October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM)
Recognized annually by the National Cybersecurity Alliance and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), NCSAM aims to make more people aware of cyber threats and teach best practices to protect you and your family online.
Digital Citizenship Week is held yearly to "promote a healthy, balanced, and positive approach to media and tech use among young people." This year, it takes place October 20–24: find events, activities and a social media challenge for students from kindergarten through grade 12!
What can you do now? Practice these easy and actionable steps to boost your online safety. Small actions can make a big difference!
Celebrating National School Lunch Week 2025
Apply to High School for the 2026–27 School Year
From October 7 until December 3, 2025, NYC families can apply to high school for the 2026–27 school year. Learn more about this year's admissions processes, including suggested tips and tools that you can use to discover and select programs, and submit your application!
Opportunities for Students (October 2025)
Time for City students to pumpkin spice up their October! Check out the outstanding learning and earning opportunities available for City public school students this month, including free workshops, college fairs, and prestigious volunteer experiences, and register/apply for them today!
This October, Choose Kindness Over Bullies
The Month Ahead (October 2025)
We made it to the second month of the 2025–26 school year—check out what's happening in NYC Public Schools in October 2025, including Yom Kippur, Indigenous Peoples'/Italian Heritage Day, the start of our high school and middle school admissions processes for fall 2026, and Diwali!
Get Prepped and Register for the Newly Digital Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT)
This year, students who register for the SHSAT between October 7–31 will take the test digitally, instead of the traditional paper format. To help students familiarize themselves with the new assessment, City middle schools will conduct a Digital SHSAT Readiness activity.
Hispanic Heritage Month Spotlight: '¡Su voto es su voz!': Willie Velásquez, Champion for Voting Rights
In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, we are sharing our Hidden Voices profile of Willie Velásquez, the charismatic Mexican American grassroots activist who worked to ensure equal voting rights for Latinos in the United States while also galvanizing Latinos towards participating in the U.S. political process at the local, statewide, and national levels.
September 15–October 15 is Hispanic Heritage Month! Throughout the month, we encourage families, educators, and students to check out a book that features Hispanic and Latino history, individuals, and experiences at the forefront.
These recommendations include new and classic titles which feature a variety of cultural backgrounds, fiction and nonfiction genres, and unique perspectives for students of all ages. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
Early Readers (3K–Grade 2)
- The Cot in the Living Room, by Hilda Eunice Burgos; illustrated by Gaby D'Alessandro
- Dancing Hands: How Teresa Carreño Played the Piano for President Lincoln, by Margarita Engle; illustrated by Rafael López
- Pablo Neruda: Poet of the People, by Monica Brown; illustrated by Julie Paschkis
- Paletero Man, by Lucky Diaz; illustrated by Micah Player
- Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré, by Anika Aldamuy Denise; illustrated by Paola Escobar
Elementary (Grades 3–5)
- Cuba in My Pocket, by Adrianna Cuevas
- Frizzy, by Claribel A. Ortega
- Latinitas: Celebrating 40 Big Dreamers, by Juliet Menendez
- Paola Santiago and the River of Tears, by Tehlor Kay Mejia
- Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and her Family's Fight for Desegregation, by Duncan Tonatiuh
Middle School (Grades 6–8)
- Esperanza Rising, by Pam Muñoz Ryan
- Isla to Island, by Alexis Castellanos
- Marcus Vega Doesn’t Speak Spanish, by Pablo Cartaya
- Miss Quinces, by Kat Fajardo
- Tumble, by Celia C. Pérez
Upper Grades (Grades 9–12)
- Breathe and Count Back from Ten, by Natalia Sylvester
- Clap When you Land, by Elizabeth Acevedo
- The Distance Between Us, by Reyna Grande
- Never Look Back, by Lilliam Rivera
- Wild Tongues Can't Be Tamed: 15 Voices from the Latinx Diaspora, edited by Saraciea J. Fennell
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 Hispanic & Latine Heritage Month Collection on Sora, as well as on our Hispanic Heritage Month page!
Missed our previous book recommendations?
Check them out in the "What We're Reading" Archive!
SPOTLIGHT ON OUR SCHOOLS
On September 4, NYC public schools across the five boroughs opened their doors for the first day of the 2025–26 school year. Check out some of our favorite moments from the first week of the new academic year, and join us as we wish all of our returning students and staff members a wonderful start!
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!
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!
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
