High School Admissions

Timeline of the High School Application Process

SPRING 2024 UPDATE: We await information from the Dept. of Education regarding the timetable, procedures, and criteria for the 2024-25 admissions season. In June, ESMS will hold an informational meeting for 7th grade families to discuss this year's outcomes, how to research schools and prepare for auditions & testing (if applicable).  
 
The sections below outline what the process looked like for our Class of 2024. 
 

High School Admission Information - 2023-2024

ESMS Guidance Counselor, Jessica McInnis, will hold a virtual meeting about the High School Admissions Process at 9:15am on October 25, 2023. She will discuss MySchools, screened admissions criteria, building a balanced HS application, submitting auditions and materials, and more.

• October 3, 2023: High School Application & Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT & LaGuardia) Registration Opens
• October 27, 2023: SHSAT Registration Closes
• November 8, 2023: SHSAT In-School Testing
• December 1, 2023: High School Application & Additional Materials Deadline
• March 7, 2024: High School and Specialized High School Offers in same letter
 
Visit the NYC DOE High School Information page to find more information.

MySchools Account

www.myschools.nyc/en/

MySchools is your HS application portal. If you do not have a MySchools account, please email Jessica McInnis. If your child is new to our school this year, welcome! Please provide us with their final 7th grade report card so we can enter their grades into the system and get you set up with MySchools.

You need a MySchools account to register for the SHSAT, apply to high schools, submit additional application materials, see your child's group number, view your child's high school results, as well as a number of other functions. 

The MySchools website also includes a calendar (myschools.nyc/en/calendar/) with dates for various admissions events, such as open houses, timelines, and information sessions provided by the enrollment team. 

Please make sure your contact information is correct in the Guardians section of NYCSA so that your mailing and email addresses will feed smoothly into MySchools.

Application Information

SHSAT Registration & LaGuardia Auditions

On October 3, your HS application will be available in MySchools. In your account, you will be able to register your child to take the SHSAT, sign up for LaGuardia auditions and begin saving a list of schools of interest. SHSAT and Specialized School preferences are due by October 27. More information about Specialized High Schools is here.

Screened Admissions Groups

Students fall into a screened admissions group based on the average of their final seventh-grade core course grades (ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies). This average must fall into the top percentage of students citywide or at a student’s school in order to fall within a certain admissions group.

Open House Information

Please stay on top of open house events. Many of them require registration and they tend to sell out quickly. This information can be ascertained on school websites, the MySchools calendar, and the live Open House document that I update (not an inclusive school list).

Private/Parochial School  

An overview of the application process for non-DOE schools is on our website under the 'For 8th Graders' tab here (updates will post there this week). Students applying to private and/or parochial schools will need letters of recommendation as well as transcripts. Our deadline for requesting this information is December 1.

NYC Department of Education High School Admissions Events

Schedule to be announced in Fall 2024