Starting December 10th, families with children born in 2020 can apply to kindergarten for the 2025-2026 school year. Applying to kindergarten is an exciting time and we are here to help.

You can use Myschools.nyc to search and apply to programs of interest at NYC public schools. Many of our public schools have more than one program. Here are the four program types that a school can offer:

Kindergarten – All schools offer a standard kindergarten program, serving all learners. Zoned programs have a specific geographic area assigned to them where families receive the highest priority. Non-zoned programs do not have a specific area assigned, but rather give priority to families who have siblings attending, who attend for pre-k, or reside in the district. 

Kindergarten (Citywide or District) Gifted and Talented Program – Gifted & Talented programs offer accelerated instruction to eligible elementary school students in New York City. If you list a G&T program on your application, your child’s eligibility will be determined by their current pre-k teacher or via an interview. District G&T programs give priority to siblings and to families who reside in the district. For more information about eligibility visit our webpage – schools.nyc.gov/GT

Kindergarten Dual Language Program – In this program, students are taught in two languages. The goal is for English proficient students and English Language Learners to not only develop new language skills and learn academic subjects in two languages, but also practice and share language and culture with each other, becoming bilingual, biliterate, and bicultural.

District 24 Kindergarten STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) program - In these programs, located in District 24 in Queens, students learn to think and act as scientists and engineers who identify and explore real-world challenges. Students will learn to use the engineering design process and/or computational thinking strategies to build their problem-solving and critical thinking skills. 

You can list as many choices as you are interested in attending, including schools outside of your zone. However, you do have the highest priority to your zone school. Be sure to list the programs in true preference order, even if the programs are located at the same school. For example, if you wish to attend the G&T program at a school more than the other kindergarten program(s), list it higher on the application. A child’s admissions priority does not change no matter which order you place choices on the application.

Questions? Call us at 718-935-2009 or email ESEnrollment@schools.nyc.gov.