The New York City high school applicaiton process opens for eigth graders in early October, and closes before the end of the year. High School offers and waitlists will be released in February/March.

Eighth list up to 12 high schools or special programs of their choice in order of preference, and the NYC Department of Education will match each student with a high school. The higher you rank AUPE on your applicaiton, the better chance you have. Last year about 75% of students were admitted to one of their top three picks.

No, AUPE is not a specialized high school, and therefore does not require an entrance exam or application essay to be admitted. All we require is a love of learning, an interest in technology and engineering, and being listed as a high school of choice on your MySchools application.

Parents should start talking to students about high school in 7th grade. High schools look at a student’s 7th grade grades, so if a student waits until 8th grade to think about high school, it may be too late.

Students should begin researching schools in 7th grade and will get access to their online application in the fall of their 8th grade year. Applications are due in early December. First-time 9th graders who are unhappy with their high school match can also participate in the process and apply for limited 10th
grade seats.

For a helpful breakdown, check out pages 60-71 of the NYC Public Schools Admissions Guide.

Students can be automatically placed on waitlists for schools they ranked higher than the one they’re matched to. Students will also have the opportunity to add themselves to waitlists for schools that they did not apply to in the fall when the waitlists open in early-March. High schools will offer seats to students as space becomes available. If you got waitlisted for AUPE, and it’s a top choice, reach out to Principal Sandoval via email with why you want to come to AUPE and asked to be considered when a slot opens.