’s HS placement counselor and get your tools ready now. | Gather your child’s assets including former grades, videos and photos for extracurricular sports, dance, art and other areas of strength to be showcased during the admissions process. | | | | MARCH | | | | | | | | Register for Spring tours | Check out NYC DOE website for Public and Specialized School Tours | | | | | | Register for Spring tours | Consider relevant Independent Schools to Tour and sign-up | | | | | | Test preparations | Line Up Test Practice and preparation needs. Ask around to find reliable support options | | | | | | Relevant for All School Choice | - ISEE + SSAT Mock test or timed practice test for baseline score to conﬁrm best test choice for child + hone study schedule and focus for summer | | | | | APRIL | | | | | | | | Spring tours for NYC DOE Schools | Public and Specialized School Tours | | | | | | Spring tours for Independent Schools | Independent School Tours | | | | | | Test preparations | Begin Test Practice, Vocabulary review and other relevant needs | | | | | | | | | | | | MAY | | | | | | | | Spring tours for NYC DOE Schools | Public and Specialized School Tours | | | | | | Spring tours for Independent Schools | Independent School Tours | | | | | | | | | | | | MONTH | SCHOOL TYPE* | DETAIL | ASSETS NEEDED | ASSETS | STATUS | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | SUMMER after 7th Grade:
Test preparations get underway; consider a tutor for weak areas and plan your strategy in terms of practice testing. Continue to research school choice. Consider best ﬁt schools based upon all relevant priorities including ﬁnancial need, legacy or sibling
considerations at independent schools as well as grades, test taking success and the work
involved by the family as a whole to pursue multiple options simultaneously. | | | | | | | JUNE | | | | | | | | NYC DOE Public | June: NYC DOE High school handbooks distributed | | | | | | Test preparations | Consider Summer Test preparation options or tutoring needs-SSAT/ISEE/ SHSAT or subject speciﬁc needs such as math or writing support | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | JULY | | | | | | | | NYC DOE Public | July: NYC DOE High admission workshops | | | | | | Test preparations | Consider Summer Test preparation options or tutoring needs-SSAT/ISEE/ SHSAT or subject speciﬁc needs such as math or writing support | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | AUGUST | | | | | | | | NYC DOE PublicOpen house SignUps | Open houses and Tour sign ups for Fall | | | | | | Relevant for All School Choice | - ISEE + SSAT Mock test or timed practice test for baseline comparison to conﬁrm best test

FAQs

What should families do during fall of 7th grade to prepare for admissions?

Focus on good grades, strong attendance, and punctuality, since addressing academic gaps later is harder. Start building a plan so later test prep and school choices can proceed smoothly.

Which standardized tests and practice steps are recommended for 7th-to-8th grade admissions?

Use ISEE and SSAT mock tests or timed practice to establish a baseline and decide the best test choice. Continue with test preparation, vocabulary review, and practice scheduling across spring, summer, and fall.

How does the calendar suggest preparing for school options beyond public schools?

It recommends planning tours and discussions as a family across independent, specialized, parochial, boarding, charter, and other options. It also advises considering financial need, legacy or sibling factors, and the work involved when pursuing multiple paths simultaneously.

Sep 15, 2026

Uploaded by Fez