The DOE high school application process in NYC is modeled after the Gale Shipley algorithm, which is the same method used in “matching medical students to residency programs.” For some reason, bloggers and applicants often refer to this high school application as lottery-based which causes confusion and rage amongst parents, as they seriously believe that students are being accepted to schools in a lottery-based process that doesn’t take merit into account. Parents of straight A students seem to think D students are getting accepted to highly competitive programs over their high achieveing A+ students. That isn’t what is happening at all. You are basically given your application number, called the RAN number, at the beginning of the process so you know the order in which your application will be seen. This differs from a standard application where you apply blindly to schools that may only have let’s say 100 spots, your application is number 101, and all 100 that were seen before you met the admissions criteria, so now you weren’t accepted, and you are in the dark as to the reason. With the application number being released ahead of time, the students know if their number ranks low. A coveted school with limited spots and tons of qualified applicants likely won’t get to the low-ranking application and the student can better prioritize the choices of high schools being applied to. For some reason, some parents take this to mean that they now have to apply to everything under the sun to guarantee the child gets into a competitive school. They coach their middle schoolers on taking specialized tests, applying to alternative programs and private schools, prep them for auditions for performing arts schools, and prep portfolios for arts schools. I understand kids can have a lot of interests. For the sake of your sanity, I recommend limiting the types of programs you apply to. Choose your all public schools for the applocation and one other option, whether it’s arts or specialized schools with entrance exams. Don’t try to do it all. We live in a city with unlimited options. Your child can explore interests in extracurricular settings and in the summer. The RAN number, as it is called, starts with a letter and is followed by a series of numbers. The closer to the beginning of the alphabet your letter is and the lower your number is, the higher your visibility. You are also given a tier based on your students’ grades. The IEP is taken into consideration to provide an IEP student with a leveled chance of being seen in the application process. If you opt to take the SHSAT test to apply for any of the specialized high schools, the IEP does accommodate your student for extra time on the tests. Please make sure to meet with your counselors and IEP team well in advance to ensure that your student has the accommodation if it is something that you think is needed. There are also plenty of free SHSAT tutoring programs, with the books all available for sale. Don’t spend a ton of money on tutoring for the SHSAT test.

My son had a great number, and we could have applied to more competitive schools, but the commute would have been longer, and we collectively came to the conclusion in the household that he did not want a long commute. Instead, we ranked a nearby STEAM-based program as his first choice, where he ultimately got accepted. So far, he is happy at the school. I did get some negative comments about the school from other parents who asked me where he was going because it isn’t considered competitive, but I know many others who went there and loved it. I know that some may want a lot of hand-holding and organizational help during the application process and choose to hire an admissions coach. If you feel that you can’t get organized without one, knock yourself out, but keep in mind a coach won’t change the outcome of your results. I made a free GPT where I uploaded resources to walk anyone through the process. I don’t know how long I will keep it up because I have to pay for the Chat GPT subscription every month, but if it saves you money and you find it helpful, enjoy it while it’s up.