Chancellor Banks Announces Updates on the Future of Enrollment and Admissions in NYC Schools

  • Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2022

NEW YORK – Schools Chancellor David C. Banks today announced his vision for the future of enrollment and admissions in New York City public schools. For decades, the Department of Education (DOE)’s enrollment and admissions policies have caused uncertainty, confusion and anxiety among families across the City. Chancellor Banks is committed to reimagining these processes and authentically engaging with families on any major decisions that impact their children.

“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. The decades-long status quo of dread and stress around this process ends under this administration,” said Schools Chancellor David C. Banks. “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.”

To that end, the high school admissions policies will remain the same for the current admissions cycle. No changes will be made to the grading scale for applying to screened high school programs for this fall. The deadline to apply to high school remains Friday, March 11.

For students applying to middle school, the sibling priority is being expanded. All middle school applicants will have priority to attend their sibling’s school, unless their sibling is leaving that school at the end of the 2021-22 school year (e.g. graduating from 8th or 12th grade). Families who would like to add a sibling’s school to an application or make changes to their choices 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.

As this administration looks ahead to 2023-24 admissions and beyond, engagement with families is a top priority in order to identify tangible changes that will:

  • Simplify and streamline every enrollment and admissions process, from 3-K to Gifted and Talented to high school, to ease the burden on families.
  • Increase opportunities for students in every zip code and eliminate barriers to access.
  • Acknowledge that there is no one-size-fits-all solution and benefit all types of learners while expanding high-quality and rigorous programs.
  • Build trust within communities and make them part of the process.

The DOE will engage families, advocates, community leaders and other stakeholders on these issues through a series of roundtable discussions over several months. This will be an ongoing process, where the DOE will listen to community feedback, share recommendations based on those discussions, and make further adjustments as needed before finalizing any policies. The impact of this year’s changes will be monitored to help inform future decisions.

All future enrollment and admissions processes will be decided in lockstep with communities in order to develop policies that best meet the needs of New York City students.