Schools Chancellor David C. Banks announced new adjustments to improve and streamline the enrollment and admissions in New York City public schools to ease the process for families across the city.
In his announcement on March 9, Banks acknowledged the confusion that the Department of Education’s (DOE) admission and enrollment policies have created, vowing to utilize his new vision to eliminate any miscommunication so students and their families can know exactly how and when to engage in decision making when it comes to choices in education.
“I’ve heard from families across the city over the past two months, and the consensus is clear: we must reform our enrollment and admissions policies and expand access to quality schools,” said Banks. “The decades-long status quo of dread and stress around this process ends under this administration. As we look ahead to next year and beyond, we will continue to collaborate with our families on strategies to streamline our policies and expand high-quality learning opportunities for every child.”
These changes are all in alignment with the chancellor’s proposed four-pillar education plan. Chancellor Banks’s administration plans to add new changes for the 2023-24 school year and years following by engaging with families to encourage as much communication and hands-on support as possible.
The DOE will be implementing changes like simplifying and streamlining every enrollment and admissions process from 3-K to gifted and talented to high school, to ease the burden on families, increasing opportunities for students in every zip code and eliminating barriers to access, acknowledging that there is no one-size-fits-all solution and all types of learners while expanding high-quality and rigorous programs as well as building trust within communities and make them part of the enrollment and application process.
These updates will be an ongoing effort with the DOE as the department and the chancellor work in tandem to ensure the easiest transition process for families and their children. The DOE intends to hold roundtable discussions, listen to community feedback, share recommendations based on those discussions and make further adjustments as needed before finalizing any policies.
The high school admission policies will remain the same for this current admissions cycle, and no changes will be made to the grading scale for applying to screened high school programs for the fall. The deadline to apply for high schools remains Friday, March 11.
For students applying to middle schools, the sibling priority is being expanded. All middle school applicants will have priority when applying to schools their siblings currently attend unless the sibling is leaving that middle school in the 2021-22 school year and graduating from eighth grade or high school.
Families who would like to make changes to their application or to add a sibling’s school to an application can do so by contacting their child’s elementary school counselor or a Family Welcome Center by Tuesday, March 15. Families with any questions can contact siblings@schools.nyc.gov for support.
