Schools and admissions

New York City schools

Start with the grade your child is entering, or with the kind of school you are weighing. Each guide helps you ask better questions about learning, support, cost, and commute.

Choose your entry point

Start with the process your family is entering.

Kindergarten, Grade 6, and Grade 9 are different decisions with different admissions processes. Public, charter, and private routes also work differently, so they are kept apart here.

Private · Kindergarten

How private Kindergarten admissions works

What do schools actually look at, and how do you build a balanced list? Covers visits, parent conversations, school reports, and the decision timeline.

Private · Grade 6

Where sixth-grade seats really open

Which schools add seats at Grade 6, and which depend on families leaving? Also covers testing, interviews, and how much a child’s own voice counts.

Private · Grade 9

Grade 9 as a real high-school entry point

Student essays and interviews become more prominent at Grade 9, while the family’s role continues. Covers placement and the cost of four years.

Public · K, 6, and 9

A parent’s guide to NYC public admissions

How do programs, priorities, screening, and matching fit together? Covers specialized schools, offers, and waitlists.

Public · Specialized high schools

How SHSAT and LaGuardia admissions differ

Eight of the nine specialized high schools use the SHSAT; LaGuardia uses auditions. Explains both routes, plus Discovery and offers.

Public · LaGuardia High School

The audition path into LaGuardia

LaGuardia admits through auditions, not the SHSAT. Covers studio-by-studio preparation, accommodations, workload, and how offers work.

Public · Arts high schools

Arts high schools beyond LaGuardia

Frank Sinatra, PPAS, Talent Unlimited, Art and Design, and Murrow each train students differently. Compare auditions and access.

Public · Stuyvesant High School

Stuyvesant: workload, course access, and daily fit

Beyond the SHSAT, what do the workload and daily rhythm ask of a student? Covers academics, the transition, and the offer decision.

Public · Bronx Science

Bronx Science beyond the reputation

What does a student experience day to day? Covers curriculum, research, workload, and the freshman transition.

Public · Brooklyn Tech

Brooklyn Tech’s majors and its scale

How are majors assigned, and how does a student find a place in a school this size? Also covers workload.

Public · Brooklyn Latin

Is the classical and IB structure what draws you?

Latin, seminar, and declamation set Brooklyn Latin apart. Also covers diploma choices and workload.

Public · HSMSE at City College

HSMSE’s compressed math and concentration pathways

How does the math sequence move, and what does the engineering core ask of a student? Also covers the City College relationship.

Public · Staten Island Tech

Staten Island Tech: engineering and the commute together

Robotics, CAD, and academics, weighed alongside the commute. Also covers the transition and offers.

Public · High School of American Studies

American Studies: the required history program and Lehman access

What does a required history program ask of a student, and what does Lehman access add? Also covers the Grade 10 transition and workload.

Public · Queens High School for the Sciences

Queens Sciences: the program and the new location

The program and the new location belong in the same decision. Covers math, science, research, and College Now.

Public charter schools

Charter lotteries are separate from MySchools

Charters are public schools, but they run separate applications and lotteries from MySchools admissions. Covers preferences, waitlists, and rights for students with IEPs and multilingual learners.

Compare educational choices

Compare schools by how the day is built.

These guides are not rankings. They show how schools differ in teaching, challenge, support, community, and what they ask of a family.

Advanced, gifted, and twice-exceptional learners

Different answers to “my child needs more”

Speyer, Anderson, NEST+m, Hunter, BASIS Manhattan, and Quad Prep take very different approaches. Compare entry year, challenge, and support.

Jewish day schools

Ramaz, SAR, and Heschel: three different family commitments

How does each school approach religious practice, Hebrew, and Jewish learning? Compared without ranking one community above another.

International and bilingual schools

What “global” means from school to school

UNIS, Dwight, Avenues, Léman, Lycée Français, ISB, The École, BIS-NY, and GISNY define it differently. Compare language entry and credentials, with no ranking.

Coeducational

Dalton, Trinity, Horace Mann, Fieldston, and Riverdale

How do these prominent coed schools differ in structure, transitions, and support?

Girls’ schools

The Upper East Side girls’ school decision

Brearley, Chapin, Spence, Nightingale, and Hewitt are not variations on one model. Start here to see how they differ.

Boys’ schools

Choosing among NYC’s all-boys schools

Compare tradition, academics, culture, and entry points, with questions boys can ask on their own visits.

Progressive schools

What “progressive” means in practice

Does the label tell you what happens in the classroom? This guide looks at the practices behind it and where the tradeoffs differ from school to school.

Upper West Side

Same neighborhood, very different schools

Compare Upper West Side schools by family life, not just location. Living nearby does not make them alike.

Brooklyn

Brooklyn schools and the different family lives they ask for

Saint Ann’s, Packer, Poly Prep, Berkeley Carroll, and Brooklyn Friends, compared without a ranking.

Brooklyn · Specialized independent

BASIS Independent Brooklyn

An accelerated, two-campus independent school. Covers entry uncertainty, workload, and how it compares with BASIS Manhattan.

Entry strategy

The real private-school entry points

Which schools add seats at which grades, and which depend on openings from attrition? Use this to build a realistic list.

Learning differences

What each specialized school is built to do

Schools for learning differences serve different purposes. Compared without ranking, by learner profile, admissions, services, and funding.

Read the school closely

School profiles written for a family decision.

Each profile reads a school’s own materials alongside its admissions information. Profiles also cover practical questions such as cost, support, and commute where public sources allow, and point out what those sources cannot answer. Confirm current dates, seats, and policies with the school.

Upper East Side · CUNY laboratory school

Hunter College High School

The application is for Grade 7 only. Explains the score paths, the continuation from Hunter College Elementary, and why there is no later way in.

Brooklyn · Citywide G&T public K–8

Brooklyn School of Inquiry

How do Kindergarten eligibility and priorities work, and how open is Grade 6 to outside families? Also covers inquiry-led acceleration.

Brooklyn Heights · Independent Preschool–12

Saint Ann’s School

Which grades take outside families, and how many seats are realistic? Also covers narrative evaluation and teacher autonomy.

Gramercy · Quaker independent K–12

Friends Seminary

Kindergarten and Grade 9 are the main entry points; Grade 6 opens only through attrition. Also covers the weekly Meeting for Worship and advanced courses beyond AP.

Greenwich Village and NoHo · Progressive Episcopal JK–12

Grace Church School

Kindergarten, Grade 6, and Grade 9 are all entry points, though Grade 6 testing expectations are worth confirming. Also covers the two campuses and Episcopal practice.

West Village · Progressive age 2–Grade 8

City and Country School

Social studies organizes the curriculum, and the Jobs Program makes responsibility part of the daily routine. Also covers narrative assessment and high-school placement.

Upper West Side · International independent Preschool–12

Dwight School

A full IB continuum with binding Early Decision. Entry at Kindergarten, Grade 6, and Grade 9 depends on space. Also covers Quest support and multiple buildings.

Upper West Side · Independent Pre-K–12

Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School

Grade 9 and a Grade 6 bridge are clearer entry points than Kindergarten. Also covers explicit early literacy and breadth at scale.

Morningside Heights · Progressive Preschool–Grade 8

Bank Street School for Children

What does a developmental-interaction approach look like day to day? Covers observation, social studies, foundational skills, and the move on after Grade 8.

Columbus Circle · Gifted independent K–8

The Speyer Legacy School

Kindergarten is the main entry, Grade 6 depends on space, and Grade 8 means another school search. Also covers the math ladder and boundaries for twice-exceptional learners.

Upper West Side · Progressive independent Preschool–12

The Calhoun School

Montessori shapes the Lower School within a broader progressive program. Also covers entry by grade and two-building logistics.

East River · International independent Pre-K–12

United Nations International School

A UN-linked admissions priority, extensive languages, and the IB Diploma at the end rather than a full IB continuum. Entry depends on space.

Carroll Gardens · French and Spanish immersion Pre-K–Grade 8

International School of Brooklyn

Immersion is the daily experience. Kindergarten beginners may enter either pathway, Grade 6 has a documented beginner bridge, and there is no Grade 9, so the high-school search follows Grade 8.

Flatiron · French-American bilingual age 2–Grade 8

The École

A dual French-American curriculum. Beginners can enter through Kindergarten, and later entry assumes French. Also covers two-campus logistics and the Grade 8 transition.

Waterside Plaza · British international Nursery–Grade 12

British International School of New York

PYP and partial MYP lead to IGCSEs and A Levels, not the IB Diploma. Also covers entry at Kindergarten, Grade 6, and Grade 9, and high-school specialization.

White Plains · German-English Pre-K–Grade 12

German International School New York

A German curriculum leading toward the Abitur, where later entry depends on German readiness. Also covers academic tracks and diploma conditions.

Upper East Side · French bilingual independent Nursery–12

Lycée Français de New York

French-language level matters more than nationality. Covers the French grade decoder and Bac and BFI pathways, with entry at Kindergarten, Grade 6, and Grade 9.

Financial District · International day and boarding Pre-K–12

Léman Manhattan Preparatory School

A Manhattan day school with a small residential program and an IB Diploma route. Also covers day-boarder integration and weekend life.

Upper East Side · Independent K–12

Birch Wathen Lenox School

A smaller school with explicit early literacy, a departmentalized Middle School, and executive-function support through EXCEL. Covers entry at Kindergarten, Grade 6, and Grade 9.

Upper East Side · Modern Orthodox coed N–12

Ramaz School

A dual general- and Judaic-studies curriculum with a long school day. Also covers Hebrew, religious life, and the school calendar.

Lincoln Square · Pluralistic Jewish day school N–12

Abraham Joshua Heschel School

General studies and Jewish learning, including Hebrew, text, prayer, Israel, and service, share a long school day. Covers entry at Kindergarten, Grade 6, and Grade 9.

Riverdale · Modern Orthodox coed 2N–12 path

SAR Academy and SAR High School

One community, but separate admissions decisions for the Academy and the High School. Also covers the dual curriculum and religious life.

Tarrytown · Independent K–12 day and five-day boarding

Hackley School

Entry at more than one grade, with a day option and a five-day boarding option. Compare the daily commute with weekday residence.

Kips Bay · Specialized independent K–12

Churchill School and Center

A language-based learning program. Covers who it serves and how Kindergarten, Grade 6, and Grade 9 admissions work, plus evaluations and funding routes.

Upper East Side · Specialized Grades 1–8

The Windward School, Manhattan

Intensive, time-limited language-based remediation rather than general small-school support. Also covers the annual readiness review and the planned move to another school.

Lincoln Square · Specialized elementary and middle school

The Gateway School

A group-based language and learning program with explicit literacy and math, integrated therapy, and a planned move on to another school. Also covers evidence of progress.

Upper West Side · Specialized early childhood–middle school

Stephen Gaynor School

Small two-teacher classes, Orton-Gillingham roots, flexible grouping, and embedded specialists. Also covers how much support a student gets and high-school placement.

Brooklyn · Specialized Quaker K–12

Mary McDowell Friends School

A college-preparatory path for learning differences, shaped by Quaker practice and spread across more than one campus. Covers entry at Kindergarten, Grade 6, and Grade 9.

East Side · Specialized K–12 across two campuses

Aaron School

A K–7 program and a separate Grades 8–12 path under one name. Also covers who the school serves and the campus transition.

Financial District · Twice-exceptional K–12

The Quad Preparatory School

The school aims to offer advanced challenge alongside learning, executive-function, and clinical support in one day. Also covers peer match and the Zenith high school.

Financial District · Intentionally inclusive K–12 and transition

The IDEAL School of Manhattan

Intentional inclusion across mixed and grouped settings, with tiers of support and both diploma and transition paths. Also covers availability at Kindergarten, Grade 6, and Grade 9, and public reimbursement risk.

East Harlem and SoHo · Specialized K–12 and young-adult transition

Cooke School and Institute

Academics sit beside communication, independence, vocational preparation, and community access. Also covers who the school serves, credentials, and public placement.

Financial District · Twice-exceptional Grades 1–12

The Lang School

Another twice-exceptional school, with its own questions about peers, challenge, and support. Also covers Grade 6 and Grade 9 entry.

Chelsea · Learning-differences middle and high school

Winston Preparatory School NYC

A school day built around a daily one-to-one Focus period. Also covers the boundary between the NYC campus and the wider network.

Greenwich Village · Progressive independent Pre-K–12

LREI

Entry points at more than one grade, and progressive practice you can observe, with narrative and conventional assessment. Also covers two academic sites and high-school capstones.

Upper East Side and East Village · Independent Preschool–12

Trevor Day School

Kindergarten, Grade 6, and Grade 9 are all meaningful entry points, and inquiry shapes both curriculum and assessment. Also covers the two campuses.

Upper East Side · Catholic girls’ K–12

Marymount School of New York

Catholic school life, with entry at more than one grade. Covers two campuses and public statistics that conflict and should not be flattened into one number.

Upper East Side · Catholic girls’ K–12

Convent of the Sacred Heart

Kindergarten and Class IX have documented growth, while Class VI is limited and uncertain. Also covers lived Catholic identity and two campuses.

Brooklyn · Public charter K–12 network

Brooklyn Prospect Charter Schools

Lottery entry at Kindergarten, Grade 6, and Grade 9. The network spans several schools within more than one legal charter, so campus-level fit matters. Also covers the high-school IB Diploma Programme.

Jackson Heights · Public progressive charter K–12

The Renaissance Charter School

Project and experiential learning from Kindergarten through Grade 12. Kindergarten is a small opening, Grade 5 has expansion seats, and Grade 9 vacancies vary. Also covers the TRCS/TRCS2 boundary.

Bronx · Public charter K–8

Icahn Charter School 6

Published results come with caveats about which cohorts they cover. Also covers building accessibility and two-campus logistics, and a lottery-preference conflict that needs written confirmation.

Bronx · Public charter K–8 across two sites

Bronx Excellence 1

How the lottery works, with entry at Kindergarten and when vacancies open. Also covers two-site logistics, a classical core, structured culture, and campus-level evidence that is still missing.

Bedford Park · Public charter K–8 in transition

Bronx Excellence 8

A separate SUNY charter in transition. The guide flags what to confirm directly, including the building, network management, single-gender classrooms, and the lottery.

Morningside Heights · Public charter Grades 6–8

KIPP Beyond Middle School

Grade 6 is the entry point. Also covers the structured day, lottery-rule conflicts, conduct grading, and accessibility limits.

Crown Heights · Public charter Grades 9–12 campus

Achievement First Brooklyn High School

A Grade 9 pathway where the number of outside seats is uncertain. Also covers the demanding schedule, discipline, and how campus, charter, authorizer, and network differ.

Crown Heights · Public charter Grades 9–12 campus

Uncommon Charter High School

A Grade 9 route with unknown outside-seat capacity. Also covers a highly structured model, feeder continuity, and the difference between campus, K–12 legal school, and network.

Brooklyn · Independent N–12

Poly Prep Country Day School

Kindergarten entry is limited, while Grades 5, 6, and 9 have larger openings. Also covers two campuses, the bus system, and post-AP advanced courses.

Upper West Side · Public charter K–4

Success Academy Upper West

A lottery with campus-specific unknowns. Also covers the schedule and test results with their cohort caveats.

Queens · Screened public high school

Townsend Harris High School

The guide describes a prior admissions rubric, so confirm the current criteria. Also covers the writing-heavy core, Queens College credits, and a bus-dependent commute.

Queens · Early-college public high school

Bard High School Early College Queens

The guide describes a prior assessment-and-interview model, so confirm the current one. Two high-school years lead into two college years. Also covers the AA pathway and credit-transfer fine print.

Coney Island · Public middle school

Mark Twain I.S. 239

Students choose among separate talent areas, and test registration has its own deadline. Also covers earlier assessment formats worth confirming and access limits.

Upper West Side · District 3 public middle school

J.H.S. 54 Booker T. Washington

An open, random Grade 6 program with meaningful priority groups. Also covers honors and Regents pathways and major accessibility limits.

Upper West Side · Boys’ K–12

Collegiate School

Kindergarten has real expansion. Grade 9 is smaller and driven by attrition, and Grade 6 is only a possible-vacancy application.

Upper East Side · Boys’ K–12

The Browning School

Covers KinderFirst, classroom projects, study habits and homework, applications and aid, and the two buildings.

Upper West Side · Public K–8

The Anderson School

Citywide gifted-and-talented Kindergarten. At Grade 6, continuing students claim most places before outside applicants are considered.

Lower East Side · Public K–12

NEST+m

Different doors at different grades: citywide gifted-and-talented Kindergarten, a Grade 6 screen with priority for continuing students, and a screened Grade 9 assessment.

East Side

The Dalton School

How do House, Assignment, and Lab work in practice? Also covers entry points.

West Chelsea

Avenues New York

Explains the binding First Choice option alongside other admissions questions. Also covers entry points, language immersion, and school-designed advanced work.

Upper West Side

Trinity School

A K–12 school whose major Middle transition begins in Grade 5, not Grade 6. Read this to plan around where the real transition falls.

Bronx

Horace Mann School

Advanced courses have explicit gates, and Grade 6 and Grade 9 are large entry points.

Manhattan and Bronx

Ethical Culture Fieldston School

Ethics is part of the curriculum. Also covers two lower schools that converge at Grade 6, and an AP-free model.

Riverdale

Riverdale Country School

How does a school on two campuses handle the transitions between them? Also covers challenge and support.

Dobbs Ferry · Day, five-day, and seven-day Grades 9–12

The Masters School

Decide first what kind of week your family wants: commuting daily, boarding on weekdays, or full residential life. Then look at Harkness teaching and weekends.

Upper East Side

Brearley, Chapin, Spence, Nightingale, and Hewitt

Start with the girls’ school comparison, then continue into each individual profile.

Upper East Side

Allen-Stevenson, Buckley, and St. Bernard’s

Start with the boys’ school guide to compare, then continue into the individual profiles.

Girls’ school profile

The Brearley School

Covers the academic sequence and admissions, along with the questions still worth asking.

Girls’ school profile

The Chapin School

Covers the K–12 model, school assessments, and Beyond APs.

Girls’ school profile

The Spence School

Covers the academic sequence and advanced curriculum, with the open questions.

Girls’ school profile

Nightingale-Bamford School

Covers K–12 academics and advanced coursework, plus admissions.

Girls’ school profile

The Hewitt School

Covers research-centered academics and Extended Inquiry, plus robotics.

Boys’ school profile

The Buckley School

Covers academics and broad participation, Kindergarten admissions, and secondary placement.

Boys’ school profile

St. Bernard’s School

Covers the K–9 model and Kindergarten admissions, plus academics and placement.

Boys’ school profile

Allen-Stevenson School

Covers the TK–8 model and Grade 6 entry, plus placement and school leadership.

Upper West Side

BASIS Independent Manhattan

How accelerated is it, and where do support boundaries fall? Also covers first-year cost and how to read network-wide claims.

Brooklyn · Specialized independent PreK–12

BASIS Independent Brooklyn

Eligibility is not the same as a planned opening, so ask what is actually open at your child’s grade. Also covers the two-campus model and campus-specific fit.

Park Slope · Independent 3s–Grade 12

The Berkeley Carroll School

Kindergarten and Grade 9 are the documented main entries, and Grade 6 is attrition-only. Also covers inquiry and multiple buildings.

Brooklyn Heights · Independent Preschool–Grade 12

The Packer Collegiate Institute

Kindergarten and Grade 9 have documented intake, and Grade 6 depends on attrition. Also covers a broad urban program and a commute without school buses.

Downtown Brooklyn · Quaker independent K–12

Brooklyn Friends School

Kindergarten is the strongest documented entry, and expansion at Grade 6 and Grade 9 is unproven. Also covers Quaker practice, progressive learning, and IB.

Queens · Independent Preschool–Grade 12

The Kew-Forest School

A small-school Queens option with documented entry at Kindergarten, Grade 6, and Grade 9. Also covers the IB transition and school finances.

Todt Hill · Independent PreK–Grade 12

Staten Island Academy

A borough-centered option where the number of openings at Kindergarten, Grade 6, and Grade 9 is not quantified. Also covers transportation limits and scholarships.

Keep the family reality visible

Cost, commute, services, and uncertainty belong in the decision.

A school can be impressive and still not work for your household. These guides put practical limits on the table early.

Financial aid