If you reside in Manhattan, you are zoned to a neighborhood public school, which is known as your catchment. Most ECC families are in the catchment area of PS 199, PS 87, PS 452, or PS 9, all in District 3. 

Determine which public school you are zoned for by calling the NYC hotline at 311 or looking online at schools.nyc.gov/find-a-school. Due to overcrowding, you are no longer guaranteed a spot at your zoned school. You should register online in January. You can read about different schools here.

The list of schools you submit on your application should be based on your preference. Rank the schools in order of your preference, but also include other schools in case your child cannot be placed at your most preferred school(s). Your child’s acceptance to a school is dependent on that school’s admissions priorities. For example, if you rank three schools ahead of your zoned school and you don’t get an offer at any of those three schools, your child may still get an offer to his or her zoned school, because your child has a high priority there. You will receive your placement offer in March and then must pre-register at that school. You may still remain on the waitlists for schools that you ranked higher and pre-registering for a different school will not change this.

The cut-off birthdate for admissions to public schools in Manhattan is generally December 31.

In addition there are two categories of special public school programs:

1. Schools for Gifted Children

   Hunter College Elementary School (a lab school of Hunter College): K–12

   Hunter College Elementary School requires testing by an approved Stanford-Binet V tester. For more information about the admissions process for Hunter, go to hces.hunter.cuny.edu.

2. Gifted and Talented Programs: K-5th in District 3

   Gifted & Talented (G&T) programs are one way that the NYC Department of Education supports the needs of exceptional students. G&T programs aim to deliver accelerated, rigorous, and specialized instruction aligned to Common Core Learning Standards (CCLS).

   There are two types of Gifted & Talented programs. Admission to these programs is based on your child’s test score:

   • District G&T programs are offered at district elementary schools. They prioritize admitting students who live in the local communities served by the school. You are only eligible to apply to these programs if you score a 90 or above.

   • Citywide G&T schools accept students from all boroughs. There is no admission priority given based on where you live. You are only eligible to apply to these programs if you score a 97 or above.

   Students entering kindergarten through third grade are eligible to participate in G&T admissions. Children must pass an assessment to be eligible to apply to G&T programs. 

   To read more about this process, please visit the New York City Department of Education website.

Although the admissions season for independent schools officially begins the day after Labor Day, many schools post valuable information on the web over the summer. The process is as follows:

1. Formulate a List of Schools

   The spring or summer before your child’s Pre-K year, you should begin to formulate a list of schools to which you will be interested in applying. Some of the resources that can help with this process include:

   • Parents League New York Independent School Directory

   • The Manhattan Family Guide to Private Schools and Selective Public Schools, by Victoria Goldman and Catherine Hausman

   • The Independent Schools Admissions Association of New York website and directory of member schools 

   • Other parents

   • Once a preliminary list of schools is determined, you can meet with the director to discuss the list.

2. Attend Tours and/or Open Houses

   Open Houses and/or tours provide an opportunity for parents to learn about different schools before the application process starts. These events will generally include a question and answer session, a tour of the school and a program overview. Additionally, they provide the opportunity to meet with school administrators, faculty and parents of children enrolled at the school. Because of limited space, most schools request that each family reserve a place by calling the Admissions Office.

   A significant number of schools offer tours in the spring for information-gathering purposes. Many parents choose to attend spring tours to ease the burden of touring schools in the fall.

3. Testing

   Most independent schools no longer require or will even accept the ECAA (Early Childhood Admissions Assessment).  There are some schools that require the AABL (Admission Assessment for Beginning Learners). If you are applying to a school that requires either test, you can have your child tested at an ERB office.

4. Prepare Applications and Attend Interviews

   Each school has a slightly different application process, including different deadlines. The process normally includes an application, a parent interview, a child visit and submission of school records and test results.

   The application typically includes essay questions asking parents to describe the family’s educational objectives and to portray the child’s personality and learning style. The application will typically include an application fee. Although some schools make their applications available online over the summer, all have them available either online or by mail by the early fall. Once the school receives a completed application, parent interviews and child visits are scheduled.

   The parent interview may be individual or in a group and will discuss the family’s educational environment and objectives. Many families send a thank you note after the interview.

   During the child visit, most schools will have the applicant join a group of children who will meet with admissions personnel for approximately 45 minutes. Some schools, however, may have a slightly different interview process.

   To authorize the release of your child’s school records to a specific school, you must bring to the ECC the school’s form. The ECC completes the form and sends it directly to the ongoing school.

   Most schools will not review your child’s application folder until all the required information has been received. In January, you should contact each school to which you are applying to confirm that all required information and documents have been received.

   You are also encouraged to meet with The director in mid to late January to touch base on the process and the status of all materials.

5. Admissions Notification

   Admissions decisions for Kindergarten are released in February.

In recent years, ECC graduates have attended the following schools:

• Abraham Joshua Heschel School

• Allen-Stevenson School

• Avenues: The World School

• Anderson School P.S. 334

• Bank Street School for Children

• BASIS Independent Manhattan

• Birch Wathen Lenox School

• Brearley School

• Browning School

• Calhoun School

• Cathedral School of St. John the Divine

• Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School

• Dalton School

• Ethical Culture Fieldston School

• Friends Seminary

• Hewitt School

• Hunter College Elementary School

• Horace Mann School

• Little Red School House

• P.S. 6, The Lillie Devereaux Blake School

• P.S. 9, The Sarah Anderson School

• P.S. 87, The William T. Sherman School

• P.S. 166, The Richard Rodgers School of Arts & Technology

• P.S. 199, Jessie Isador Straus School

• P.S. 452

• Ramaz School

• Riverdale Country School

• Rodeph Sholom School

• Solomon Schechter School of Manhattan

• Spence School

• Speyer Legacy School

• Success Academy Upper West Side

• The School at Columbia University

• Town School

• Trevor Day School

• Trinity School