Tips for picking right school for your kid

DO YOUR HOMEWORK, and choose wisely. The city’s public school system offers families a stunning selection of roughly 500 free public high schools. And each spring, nearly 80,000 incoming freshmen and their families must select and apply to their favorites in the annual high school admissions process.

The options can be daunting: technical programs, early college classes and schools focusing on every conceivable subject, from sports management to airplane mechanics, medical forensics, performing arts, law, culinary arts and even museums.

The Daily News’ annual guide to the city’s top high schools — in conjunction with U.S. News & World Report — aims to demystify the process and offer a selection of some of the city’s best offerings.

The first thing families should do is educate themselves on the range of high schools that are available to city students, said Sandy Ferguson, deputy CEO of the city Education Department’s Office of Student Enrollment.

“The most exciting thing about high school admissions is the incredible range of choices,” Ferguson said. “There’s no place else in the world where a kid’s interests and talents and needs can be met so completely. There’s just such a huge range of options.”

The first thing to consider is what the student wants to study, Ferguson said — and then look for it.

“A kid can leave our high schools with a certification as an airplane mechanic. They can go into the food industry and study with some of the great names in the culinary arts,” Ferguson said. “They can learn to build, to design and pursue the career of their choice.”

Incoming city freshmen may apply to up to 12 high schools. Ferguson said families will be most likely to match with a chosen school if they apply to the limit of a full dozen schools and make sure to rank them in order of preference.

The city holds two application rounds each year using a computer algorithm that considers students’ preferences and qualifications. Roughly 90% of students get a match in round one. Those who don’t must go on to the second round.

Admissions methods vary. Some high schools give preference to certain geographical areas, or to students who come from lower grades at sister schools.

The city’s specialized high schools admit students solely on the basis of scores from a single test. Other schools admit students who possess demonstrable talent in the arts.

Many schools use some combination of academic achievement, test scores and attendance history to weigh admissions.

The city’s privately run, publicly funded charter schools, which enroll more than 104,000 students across all grades, employ a random lottery to select students, usually giving preference to their home district.

Students may apply to as many charter schools as they wish.

Ferguson said students and their families can begin the high school selection process as early as seventh grade by talking with guidance counselors and studying the options.

The Education Department has an enrollment hotline — (718) 935-2399 — and also operates enrollment centers in all five boroughs for extra help and questions.

The city publishes a comprehensive high school directory online and in print that lists key details about schools, including students’ academic outcomes and admissions criteria. It’s available in multiple languages.

Ferguson also invites families to explore the city’s mobile-ready city website and its SchoolFinder app, which is available on the Education Department’s website, schools.nyc.gov, and at schoolfinder. nyc.gov.

The city’s high school information fairs are valuable — many would say mustattend — events that take place throughout the fall and winter. Visit the Education Department website to learn more.