How to Apply

The middle school application to enroll in 6th grade in September 2027 opens on October 14, 2026. Apply by December 11, 2026.

All 5th-graders (including those who plan to stay at programs that continue to 8th grade) must apply to middle school.

Once the application opens, it will be available via your MySchools account.

If your child currently attends an independent school, contact a Family Welcome Center for assistance with setting up a MySchools account once the application opens.

Getting started

Plan to spend the fall of 5th grade visiting schools or joining virtual open houses and tours. For some very popular schools, open house and tour slots book rapidly, so sign up early. If possible, take your child out of school to accompany you.

To prepare:

• Read the Middle School page on the NYC Public Schools website for more details about the application process.
• Check the NYC Public Schools admissions events calendar and schools' independent websites for school tour and open house dates. You can find a link to a school's independent website on its InsideSchools profile page under "Contact & Location".
• Sign up for the NYC Public Schools admissions email alerts.

Schools with a separate application

Most NYC public middle schools serve children in grades 6 to 8, but some start earlier or in the 7th grade and they typically have their own applications. Check each school's website for admissions information.

The Baccalaureate School for Global Education starts in 7th grade.

Ballet Tech starts in 4th grade but also admits students in 5th, 6th and 7th grade. Students apply to 6th grade via the main middle school process on MySchools. This school requires an audition.

Hunter College High School serves students in grades 7 to 12. It is tuition-free and open to students citywide, but is not run by NYC Public Schools. It admits children according to the results of a competitive exam administered to qualifying 6th-graders.

Charter middle schools typically begin in 5th grade, and all enroll students by lottery. Charter applications are typically due by April 1 and lotteries are held in April. You apply online through the Common Online Charter School Application or directly with the school.

New to New York City

If you move to the city over the summer, or any time after the application closes in December, you'll need to go to a Family Welcome Center for a placement. If your new address is in an area that does not have a zoned school, the Family Welcome Center will place your child in a school somewhere in your school district.

Tip: Do some research before you go to the Family Welcome Center. There are no guarantees, but it's always helpful to go in with a list of middle schools you prefer.

See our New to New York City page for more details.

What To Look For

Schools may offer tours (in-person or online) in the fall. Some districts offer middle school choice fairs, where you can meet with representatives from multiple schools. These fairs typically are held during the evening or on a weekend day. Here’s what to look for and ask about:

Quality of teaching
Try to look beyond the school's physical space to the quality of teaching. Look at the kids' faces. Are they interested and engaged? Bored? Staring off vacantly into space? Are you interested in what the teacher is saying?

Classroom libraries
Do the kids' books look interesting? Look for rich classroom libraries: novels and biographies, science discovery books, colorful atlases and original source materials such as diaries and historical documents. Make sure the libraries and assigned reading include books that reflect the voices and history of Black, Latinx, Asian, LGBTQ+ and other underepresented groups.

Bottom line: The more books the better—in the classroom as well as in the school library.

Quality of students' work
Are the walls bare, or are there lots of bulletin boards with kids' work? Look for examples of children's writing. Is the quality of work good? Are the art projects imaginative?

School atmosphere
What's the noise level in the school? Chaos, of course, is bad, but so is total silence. Kids should be talking to other kids and to grown-ups. Even more important, grown-ups should be talking to one another. In a good middle school, teachers meet regularly to discuss everything from curriculum to individual students' progress and problems.

Ask questions
The Q&A period after the tour is a good time to get a feel for the philosophy and atmosphere of a school. You'll get a more revealing answer if you ask open-ended questions such as "How do you approach behavior?" rather than "Is your school safe?" Ask whether parents may visit the school and classes during the year. A school that welcomes parents is not afraid of what you might see on an impromptu visit.

Your Options

Even if you have a zoned school, you may want to consider other options.

Geographic priority schools and programs

While students may apply to middle schools anywhere in the city, in most cases you will have the best chance at admission to a school closer to home.

Many of the city’s 32 school districts have programs that give priority admissions to students who live or attend school in that district. Across the city there are also middle schools that give priority to students boroughwide, including most in the Bronx.

Citywide schools

These schools accept students city-wide without considering their home address, district, or borough. Some have other admission criteria, including the five citywide gifted schools, which in addition to considering grades, give priority to their continuing 5th-graders.

Charter schools
Charter schools are tuition-free and operate independently of NYC Public Schools. Each charter school admits students by a lottery held in early April.

Read our rundown of the different kinds of charter schools and networks in New York City.

Dual language programs
These programs offer instruction in two languages and are designed to make children fluent speakers, readers, and writers in both. Typically, classes mix native speakers of both languages.

Magnet programs
Magnets are designed to foster integration. They receive multi-year federal or state grants for special programs (such as art, science, drama, law, or dual language) to help the school attract (like a magnet) children of different backgrounds and ethnicities who might not otherwise attend.

Check out NYC Magnet Schools to find magnet programs near you. Before applying, make sure the school still receives the extra support that magnet schools are supposed to get and are not “magnet” in name only.

Audition programs
Some middle schools have special arts programs that admit students based on an audition. These include citywide schools such as Professional Performing Arts, Mark Twain, and Ballet Tech.

You may find the full list of middle schools that require auditions on the NYC Public Schools website.