2021 middle school admissions: Vol 1

By Joyce Szuflita
As I predicted (hate to say, “I told you so”) and as recommended in the Fordham Law School Feerick Center for Social Justice report back in May, middle schools are removing all screens for placement for the 2021-22 school year.

District priorities will remain in place and students will be ranked by lottery and sometimes also with an economic diversity priority. Exactly what will happen to Citywide and Borough-wide screened and audition programs (like Twain, ICE, Medgar Evers, PPAS, 318’s Chess Program…) has not been laid out. It seems to me that the design and focus of those few schools/programs are so unique and specialized that they may be considered separately. We’ll see. Watch their MY SCHOOLS listings and their websites for more information.

Dates:
The application will be open in MY SCHOOLS on Jan. 11
We don’t yet know a deadline. Go here for ongoing information.
Sign up for DoE email blasts.

Other questions that I have:

• What about sibling priority?

• What about zoning?

• What about tracked programs within schools?

• Will borough-wide and city-wide programs retain their geographic priorities?