Get Ready for Day One
Ready for the first day of school on Thursday, September 4? If the answer is anything other than "yes," don't sweat it—check out our list of tips, suggestions, and advice on how to turn your child's first day into their Best Day!
NYC Public Schools Are On the Rise
Start the 2025–26 School Year Right at NYC Public Libraries
The Month Ahead (August 2025)
The last full month of summer is upon us! See what's happening in NYC Public Schools in August 2025, including the end of our Summer Rising, summer school, and Summer Meals programs, and start getting ready for the start of the new school year in September!
Get Ready for More Learning and Less Scrolling
Beginning this September, NYC Public Schools will be implementing its new Cell Phone and Electronic Device Policy across all K–12 City public schools, including charter programs, in accordance with New York State law. Learn more about this "cell phone ban," and start getting ready for distraction-free schools this fall!
Help Shape the Future of Community Services in NYC
The NYC Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) is conducting a survey this summer to understand the needs of City youth, families, and communities across the five boroughs. Learn more about DYCD's 2025 Community Needs Assessment, and take 10 minutes to give DYCD your feedback today!
Be Smart, Stay Safe this Summer
School Is Out, But Summer Reading is In!
Summer is finally here, and so is summer reading! Our summer reading resources will help students foster their love of reading and maintain their literacy skills while they're out of the classroom over the next few months.
Previewing the Year Ahead (2025–26 School Year)
See what's ahead for NYC Public Schools for the entire 2025–26 school year. Check out our official 2025–26 School Calendar, and start planning ahead for next year TODAY.
Free Summer Meals for NYC Kids Until August 29
Even after the 2024–2025 school year ends, anyone 18 years old or younger can still enjoy free breakfast and lunch throughout the summer, starting Friday, June 27, 2025.
Happy August! As the summer starts winding down, the good news is it’s still not too late for some summer reading. You might even find a new favorite book among our recommendations below, which feature stories across a variety of genres for students of all ages to enjoy.
Early Readers (3K–Grade 2)
- Beach Toys vs. School Supplies, by Mike Ciccotello
- Mabel, by Rowboat Watkins
- Mama’s Library Summers, by Melvina Noel; illustrated by Daria Peoples
- Saffron Ice Cream, by Rashin Kheiriyeh
- This Beach Is Loud!, by Samantha Cotterill
Elementary (Grades 3–5)
- The Best Worst Summer of Esme Sun, by Wendy Wan-Long Shang
- City Summer, Country Summer, by Kiese Laymon; illustrated by Alexis Franklin
- The Hero Two Doors Down, by Sharon Robinson
- Icy Fruit: How My Grandfather Spread the Joy of Ice Pops Across Taiwan, by Charlotte Cheng; illustrated by Vivian Mineker
- Zoe the Beach Dragon, by Maddy Mara
Middle School (Grades 6–8)
- Hurricane Season, by Nicole Melleby
- Not Nothing, by Gayle Forman
- Operation Sisterhood, by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich
- The Summer of Lost Letters, by Hannah Reynolds
- To Night Owl, From Dogfish, by Holly Goldberg Sloan and Meg Wolitzer
Upper Grades (Grades 9–12)
- Island Creatures, by Margarita Engle
- It Waits in the Forest, by Sarah Dass
- The Summer I Remembered Everything, by Catherine Con Morse
- Time and Time Again, by Chatham Greenfield
- We Don’t Swim Here, by Vincent Tirado
You can find these books and many more great reads on Sora, our Citywide Digital Library, which provides free access to thousands of digital e-books and audiobooks for our students. You can also find even more great recommendations in the Summer Reading Collection on Sora!
Missed our previous book recommendations?
Check them out in the "What We're Reading" Archive!
SPOTLIGHT ON OUR SCHOOLS
On July 16, Governor Kathy Hochul joined Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos for a roundtable event at Walton High School in the Bronx to meet with local community and school-based stakeholders to discuss New York State's updated policy regarding students' use of personal cell phones and electronic devices during school days.
During the roundtable, the Governor and Chancellor provided an overview of how the upcoming policy will affect classrooms, learning spaces, and families in school communities across the City and the State. Check out some of our favorite moments during this community event!
Ready to Read: Literacy Resources for Families
NYC Reads is reshaping the way that we teach our students to read, but the learning doesn't have to stop at the classroom door! Whether it's a family book club or a phonics-based 20 questions game, you can bring the "science of reading" home by using any of our helpful resources that will help your children continue to develop their literacy skills, like:
- Reading Games
- Phonics, Vocabulary, and Storytelling Practice
- And more!
A MySchools.nyc Tutorial: Learn the Basics
Throughout any stage of New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) application processes for 3-K, Pre-K, Kindergarten, middle school, high school, and Gifted and Talented (G&T) for grades 1, 2, 3, and 4, you can use MySchools.nyc—learn how to today!
Stay Informed with a NYC Schools Account (NYCSA)
With a NYCSA, you can:
- Access your child's school information on the go
- See your student’s grades, test scores and more
- Complete important forms
- Take classes in Parent University
- Get technology support through SupportHub
