High School: Your End of School Year Reminders

By: Audrey Fleischner

Memorial Day weekend might have been a wash-out this year, but summer is still right around the corner. As the school year comes to a close and you start powering down (or gearing up, depending on who you ask) for summer, we encourage you to not completely lose sight of high school admissions. Maybe as you relax on the beach with your incoming eight grader, you ask them their thoughts on small schools versus large schools. As you’re enjoying a lobster roll, perhaps you’re also perusing MySchools. Small moments of research can lead to greater understanding. 

If you’re an eighth grade parent, make sure to take the time to CELEBRATE. Your child just graduated from middle school! That’s a huge accomplishment and you all should feel proud. There is often a lot of well-deserved fanfare and milestone experiences at the close of eighth grade. Your child is likely leaning into these experiences and not fully processing the transition ahead, and that is okay!

As the celebrations come to a close, expect some mixed emotions from your eighth grader.  High school feels like a jump –academically, physically, and emotionally. The colossal buildings, longer commute, cool upper classmen…it can be intimidating! Some students feel ready and excited for the experience, while others fear the unknowns ahead. It is important to validate nerves while also instilling confidence. They are ready for this experience and their confidence will start with yours. 

FAQ: When should I start the High School application process?

We recommend families begin school research starting Winter/Spring of 7th grade. At that point you will have a sense of your child’s academic strengths and interests, and can begin to envision the type of high school experience that fits. There are around 900 high school programs to choose from, so dipping your toe into school research in 7th allows you to avoid the feeling of “cramming” in fall. If you’re a 7th grade parent who hasn’t started yet, fear not! We can help you get caught up. 

However, it is never too early to understand the NYC public high school system and application process. With this in mind, we are hosting our webinar: High School Clear and Simple (the last one of the school year and the only one until fall! on 6/9 7 pm). In 90-minutes you will learn everything you need to know about the high school admissions process, so that you can approach application season (whether that is one, two, or even three(!) school years away) with clarity and a focus on school fit.  Tickets here.

7th Grade Family Summer Checklist:

• Finalize an SHSAT and portfolio/audition prep plan if interested

• Gather a long-list of around 2 dozen schools of interest

• Visit some school websites (or check YouTube!) to check if there are recorded tours or info sessions 

• Give your child ample time to just be a kid in summer! 

NYC SIFT and the High School Search: What Data Can (and Can’t) Do

By Audrey and Abigail

We are self-proclaimed and unapologetic data nerds. When NYC SIFT was launched by a disgruntled, software-savvy 8th grade parent in 2023, it felt like an answer to our prayers: a New York City public high school directory with all the data in one place. Sure, the PI-level detective work of navigating endless dropdowns and DOE spreadsheets had its charm, but SIFT challenges us to do our jobs better. It frees up time from data hunting so we can focus on what matters—touring schools, talking to students, connecting with administrators, and yes, even waiting on hold with the DOE. Most importantly, it gives us more time to do the real work: helping families move from overwhelmed and unsure to grounded, informed, and even excited about what lies ahead.

Selecting a school for your child is a human process. Data has its place, but it doesn’t tell a school’s story. SIFT can show you AP offerings or four-year college rates, but it can’t capture the teachers who change teens’ lives or the vibe of post-school park hangs. It can generate a list based on filters, but it can’t ask follow-up questions or explain what “culinary arts” actually looks like.

We use NYC-SIFT. We want you to use NYC-SIFT. Just use it wisely – as one tool within a very human process.

What NYC-SIFT Gets Right:

NYC SIFT pulls from MySchools, School Quality Reports, school websites, and even FOIL requests. It is very, very good at data. And with nearly 1,000 NYC public high school programs, you need a place to start. SIFT helps you narrow the field, by distance, size, and other “must-haves,” and generates a workable list.

Of course, it won’t include that one perfect-fit program just outside your radius, or flag a lesser-known honors track you can place into sophomore year, but it’s a starting point – and a good one at that. 

Our Favorite Feature: Offer Prediction

We are huge proponents of getting ahead of the high school search. Building a long list early helps families avoid the fall scramble and instead focus on school fit. The challenge? You need your lottery number and screened group to assess your chances, and those don’t arrive until October, just two months before applications are due.

Before SIFT, families relied on applicant-to-seat ratios in MySchools – numbers that often raise more questions than answers. Brooklyn Millenium may have 2,000 applicants for 127 seats, but how many were in your screened group? SIFT’s prediction tool lets you model scenarios using lottery numbers and screened groups to estimate likelihood of admission. It’s not perfect, and data can shift year to year, but it offers meaningful transparency that supports planning early. 

Where NYC-SIFT Falls Short

NYC SIFT can support parts of the process, but it cannot guide you through it. It can’t quiet your worries, offer perspective, or ask the right questions to help you make sense of what actually matters for your child. 

In fact, in our experience, SIFT can sometimes add to the noise. Without context, data can push families to fixate on metrics, like college outcome and  AP counts, and hyper-compare school’s specific data points in ways that don’t meaningfully impact daily experience or students’ academic success. We make important life decisions all the time without SIFT-levels of data! More information is not always more clarity.

Adding Context: Academic Score 

In SIFT, schools default to being ranked by an “academic score,” a percentage based on metrics like test scores, grades, and four-year college placement. It’s an easy shorthand, and often becomes a primary filter for families. Attempts to rank NYC public high schools are frequently flawed, buoying well known options, without highlighting lesser known, high quality ones, and this is no exception.

In the case of SIFT’s academic score, you’ll see familiar names at the top – Stuyvesant, Brooklyn Tech, Eleanor Roosevelt – along with other selective programs.The 30 programs with the highest academic scores all share one trait: they admit students based on additional criteria like test scores, essays, or grades. In other words, they’re selecting for students who already perform well on the metrics used to calculate the score. I am no data expert, but seems like a potential case of correlation and not causation. Meanwhile, schools whose admissions methods yield academic diversity – even beloved programs like Essex Street or University Neighborhood – can appear weaker on paper, despite being deeply supportive, engaging environments filled with motivated students.

The Bottom Line: Human > Data

We believe in free, accessible, resources that support families through the NYC High School application process. SIFT is just that, a powerful resource. But your high school search won’t come from data alone. It comes from conversations – conversations with school experts, with current students, and with families who have gone through it all before. It comes from staying open-minded and curious. From touring. From understanding your child beyond their academic performance, and reflecting on the environments in which they thrive. 

And, of course, if you’re looking for support making sense of all the data and noise, we’re here to help streamline that research process. Come with your SIFT-filtered list, or with no research at all. We will share stories, ask the right follow-up questions, provide context, and even have some fun along the way. Like we said, selecting a school for your child is a human process.

Deciding Between High School Programs: Go with your Gut

By Audrey

I steer away from using my personal NYC high school experience as concrete evidence to inform the decision-making of others. Each student is different. The process and school climate has changed (a lot…). And yet…there is one story I find myself sharing a lot at this exact point in the admissions cycle. 

It is March, 2008 and I am standing in a circle of other nervously excited eighth graders at Laguardia’s admitted students day. I had come home from the fall tour bursting with energy, blabbing about the black box theater, graffiti hallway art, and my tour guide, Anna, with the very cool swoop bangs and slouched leather boots. Now, returning to the school alongside my future classmates, I start to envision my dream high school experience. 

Two high school seniors step into the center of the circle. Time for an improv game. They model pulling an opening line from a hat and working a scene from there. Who wants to go next? Hands shoot up around me in stereotypical “pick me! pick me!” fashion. My heart begins to race. My vision blurs. I silently beg that the game is volunteer only. The larger fear creeps in. I can’t do this for four years.

I want to say I remember the admitted students day of Stuyvesant, the school I chose over Laguardia, but I don’t. There was probably no visceral reaction, just a level of awkward nerves that felt comforting. 

It is worth noting that my parents had their own reasons for thinking Laguardia was the stronger match. I was bubbly, outgoing, crafty, always loved my afterschool classes and extracurriculars more than traditional academics. I was a strong student, but stressed over tests and homework, and felt school pressure in a way they thought would be untenable at Stuyvesant. However, they also knew there was no wrong choice, just two different paths, and made clear they supported either option. In the week following the admissions letter we agonized over pros and cons, poured over school websites, had lengthy talks with current students – but, in the end, it was a five-minute improv game that made the decision. I have never once regretted my choice.

I am not saying skip the pro-con list and, professionally, I think connecting with current students provides unparalleled insights into a school’s day-to-day experience. But, personally, I can vouch that there is also value in going with your gut. Ask your eighth grader how they feel thinking about a school, and the small moments that could be windows into their experience. Maybe a teacher’s speech just sort of clicks, or a potential friend is spotted. Their sixth sense might just be the guiding force that brings clarity. 

When Admissions Don’t Go Your Way (And Other Things that Feel Like the End of the World)

By Audrey and Abigail

8th graders are nothing if not dramatic. Therefore, it’s no surprise that when your teenager opens their admissions decision and it’s not what they hoped for, time may briefly stop. There may be silence. There may be tears. There may even be some declaration of “my life is over.” Similarly, if your child was accepted to multiple schools and now is faced with the prospect of making a decision, they might be overwhelmed and temporarily paralyzed by the big choice in front of them. 

Acknowledge the disappointment without minimizing it, and normalize rejection and resilience:

For many kids, this is their first real experience of rejection and it lands right on their identity. To help them cope, your first step is to repeat to yourself that their life is NOT actually over. Before you spiral directly into “what does this mean for college and their future” take a deep breath. Your teen is watching you and they need the message that this is disappointing and that we’re okay. 

Shift to what’s next:

Often landing at a school that isn’t a first, second, or even third choice can provide opportunities you might not have even imagined. There might be a future best friend waiting in their first period class, an afterschool club that unlocks a passion, and an opportunity to connect with a strong educator who might turn out to be a mentor. Reframing a lower choice school with possibility and hope can help your 8th grader see this in a new light, no matter how much they roll their eyes at your optimism. Remind them you’re proud of them and that this decision doesn’t determine their self-worth.  

For your teen who was accepted to multiple schools and needs to make a decision but is overwhelmed and torn in different directions, remind them that this is a huge opportunity and that choice is a good thing. There is no “wrong” decision. High school is not a lifelong contract, even if it feels that way right now. It’s a four year chapter of their story. Help them focus on what school is the most exciting for them.  

No matter what news you receive this week, we can help sort through the noise with a calm, strategic voice and empower you to feel good about the next four years. 

high school search mistakes you could be making in 7th grade

By Joyce Szuflita

1. Waiting until the fall, when your random number is assigned, to make your list.

2. Searching for schools using Niche, Great Schools or US News.

3. Only looking at one type of school; for example, only small schools, only screened schools, etc.

4. Disregarding schools that contain CTE programs or have very specific themes.

5. Focusing on the schools you wish your child was suited for instead of schools where they will really thrive.

To understand how to avoid these and other pitfalls, watch Joyce’s Public High School Choice: Loud & Clear on demand video.

the data from ranking unlimited high schools

We can only imagine what the data will look like next year. It has been reported that only 38% of students rank 12 choices on their applications. Shocking. How many students will actually take advantage of this “unlimited” app?

What is the likelihood:

• that the applicant : seat ratios for the few wildly popular tiny schools will go WAY up, so that any data will be artificially inflated?

• since 62% of students don’t rank even 12 choices, that there will still be kids who still don’t get a placement from their list?

• That people will complain with indignation that they got their “10th choice” when they placed 9 schools on their list that they had almost no chance of getting into?

The data that has been comforting and consistent for almost a decade - that around 75% of students get one of their top 3 choices, and that about 85% get one of their top 5 will be out the window. We’ll see.

Whatever you do, however many schools you list…make sure to have a couple of worthy safeties at 1:1 or 0:1 on your list. They are out there.

middle school and high school plans?

By Joyce Szuflita
Read this great article from Chalkbeat that lays out the problem and presents what I feel is a realistic and pragmatic approach (in this moment) to screening students (or not) for middle school and high school. It is reporting on the Fordham Law School Feerick Center for Social Justice report.