Anyone doing the NYC public high school application? How are you feeling about the changes and has it shifted your choices? I'm wondering about giving Beacon a prominent spot since the decision making seems so arbitrary, no screens except for the essay and the schoolwork. On the six thousandth kid, will they really be able to differentiate?
I'm very confused because Manhattan students still have no zoned schools. I don't understand how you can make the process a lottery and not have a fallback option for an entire borough.
Our list hasn't really changed because we have very specific requirements--school must offer AP Calc, prefer AP Physics as well. There are distressingly few schools that meet even that low bar.
> school must offer AP Calc, prefer AP Physics as well. There are distressingly few schools that meet even that low bar.
Holy cow. Is it really that bad? Until now were screened/selective high schools the only options for a reasonably smart kid?
Wow, that is shocking. You realize every public HS in the burbs offers these, right?
Yes, but then you live in the suburbs. Nonstarter.
I’m sorry. As usual, this sucks. It seems like most people end up with something on the top half of their list but I’m worried.
We are going through the process as well. Are your kids taking the SHSAT or applying to performing arts schools too?
Check the most recent high school reviews out here :
https://parentsofnyteens.blogspot.com/p/2020-high-school-reviews.html
You'll see tabs there going back to 2015.
If you'd like to include your own anonymous review, fill out the form here : http://bit.ly/2020highschoolreview
My older dc applied to HS 4 years ago, and got her first choice. Back then, it was a crazy, stressful process, but there was an element of predictability. We knew, based on her grades, test scores, and attendance, that she was likely to get into one of her top choices. Now I don't think you can count on that -- it's much more of a lottery and it seems like more students are left out in the cold and assigned to some random school that wasn't on their list. That's why we're having the younger one take the SHSAT. If you do test prep, it gives you just a little more control over the process.
@BrooklynMom My DC didn't apply this year but I heard from many 8th grade moms that it was a total sh*tshow. Either their kid got an SHSAT spot, or something at the bottom of their list, or nothing on their list at all. Even kids with top grades, scores etc.
@anonymous Not all, as my DC got Bronx SC and Beacon ( 1 st choice). Those we know who didn't do SHSAT seemed to fair better with regular HS placement. I think those who ranked Specialized schools their kid wouldn't go to( but got into) are unhappy as they didn't get any of their top choices for reg. HS. Rumor is the DOE changed the placement algorithm to make more kids get something on their list(from specialized or regular) and not both like previous years.
It's probably a little bit of everything. Most families we know who were happy with their SHSAT placement did not care for what they got for nonspecialized. Then, some families got first choice for both.
We didn't get anything on my child's list and they have very good stats. I think it totally depended on the lottery number. I know kids who only got LaGuardia and no regular round, kids who got placed in a random school like we did, Kids who got an amazing SHSAT and regular round placement....and none of these kids are very different from each other.
I feel so bad for you and so demoralizing. My 7th grade DD will likely have a 96 or 97 average. She's studying for SHSAT but she's not that motivated and I will be shocked if she's able to make the cut. I just don't get how above 95% isn't good enough to get into even one of the well-regarded schools that serve mainly students bound for 4 year colleges and universities.
@BKmom Its a combination of factors. D2 in particular were basically lottery if you meet the floor (85 gpa) + a certain percent for FRL (free lunch/low income) I believe. Townsend Harris was same if you had 91. Others schools in other districts used a calculated score based on grades and state tests (going back a year further) but then had set aside up to 70% of seats for FRL.
It was really all over the place this year. I know of several kids who got an SHSAT placement who received nothing else, kids being placed in schools that were not one of their 12 choices, etc. I know one family who is moving now because the placement was crappy. She had a 99 average.
For parents of rising 8th graders who will be applying to public high schools next year, there's a facebook group. Not much there yet, because the process hasn't started, but it could be helpful. Search applying to high school in NYC 2021-22.
Thank you for posting
Interesting article/research into the algorithms used this year, and how to find your lottery number: https://medium.com/algorithms-in-the-wild/decoding-the-nyc-school-admission-lottery-numbers-bae7148e337d