How to Get Into NYC Public High School in 2026

Originally published on April 21, 2023, this article has been republished with updated information.

To get into an NYC public high school, you apply through MySchools by ranking the programs you’d be happy to attend, in your true order of preference. Offers come from a mix of factors: 7th-grade grades (for screened programs), a random lottery number, priority groups, and any audition or essay a program requires. That’s why the list you build matters as much as the schools on it.

2026–27 key dates (students entering 9th grade in fall 2027)

• October 6, 2026: High school application, LaGuardia application, and SHSAT registration open
• October 30, 2026: SHSAT registration closes
• December 4, 2026: High school and LaGuardia applications close
• March 3, 2027: Offers released

Below, we explain how admissions works step by step, what tiers and lottery numbers mean, and how to build a balanced application.

Why NYC Has a High School Application Process

In New York City, over 60,000 students participate in the NYC High School admissions process for public school entry into 9th grade every year. One of the most amazing parts about this city is the diversity of our public school offerings: there are over 450 public high schools in NYC and many have special programs for the arts, STEM, technology, etc.. But city administrators have the hard task of trying to represent the city’s diversity within the school system.

The NYC high school admissions system has evolved significantly over time. When I was growing up in New York City, many of the best schools had district priority, so if you couldn’t afford to live in an affluent neighborhood, some of the best schools were off limits. Today, district priority is gone. Some schools still have borough or zone priority, but that creates a fair advantage in boroughs that have fewer school options. Other changes in the system include carve-outs for diversity in the applicant pool, dividing large schools into smaller specialized programs (which creates a ton of choices when it comes to high school!), and giving schools less autonomy in general when selecting applicants. The process is now more centralized.

NB: One thing that hasn’t changed is that there is a parallel Specialized High Schools track that students can take. Read more about that in our NYC Specialized High Schools Admissions (SHSAT guide) article!

How to Apply to NYC Public High School

To apply to public high school, you need to create a MySchools.nyc account, research schools that you are interested in, and rank those schools in true order of priority (1 being your dream school and the last being a school you are interested in but less so than schools above). Since 2024 families are no longer limited to listing 12 schools and can now add an unlimited number of schools to their list. An application listing 12 schools is considered complete but families can add more if they wish. This list is made on MySchools and can be edited until the deadline, typically in December. Some students also take the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT) and these specialized schools are not listed as part of the list of 12+. Same goes for LaGuardia, which is an arts high school with a different application process. Some students also apply to charter schools (individual lottery system at each school) and/or to private, religious, or boarding schools. These are all separate processes. Understanding how the NYC high school admissions process works is essential for building a strong application strategy.

How NYC High School Admissions Offers Work

Between December and March, the DOE decides who gets a spot at which schools. But how do they decide? The NYC high school admissions matching process can feel complex and unpredictable. It includes a combination of each student’s “random number” (basically a lottery number assigned to each student just for this process), 7th grade grades (your Tier or Group number), whether students are eligible for free or reduced price school lunch, whether students have an IEP, and any supplemental materials some schools ask for (essays, portfolios, auditions, or interviews). When you look up schools on MySchools, you can see each school’s criteria for admissions.

Some schools, like the popular Beacon School, for example, has a 66% diversity in admissions carve-out (meaning it will accept 66% of its 9th grade class based on whether they are eligible for free or reduced priced school lunch) in an effort to create a more diverse student body. The school also asks for an essay in addition to looking at 7th grade grades (tier / group number). Since each school has its own combination of criteria and most schools also consider the lottery number (something you cannot predict or do anything about), the process becomes hard to control. There is no guarantee a student will get into their top choice schools and that is stressful!

What Are Screened Admissions Tiers in NYC High School Admissions?

Schools that use screened admissions admit top performing students using "tiers", or groups. You are placed in a tier based on the average of your final seventh-grade core course grades (ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies). The Department of Education (DOE) releases the city-wide tier cut-offs each year. Typically, to be in Tier 1, your average needs to be between 94 and 94.7, Tier 2 between 89 - 90.4, and so on. See current DOE tier cutoffs.

NYC High School Admissions Criteria: What Factors Matter?

In the 2026-2027 admissions cycle, there were 6 factors that were considered for public high school admissions. But remember: not all schools look at all 6 factors. You have to research each school to see which factors they consider.

1. 7th Grade Grades (group or tier number)
2. Random Number (lottery number assigned to each student in MySchools.nyc in Sept. of 8th grade; note that some schools are not screened so the only thing that matters is the lottery number)
3. Diversity in admissions carve-out (a percentage of seats, assigned by the school, goes to applicants eligible for free or reduced price lunch)
4. Supplementary materials (essay, audition, interview, portfolio)
5. Borough priority (only for a small percent of schools)
6. SWD (a percentage of seats, assigned by the school, goes to Students With Disabilities; those who receive special education instructional programming for more than 20% of their academic program as indicated on their current IEP)

How to Prepare for NYC High School Admissions?

We recommend starting early in your school search, researching first online and then visiting schools. Once  you have a list of 20-25 schools that you are very interested in, it’s important to think about some strategy. Your personal strategy should include what’s important to you in a high school, your lottery numbers (you’ll know this in Sept of 8th grade and you will know if it’s a good one or a bad one: look up your lottery number), and whether you fall into any priority groups for the schools you love: 7th grade grades, free or reduced lunch, SWD, borough priority, and essay/audition/portfolio/interview.

We think that a mark of a great list of 12 schools is not being able to answer YES to any of these questions:

1. Do you have more than 3 schools that are 6-12s, 7-12s or K-12s? Usually 80% of the class will stay for high school, so there will be a very limited number of spots.
2. Do you have more than 8 schools that have more than 10-15 applicants per seat? You can find this information on the MySchools listing for every school.
3. Do the majority of your schools have a very high diversity in admissions (DIA) set-aside (i.e., over 50%)?
4. Do the majority of your schools use the same admissions modality to admit students?
5. Does your list look like everyone else's that you know?

I know that this process of applying to NYC’s general education public high schools can seem daunting, but it’s really quite exciting to discover all the amazing high schools out there and live in this vibrant city full of possibilities!

NYC High School Admissions FAQs

When does NYC high school admissions start, and what's the deadline?

The process typically begins in the fall of 8th grade, with applications opening in October and deadlines being in December. Check schools.nyc.gov for specific date changes.

How many schools can you apply to?

You can list an unlimited number of programs, but on the MySchools application, although a list of at least 12 is recommended. Note that you can apply to programs, not just schools, and one school can have several. Rank only programs your child would genuinely attend, in true order of preference.

What is a good lottery number?

Your lottery (random) number is assigned when you start the application and works like a place in line: lower is better. Rather than guessing, use MySchools’ “chances of an offer” tool to see how your number looks for each program. A lower lottery number increases your chances at competitive schools, but it is only one factor in the NYC high school admissions decisions.

Do grades matter in NYC high school admissions?

Yes, for screened programs. Students are placed in tiers (groups) based on the average of their final 7th-grade core grades: ELA, math, science, and social studies. Unscreened programs don’t use grades. Some programs also ask for an essay, audition, portfolio, or interview, so check each program’s criteria in MySchools.

Can you get into your top choice in NYC high school admissions?

There’s no guarantee, since many programs get far more applicants than seats. You improve your odds by building a balanced list: include programs where your chances are high, medium, and low, and rank them in true preference order. A well-balanced list helps improve your chances of getting a strong match.

Do I apply separately for specialized high schools and LaGuardia?

Yes. The regular high school application, the LaGuardia application (which requires an audition), and SHSAT registration are three separate paths, and a student can pursue all three. Specialized schools aren’t part of your ranked list. See our SHSAT guide for details.