City HS admits will remain by zone

Ending months of uncertainty and parental angst, the Department of Education has scrapped a plan to end geographic priorities for high-school admissions.

The reversal was part of a wider announcement Tuesday on middle- and highschool admissions for next year.

Middle schools will extend a pause on academic screening while high-school admissions will now be handled by central administrators rather than individual schools.

The DOE clarified that it would reverse a plan to nix any geographic considerations for entry into certain high schools, a proposal that threw some Big Apple parents into a tailspin.

The agency initially announced it was doing away with the priorities before formally retracting the plan Tuesday.

Suddenly faced with lengthy slogs to distant schools, parents erupted in opposition to that proposal.

Middle-school applications will open the week of Jan. 10 and close the week of Feb. 28, the DOE said, with offer letters going out in early May.

High-school applications will kick off the week of Jan. 24 and end the week of Feb. 28, with admissions notices being issued in late May.

The DOE cited pandemic-driven irregularities in extending the moratorium on screening for middle schools. These included state tests that were skipped by roughly 80 percent of city students.

A screening exception will be made next year for performing-arts middle schools, where auditions will be held.

The DOE said high-school admissions will now be handled centrally and use a uniform admissions rubric. Previously, individual schools could build their own admissions system.

Entry to the city’s specialized high schools will not change, with admissions based on performance on an exam.