Screened Admissions

For Fall 2024 admissions, screened programs admit the top-performing applicants from across each middle school and citywide. Students will be admitted to screened programs in group order, starting with students in group one.

Students fall into a screened admissions groups 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.

To fall into the top __% of applicants citywide…

An applicant needs average core course grades of at least:

Top 15% (Group 1)

94

Top 30% (Group 2)

89.66

Top 50% (Group 3)

82.75

Top 70% (Group 4)

76.33

*Students with an average lower than a 90 will not fall into Group 1, even if they are in the top 15% of their NYC Public School. This will be the case for students with an average lower than an 80 for group 2, lower than a 75 for group 3, and lower than 65 for group 4.

If there are more applicants in group one than available seats at a program, students from group one will be randomly selected for seats using the random number linked to each applicant’s application. If all students in group one can be accommodated at a school, students in group two will be considered next; if there are more applicants in group two than remaining available seats, then students in group two will be randomly selected for available seats. This will continue with subsequent groups until all seats are filled.

Applicants from charter schools are eligible for an admissions group based on the citywide averages and their school averages if their school provides the NYC Public Schools with grades for all students at that charter school. Applicants from non-NYC Public Schools or other charter schools are eligible for an admissions group only by meeting the citywide average.

When the HS application opens, students will be able to see which screened admissions group they are in on their MySchools profile. On the dashboard, click on “Edit profile” just above your child’s name. Scroll down to see the screened admissions group.

Ninth grade applicants to tenth grade seats will be grouped based on their final eighth-grade grades.

To fall into the top __% of applicants citywide…An applicant needs average core course grades of at least:
Top 15% (Group 1)93.25
Top 30% (Group 2)88.25
Top 50% (Group 3) 81.00
Top 70% (Group 4)74.00

How are offers made to screened programs that are participating in Diversity in Admissions (DIA) and do not have an assessment?

At screened programs that have a diversity in admissions (DIA) and do not have an assessment, students in group one who are eligible for DIA are considered first for DIA seats. If there are not enough applicants eligible for DIA in group one to fill DIA seats, students in group two who are eligible for DIA will be considered next. This will continue until all DIA seats are filled.

Where can I learn if specific screened programs require additional assessments, and how to complete them?

A small portion of high schools may also require applicants to complete a school-based assessment, such as an essay. A list of these schools is available at our Assessments for Screened Schools webpage. 

My child's school does not use numeric grades. How is my group calculated?

The DOE converts non-numeric grades based on the below table.

Score Numeric Equivalent
1 55
2 62
3 85
4 95
1- 53
1+ 58
2- 60
2+ 64
3- 83
3+ 88
4- 93
4+ 98
A 95
A- 93
A+ 98
B 85
B- 83
B+ 88
C 75
C- 73
C+ 78
D 65
D- 60
D+ 68
E 95
E- 93
E+ 98
F 55
G 85
G- 83
G+ 88
IB1 55
IB2 65
IB3 72
IB4 79
IB5 86
IB6 92
IB7 98
MA 85
MB 55
ME 95
MP 65
MT 75
N 65
N- 60
N+ 68
NS 55
S 75
S- 73
S+ 78
U 55

How does screening affect applicants eligible for seats for students with disabilities?

Each screened high school program reserves a portion of their seats for students with disabilities. SWD applicants in group one will be considered first for SWD seats, then SWD applicants in group two, and so on.

Why aren’t screened admissions groups calculated separately for SWD students?

Students who are in the top 15% of their school or the city qualify for group one, regardless of their GE or SWD status. This means that higher performing SWD students are placed into SWD seats first. These seats are reserved for students who qualify for SWD status in the admissions process, so each time all the applicants with SWD status in an admissions group have been accommodated, the next group is considered for placement.

To ensure that students are always included in the correct group no matter their GE/SWD status, students are assigned a group on the same scale. This allows for students’ IEP status to change from SWD to GE without disrupting their admissions group.