Kindergarten Acceptance Letters Are Out, And Fewer Students Are Getting Waitlisted

Christina Veiga, Originally published in Chalkbeat New York

Kindergarten offers are out — and for almost 63,000 New York City families, Tuesday’s placements end a long wait to learn where their child will go to school next year.

About 71% landed at their top-ranked school, and 85% were admitted to one of their top three choices, according to the city’s education department.

Test results for those vying for Gifted and Talented programs will be released separately. Families can apply for a program once they have their child’s score.

But a small number of students were placed on waitlists for their zoned school: There were 205 students at 23 zoned schools who were not admitted. That represents a steady decline since 2016, when more than 1,000 children were waitlisted at 65 schools. This year’s numbers include children who live in a shared zone for multiple schools and those who applied to dual-language programs.

Children are automatically placed on waitlists for any schools they had ranked higher on their application but did not get into. Every kindergartener is guaranteed a seat at a city school, and there is often movement on waitlists over the summer.

Getting registered usually means visiting the school and presenting documents like a birth certificate, immunization records, and proof of address. But with campuses closed due to the coronavirus, superintendents and schools are still working on guidance for what registration will look like, the education department said. Schools will reach out directly to families with more information, spokesperson Katie O’Hanlon wrote in an emailed statement.

“We’re exploring options to give families greater flexibility and choice in registering their child,” she said.

Some families got an early look at their kindergarten offers, due to a glitch with the city’s online portal that briefly posted some notices this weekend, parents said. Those were quickly and quietly removed from the platform until official offers were posted Tuesday.

Families can begin accepting their offers by logging into the city’s MySchools online portal, calling 718-935-2009, or emailing ESenrollment@schools.nyc.gov.

Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools.