Children are not required to attend school until they are 6 years old; however, any child whose 5th birthday is before December 31st of the year s/he starts school is entitled to attend a public kindergarten program. If you are interested in sending your child to a kindergarten program that is not housed in your neighborhood public school, we recommend that you start your search for private schools and/or alternative public elementary schools a full year before s/he will start kindergarten. There are over 1,000 public and private elementary schools, all of which have their own personalities. You will need a great deal of time to tour different schools to identify the schools to which you want to apply and complete the application process which may involve writing an essay, reference letters as well as student and parent interviews.
The remainder of the elementary school parent guide will help you:
- Understand the public and private elementary school admissions process
- Identify your child's educational profile as well as your family's academic goals and practical concerns
- Learn about the differences among New York City's public and private elementary schools
- Obtain handouts to help prepare for the school tours and child and parent interviews
Navigating the admissions process to both the public and private school systems can be daunting. Depending on the child’s age, parents have to submit applications with supporting materials which may include transcripts, personal statements, and recommendations from teachers and friends. Parents will visit several schools during which time they may be interviewed by administrators and/or teachers. Finally, some schools require applicants to be interviewed and/or assessed to allow the schools to determine whether they are a good fit. Although the application process typically begins in August one year before the child will enroll in school, parents have to decide to which schools to apply much earlier to allow for sufficient time to complete the applications and gather the appropriate materials.
More Information about the Admissions Process
To obtain more detailed information about applying to private schools, please click on the Private School Admissions Process link.
To learn more about the registration rules and requirements of the New York City public school system , please click on the Public School Education Process link.
Please see the handout section near the bottom of the parent guide to learn tips regarding the school tours, parent interviews, student interviews and/or assessments, reference letters, admissions officers' pet peeves, admissions decisions as well as financial aid and scholarships.
Student Interviews and Assessments
Some private schools and public schools with Gifted and Talented (G&T) Programs require applicants to be interviewed and/or assessed during the admissions process. The schools may ask for an assessment from their current preschool teacher(s). Other schools require that your child talk to teachers and/or administrators to determine whether s/he is a good fit for the school. Some admissions assessments involve a small group of children to be observed with age-appropriate activities. The students may have free time to explore various instructional materials, including coloring materials, blocks and other manipulatives. Your child may also work with a teacher in a one-on-one setting. These interviews and assessments may last anywhere from 30 minutes to over an hour.
At the bottom of this page is a handout that offers fun and natural ways to prepare for the interviews and assessments. Please click on this link to learn more about the admissions process for Gifted and Talented schools and programs in the NYC public school system.
Your Child's and Family's Educational Profile
To identify which schools meet your child’s and family’s needs, you will first have to consider your child’s educational profile as well as your family’s educational goals and practical concerns.
Your Child's Educational Profile
Your child's educational profile consists of her or his:
- Basic learning ability
- Skill development
- Special interests
- Learning style
- Motivation to learn
- Social issues
- Disabilities
Please click here to learn more about these aspects of your child's educational profile for elementary schools.
Your Family's Educational Goals And Practical Considerations
Regardless of your child’s skill development and interests, parents may also have academic goals and/or practical considerations that are important. Some educational issues that you may want to consider are:
- What content is emphasized
- Teaching methods
- Classroom behaviour management style
- School community
Moreover, there may some practical considerations that are important, including:
- School schedule
- Transportation
- Location
- Cost
Please click here to learn more about your family's educational goals and practical concerns for elementary schools.
Once you have a clear understanding of your goals as well as your child’s academic and social profile, you are ready to identify the schools that would be a good fit. The following are some characteristics you will want to consider:
- Public versus private school
- For public schools: gifted and talented or general education programs
- For private schools: prestigious or lesser known schools
- Educational philosophy
- Dual language programs
- Charter schools
- Distance from home
- Large versus small schools
- Coeducational versus single sex schools
- Feeder schools
Please click on the following link to learn more detailed information about elementary school characteristics.
School Finder and Comparison Tool
To help parents navigate the elementary school admissions process, the website has a school finder as well as a school comparison tool that will allow parents to identify a set of schools that meet your child's and family's needs as well as compare these schools' characteristics (e.g., educational philosophy, cost, test scores, attendance rates). Please click on the School Finder tab for more information about this service.
Handouts
Moreover, the website has handouts that help parents prepare for the school tours, child and parent interviews and entrance exams. Please click on the following links to download the handouts:
- Elementary school tour handout
- Elementary school child and parent interview handout
- Reference letter handout
- Admissions officers' pet peeves
- Handout to prepare your child for the interviews and assessments
- Admissions decisions handout
- Financial aid and scholarships handout
We also provide more personal services to help parents navigate the elementary school admissions process, including the elementary school survey, workshop and confidential private consulting. To learn how to purchase these services, please click on the Our Services Tab.
Workshop
The elementary school admissions process workshop provides parents with tips regarding 1) how to identify the elementary schools that meet your needs, 2) the logistics of the admissions process, 3) touring schools, 4) parent interviews, 5) preparing your child for interviews and/or assessments, 6) writing a compelling essay, and 7) juggling acceptances and wait-list offers.
Individual Consulting Services
We provide individual consulting services to parents who would like help navigating the public and private elementary school admissions process. More specifically, we can help parents with any one or all of the following steps:
Step 1) Develop your child's and family's educational profile
Step 2) Identify the elementary schools that meet your child’s and family’s needs
Step 3) Understand the logistics of the admissions process
Step 4) Prepare for the school tours as well as the parent and student interviews
Step 5) Complete the applications and write a compelling essay
Step 6) Select the best school for your child and family
Elementary School Survey
We have created a survey that will help us determine your child’s educational profile as well as your family’s educational goals and practical concerns. More specifically, the survey asks you about your child’s basic learning capacity, skill development, special interests, learning styles, motivation to learn, social temperament and disabilities. In addition, the questionnaire asks parents questions regarding the importance of various educational characteristics (e.g., what content is emphasized, teaching methods, classroom behavior management approach and school community) as well as any practical considerations that are important, including the school’s type, location, educational approach, schedule, transportation, and cost. Once we have reviewed the survey, we will send you information about your child’s educational profile as well as a list of schools that we think will meet your child’s and family’s needs.