This year is a year unlike any other, and as a result, the high school application process as we’ve known it has ceased to exist. Moreover, the DOE recently announced that starting this year and continuing over the next couple of years, there will be significant changes to how high schools prioritize applicants. There is still much for us to learn about the new application criteria and protocols, but in the meantime, here are some important dates to know and resources for you to utilize.

Important dates

• The high school application is scheduled to open the week of January 18th and close the week of February 22nd.

• Registration for the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT) and LaGuardia auditions is scheduled to open in MySchools on Monday, December 21st..

  • The registration deadline for the SHSAT Friday, January 15th, 2021.

  • The registration deadline for LaGuardia auditions is the week of February 22nd.

High School Admissions and SHSAT Guides

• The 2021 NYC High School Admissions Guide is available online for families. The guide can also be found in the nine other DOE-recognized languages here.

• The 2021 Guide to the Specialized High Schools Test is available online for families. The guide can also be found in the nine other DOE-recognized languages here.

***Please note, the guides were produced prior to the COVID-19 crisis. As such, all timelines and dates listed in the guides are not accurate.

Welcome Letters and the MySchools Site

High school admissions welcome letters were mailed to the listed home addresses of the families of all current 8th grade public and charter school students. The welcome letter includes instructions on how to create a MySchools account as well as a unique 6-digit account creation code. Use MySchools to research and explore your many high school options. Starting in January 2021, each school page in the online directory in MySchools will show each program’s admissions method (updated, if necessary), updated geographic priorities (where applicable), and updated selection criteria (for screened programs).

Where to Find the Most Updated Information

• Subscribe to the DOE's email lists to get the latest updates on high school admissions.

• Families can visit schools.nyc.gov/High and schools.nyc.gov/SHS for information and updates.

• Watch the High School Admissions Video Series, which now includes MySchools tutorial videos. Additional videos will be added in the coming weeks.

Virtual Tours and Open Houses

Check individual high school websites for virtual tour/open house dates, registration links, and materials.

Open the PDFs below to see the high schools to which our most recent graduates received offers!

• Class of 2020

• Class of 2019

• Class of 2018

For additional information, contact Ms. Eldridge (keldridge@schools.nyc.gov).