Families with children in 5th grade can apply to public, charter and private middle schools. The Department of Education’s middle school application for fall 2027 opens Wednesday, October 14, 2026 and closes Friday, December 11, 2026.
Public school applications
New York City families of current 5th graders, no matter which elementary school their child attends, apply for public middle schools through MySchools. Each program’s MySchools page lists its selection criteria and priorities, and many schools post open houses and tours in the MySchools events calendar. At schools where the final year is eighth grade, applicants with siblings currently in sixth or seventh grade have priority; programs that admit by audition, language criteria, talent test or screening have no sibling priority. Learn more on the DOE middle school page.
- Wednesday, October 14, 2026: Middle School Application Opens
- Monday, November 2, 2026: Deadline to register to test for Mark Twain I.S. 239 and the District 21 Talent Tests
- Friday, December 11, 2026: Middle School Application Closes
- Wednesday, April 7, 2027: Middle School Offer Release
Mark Twain I.S. 239 for the Gifted & Talented: the deadline to register for its admissions tests is Monday, November 2, 2026.
Free DOE virtual info sessions
The DOE is holding live virtual information sessions on applying to middle school for families of current 5th graders, with the same presentation at each: Tuesday, October 20 (5–6pm), Wednesday, October 21 (5–6pm) and Thursday, October 22 (1–2pm), each with interpretation in different languages. Join details are on the DOE middle school page. Our own October 2025 middle school info session with public, charter and private schools is still available to watch here.
Charter school applications
Charter school admissions are a separate process from the DOE application: Families can apply on each charter school’s website directly. Download our Charter School Guide here.
Private school applications
Families apply to private middle schools directly on the website of each school they are interested in. Download our Private School Guide here.
