Middle school is perhaps the most important — and challenging — of the grade levels. It’s a time when kids can get turned on by school — or turned off. New York has open high-school enrollment, meaning students can apply to attend schools citywide. So, the seventh-grade GPA and test scores will largely determine if you land in a high school of your choice. All this while adolescents deal with the dawn of the teenage years. Here’s how to help your kid succeed.
YOU GOTTA SHOW UP
“Attendance is huge. Principals have told me over and over again that all else being equal, attendance is the most important thing because it means the kids are dedicated to going to school every day. If principals have discretion in who they can choose or reject, they’ll be more interesting in kids with good to stellar attendance records.”
— Kim Nauer, director of Schools Watch at the Center for NYC Affairs, mother of two
GET A HEAD START ON ACADEMICS
“If you want to be on the college track, try to take and pass algebra in eighth grade. Then, in high school, you’ll be ready to take the advanced math classes, and colleges want to see that. You should also try to take foreign languages and Earth Science. You’re knocking off two of your Regents exams, math and science, before you even get to high school. It gives you more flexibility in high school. Most middle-school classes are prescribed, and not all middle schools offer these opportunities. Ask the guidance counselor. But if your kid’s not ready for it, don’t do it. You don’t want to set up a feeling of failure.”
— Kim Nauer
SCOUT HIGH SCHOOLS EARLY
“People don’t realize how tough the competition is. Everybody wants to go to the same 10 high schools. More than 22,600 students applied for 814 freshman seats at Stuyvesant HS, 7,461 for 111 seats at Baruch College Campus HS, 6,040 for 108 seats at Pace HS. Lots of perfectly qualified, great kids will get rejected because there’s just no room. Make absolutely sure that you’re eligible before you apply. A lot of people put down the HS of Fashion Industries and don’t realize you have to audition. If you don’t live in District 2, don’t bother applying to Eleanor Roosevelt HS. Some schools take only kids with the best grades — 90% or higher in math, science, English and social studies.”
“Look at the commuting time. Some Brooklyn kids apply to a school in The Bronx and after they get assigned realize it’s an hour-and-a-half commute.
“Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. You can list up to 12 high schools on your application. Look for schools that offer four years of math and four years of science, plus Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate classes or the chance to take classes on CUNY campuses and other local colleges. Visit or tour every school on your list.”
See video guides at: http://insideschools.org/high/how-to-apply
— Clara Hemphill, editor of Insideschools.org, an independent guide to NYC schools
LOOK FOR THE ‘HIDDEN GEMS’
“If you like the closeness and personal attention of a small school, don’t cross a huge school off your list before checking if they offer smaller, selective programs that excel. For instance, Midwood HS in Brooklyn offers a humanities program and Medical Sciences Institute; Benjamin Cardozo HS in Queens has a DaVinci Math and Science Institute. You meet kids in your program and find your own little group.
“Don’t list just a few schools on your application. That’s gambling, because second round applications may have slim pickings. List only schools you’d like to attend, because it’s nearly impossible to transfer.”
— Joyce Szuflita, education consultant
GO TO OPEN HOUSES
“It’s important that children go with you to the open-house tours. Students, not their parents, should decide the order of preference. If the child winds up at a school they hate, you’re going to be stuck with a child who’s miserable for the next four years. Make copies of all application forms in case it gets entered into the Department of Education computer wrongly or a school magically appears on the list. It will help to prove an error if you need to appeal.”
— Jacquie Wyans, Inside Schools editor, co-author of NYC Best Public School guides and Bronx mom of three
MONITOR ONLINE USAGE
“On mobile devices, have kids show you what apps they’ve signed up for, where they’re going, the stored pictures that others sent or they sent others. Sexting and cybering — sex talk — is starting as young as 10 with boys and girls equally. Often the most sheltered kids will offer or accept a sext rather than engage in sex.”
“If they don’t give us a password, they’re not entitled to have digital devices — that goes for kids up to age 16.
“Teach kids that everybody can be tracked — cyberbullying, hacking. If you do something wrong, you’re going to get caught.”
— Parry Aftab, Internet privacy and security lawyer, executive director of wiredsafety.org
MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ENOUGH TO EAT
With the new federal limits on calories and fat, if you find the school lunch isn’t enough for you, bring something else — string cheese, an extra piece of fruit, Greek yogurt. To get through the day, especially if you eat at 10:45 a.m., bring trail mix, almonds and dried fruit. I encourage kids to do that to avoid stopping at the corner grocery store on the way home.
— Keith Ayoob, pediatric nutritionist and professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine