The New York City Department of Education (DOE) announced that the application for public middle schools is now officially open.
For parents or guardians of students living in NYC and in fifth grade, the application is available starting Feb. 4, and guardians are urged to complete the application in order for their child to enroll for the next school year.
In order to enroll, parents or guardians must first visit their MySchool.nyc account, which then accesses the DOE’s online directory of schools. There, parents and guardians can view schools in their neighborhoods and browse to see which ones might be the best fit for their child.
If there is any confusion, or if parents have questions regarding account access or best school fit, they can get assistance by speaking to their student’s current school counselor. If their child intends on attending a private or charter school, guardians can get support from a Family Welcome Center.
The second step is to learn more about the options available for students. Guardians can apply for up to 12 programs with their child’s personalized middle school application. When on MySchool, guardians can see what programs their child is eligible for – as the customized search only shows schools available to that child. Open houses are also great opportunities for those interested in enrolling children into particular middle schools.
Once the guardian has viewed the programs eligible for their child, they can add up to 12 choices to the child’s application. These choices should be listed in order of preference, with the top choice being the first school listed.
The DOE also announced that with the 2022 admissions opening, a new sibling priority for middle schoolers will be in place. Meaning that students applying this winter who currently have a sibling in the sixth grade will have priority to attend that school as well.
The final step is to submit the application form by March 1 – either through the MySchool portal, a guidance counselor or through the Family Welcome Center. Students interested in attending arts programs are also encouraged to audition for these programs virtually.
If guardians have any further questions, they are encouraged to call 718-935-2009 to contact their student’s current school counselor, or if interested in attending a private or charter school to visit a Family Welcome Center.
